Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 June 1888 — THE DEMOCRACY. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE DEMOCRACY.

Proceedings of the National Democratic Convention. Stephen M. White, of California, Made Temporary Chairman. Patterson, of Colorado, Presents a Silver Gavel, and Praises the Noble Metal. The Various Committees Announced— Incidents of the Convention. St. Louis, June 5, 1888. The Democratic National Convention began to gather during the early hours of the morning, although it was known that the gavel of Chairman Barnum of the National Committee would not announce its opening until noon. The trickling stream of humanity which began to run into the big Exposition building as early as 8 o’clock grew to a torrent, which surged in and filled the great nave of the hall to overflowing, and long before noon 10,000 human faces

gazed upon the high desk reserved for the presiding officer of the convention, as yet emi>ty, but with its gleaming -white silver gavel, a gift of the Nevada delegation, full of curious interest for the expectant multitude. The noble proportions of the hall at once excite

admiration. It is oblong in shape, relieved on either side by balconies reaching back 200 feet, above which, stretching entirely around the auditorium, is a*brood, overhanging gallery. An ample stage reaches from the rear of the Chairman’s platform fifty feet to the east wall of the hall, and accommodates 440 of the gathhered leaders and fathJfersof the National De- , mocracy, who thus are enabled to overlook officers, delegates, and spectators. The decorations are simple but effective. The stage is

hung with red, white, and blue bunting, relieved by festoons and borders of everi greens. Upon a pedestal on the right of I the entrance of the stage stands a bust j-of the President, and suspended upon the face 'of the gallery above the stage, heavily framed in ’ gilt, is a large portrait of the President in oil. On either side are similar portraits of Cleveland, (Hancock, Tilden, Hendricks and ex-Gov. Mar'maduke of Missouri. The balcony and gallery pillars and the face of the long, winding galleries | and the fronts of the balconies are profusely ’decorated with American flags in alternate long • and short festoons, caught up with large red, white and blue rosettes. At 12:35 p. m. ex-Senator Barnum of Connecticut, Chairman of the Democratic National ■ Committee, rose from his chair, and with the ! gavel smote the desk one sturdy blow. Then (the band which were discoursing music in vari- | ous parts of the hall ceased, the loud talking . and the cheers which greeted the appearance of each distinguished individual who entered the convention gave way to quiet, and with a pre[liminary hustle the great assemblage subsided into comparative silence. “The convention come to order." .said Chairman Barnum. “Bishop J. C. Grani berry, of St. Louis, will open the proceedings of this convention with prayer." Bishop Granberry came forward and addressed the throne of grace as follows: V “Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who art lifted for above all this turmoil, and yet dost stoop to us tn answer to our prayer, we adore I Thee. We praise Thee. We give Theo thanks for Thy great goodnees to the sons of men. Thou art God, and we are the people of Thy providence and the work of Thv hand. We thank Thee for this great country which Thou hast given us ; for the increase of our population and our wealth and our power; for the diffusion of knowledge; for Thy word which giveth light; for the church, and for all Christian institutions. • “Forgive us our ingratitude or forgetfulness of .Thee, our disobedience according to the multiI tude of Thy favors in Christ. Oh, Lord I save us from pestilence, famine, and war; from sectional strife and anarchy and disorder; from the reign

of vice, and crime, and impiety. May the foundations of our prosperity be laid in faith 1 and reverence and righteousness and love, and may the favor of ' our God be our defense and our glory. We beseech Thee, Almighty God, that Thou will |bless the President of ithe United States and all that are in authority, and do Thou provide for us able men < ,who fear God, men of' ,truth and righteousness, and may our peo,ple be led on by Thy iwisdom and Thy power land goodness from

(height to height of material and intellectual (moral development. May these blessings be Itrafcmitted from generation to generation, and <extend to all nations, that all the earth may isee the glory of our God. These prayers we offer in the name of Thy son, Jesus Christ. Amen." At the conclusion of the prayer Mr. Barnum ,aroM and said: “Gentlemen of the Convention—'By the unanimous vote of the National Com.mittoe the Chair has been directed to present to <Ua convention a list of temporary officers,

which the Secretary will read. “Mr. Prince then read the list as follows: Chairman—Stephen M. White of California. Temporary Secretary—Fred O. Prince, of Massachusetts. Assistant Secretaries—Alfred Orendorf of Illinois, W. L. Scott at Virginia, T. O. Barrett of St. Louis, Leopold Strauss of Alabama, O. M. Hall of Minnesota. John Triplett of Georgia. L. E. Rowley of Michigan, Oliver NeweU of Colorado, T. J. Lingle of Missouri, T. L. Merrill of Nebraska. Reading Secretary—Hon. Thomas Pettit, House of Representatives. Assistant Reading Clerks—M. L. Scott of Virginia, T. E. Barrett of New Jersey, T. O. Walker of lowa, R. H. Henry of Mississippi, John W. Kern of Indiana, J. P. Carr of Missouri, E. D. Sawver of Ohio, W. A. P. Bently of Missouri. Official Stenographer—Edward B. Dickson of New York. Sergeant-at-Arms—Richard J. Bright. Chief Doorkeeper—Daniel Able of St. Louis. The convention unanimously adopted the list

as read by Mr. Prince, after which the Chairman said : “I will appoint Hon. Arthur P. Gorman of Maryland, Hon. Galvin S. Brice of Ohio, and Hon. Frank W. Dawson of South Carolina, a committee to wait upon Mr. White and escort him to the . chair.” The committee escorted Mr. White, amid Igreat enthusiasm,to the jchair, and Mr. Barnum > then introduced him to the convention in the following words: “Gentlemen of the convention, I have the pleasure and the honor to present to this con-

vention the Hon. Stephen M. White, of California." Upon taking the chair Mr. White delivered a flfteen-minutes speech. Although he had requested. by way of preface, that during the delivery of hie siieech, the convention should preserve silenee, he was frequently interrupted by applause, and, once’or twice, was compelled to stop until the applause had died away. He spoke with distinctness and could i>e heard all over the hall. When he mentioned the name of Cleveland the convention arose to its feet, and, with waving hats and fluttering handkerchiefs, cheered for several seconds. The mention of tariff reform was also cheered, and at the close of his address the speaker was generously applauded. Curiously enough, the references in the speech to Tilden failed to arouse any marked enthusiasm, and none of the New York delegation applauded the mention of that once inspiring name. Gov. Green, of New Jersey, offered the following resolution: Itenolved, That the rules of the last Democratic Convention govern this body until otherwise ordered, subject to the following modification: That in voting for candidates for President and Vice President no State shall be allowed to change its vote until the roll of States has been called and every State has cast its votes. A delegate from Missouri mildly opposed the resolution, but it was adopted by an almost unanimous vote. Mr. Patterson, of Colorado—ln behalf of Colorado’s Democracy I crave the indulgence of this convention to present to it for use by Its chairman a solid silver gavel. Mr. Patterson then held up the gavel, which created great applause. The Chairman—Gentlemen of the convention, if there is no objection, and I assume that there will be none, this present will be deemed accepted. It is solid silver, and, as far as a gavel con do it, you will have to be ruled by silver. [Great applause.] Senator Gorman, of Maryland, passed up the

following resolution, which was read Dy the Secretary ; Resolved, That the roll of States and Territories be now called, and that each delegation name one member to act as a member of the Committee on Credentials, one member on the Committor on Permanent Organization, and one member 011 the Committee on Resolutions, and that all resolutions in relation to the platform of the Democratic party be referred to said committee without debate. The resolution was adopted. The Secretary called the roll of States, and as each State was called the Chairman of the delegation responded with the names of members of the committees on resolutions, permanent organization, and credentials, as decided upon by the various States before the convention met. The spectators and. delegates became restive during the long interval occupied in calling the roll, and the Chairman was obliged several times to enforce order with his silver gavel. When Kentucky was called, and the member for the Committee on Resolutions was announced to be Henry Watterson, a storm of applause swept - through the hall, which did not cease for some minutes. There was also much applause when Texas reported its member of the Platform Committee, George Clark.

Dakota’s name being reached, Mr. O'Brien, of Minnesota, spoke up, —.ying; “In Dakota there is a contest. There are two delegations from Dakota'attending this convention. No committee and no delegates from Dakota should participate in the proceedings of this convention until that contest is decided.' The Chairman —Do you make a motion ?

Mr. O’Brien—l move that all parties claiming to be delegates from Dakota be excluded until the report of the Committee o n Credentials 1 * made. The Chairman— The motion of Mr. O’Brien, of Minnesota, there being a contest in Da- < kota, is that all parties 1 claiming to be dele-ffl gates from that Ter-J rit or y be excluded A from participancy un- [T til after the repprt of U the Committee on Credentials is made and acted upon. The motion was sec-

onded by several delegates. “A,re you ready for the question?” said the Chairman. “All in favor of the motion wiU say aye, contrary-minded, no. The ayes have it It is so ordered.” The roll-call ended, the Chairman announced that three committees—Platform, Permanent Organization, and Credentials—would meet at 5 p. m., the two latter in the rooms adjoining the convention hall, and the Committee on Platform at the grand parlors of the Southern Hotel, the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee. Mr. Pusey, of lowa—l am instructed by my delegation to offer the fallowing resolution and ask for its adoption: Resolved, That during the recess of this con-

vention this hall be opened for the inspection of visiting clubs. [Cheers.] Mr. Baker, of lowa —I move to amend the action by instructing the Serge aat-at-onns of this convention to invite and find seats in this convention for every uniformed Demo-

cratic club which comes from other States. [Applause.] The Chair requested that the amendment be passed up. Mr. Pusey—My resolution embodies that very thing. It says all visiting clubs. Mr. Baker—There are, I understand, uniformed Democratic clubs here from ten or twelve States, and I think those clubs ought? to bo per-

mitted to have a seat in this convention during! the deliberations of this body. I tinderstand that' yesterday 4,000 tickets were distributed «to the members of the Chamber of Commerce of this city; they ought to have been distributed to the Democratic clubs who are here from Chicago, from Cincinnati, and from New York. fLoud cheers, and “Good 1" “Good I"] I therefore insist, Mr. Chairman, that we owe it to these Demo-1 <p*atic clubs to extend to them the courtesy of' this convention. Gov. Abbett, of New Jersey—l can not see any. difference between uniformed Democrats and the Democrats that have come from all portions of the United States [applause]; and as to the fur-j ther distribution of tickets, they have alfeady been made. The National Committee has distributed them, and if there is an attempt now to’ make the Sergeant-at-Arffis superior to the Na-' tional Committee, and admit anybody that comes in uniform, I will amend to say that the whole Democracy come into this ball and he seated. [Applause.] The Chairman—All in favor of the substitute will say aye. The substitute was adopted. The convention then adjourned until 10 o’clock to-morrow morning.

ARTHUR P. GORMAN.

WM. L. SCOTT.

THE CONVENTION HALL, LOOKING TOWARD THE CHAIRMAN’S DESK.

WM. H. BARNUM.

WM. R. MORRISON.

HENRY WATTERSON.

EXTERIOR OF THE CONVENTION HALL.