Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1896 — BIG BATTLE BEGINS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BIG BATTLE BEGINS

Democratic National Convention ' in Session. FIGHT ON CHAIRMAN. Gold and Silver Forces Try , Their Strength. •Great Democratic Gathering at Chicago Called to Order—Silver Force* Fire the First Gan Amid Much Enthusiasm—David B. Hill Versus Daniel Former Announced as Temporary Chairman and Latter Put Forward by the White Metallists—Wild Throng in the Hall. At noon Tuesday there assembled in the Chicago Coliseum a political convenition which p-omised to rank with the I most notable events of the kind iu the i history of this country. For days the ‘.leaders of the rival factions of one of the tgreat political organizations of the L nit>d States had been hurling at one another infective" and threats, 'luesday They nTet to begin the actual struggle for the control of that party. The convention hall doors were opened at 10 o'clock, and those entitled to admission permitted tOjCnter. At 11 o'clock jthe Seventh Regiment band took its stilt, ition in the balcony over the chairman's desk, and discoursed sweet harmony till he arrived to call the convention to order. There were the gold men from the iEast. silent and thoughtful; the silver j •men from the South and West, jubilant, j Aggressive, and uoisy; the Tammany i ibraves, for once in their lives "with.” of '‘a’gin,” the government; the ISouthqni gentlemen, salt, in light sumtaiery suits and broad-brimmed slouch 'hats; the Western silver men; the adherents of this or that candidate, with the 'names of the idol sticking out all over —all these were features of the crowds ;that loaded every vehicle of transportation southward bound during the early ' forenoon. After a week of the hardest kind of ihustling. not only among the supporters ■of the score or so of candidates for the nomination, but also among the men who • were straining every energy to have their way in tbq framing of the party policy, the first day of the convention dawned with but One fixed certainty in view—namely, the adoption of a free-silver platTornj. favoring the unlimited coinage of “silver a: the ratio of 10 to 1. The silver tmen went down to the convention hall •in a triumphant mood over the assured | fact that in a convention of a little over ' 900 delegates they had a little over 000 ! rotes pledged tr the white metal. Ba re- ; ly a two-third:, vote it was, too. and this j they claimed would, when ultimately united hpou one'man, insure the nomination !

«f a silver caifdidate upon a silver platform. -The gold'men,- though iu a miBorityptvent, tfibr6llgbly united and with a fixed 'puriiiSe* itf'wiew. That Was do place rfi the chair as'fcemparary chairman and maifitaiir tli’j.fiut'jtdsition David Benaett Hit) of New YoVk. Next to secure ••• ,

through him atefflttidS" b#ritrol of the per-manent-drganizattGn-tyf the convention as l*oßsible| ? next to force, through, the Advantage'’thus gained, some sort" of corupromisE bn the coinage question. The copventiou gathered in the hand•omest perfectly appointed bnildinjfiever in Chicago f oi a nations! ’asseniblage of representatives of any pot&caVllarty, .aqd it. is doubtfifl if anything as complete in all details as is the Coljgeum ever has been-offered for convention purposes in’ any other city. A* the delegates passed the doorkeepers they found themselves In a gigantic foyer the entire width of the building and fully a« longSs IC. iaVitfidb',? the north end of wtych was draped with mammoth flags.’ Half a^'dozen entrances, conspicuously letteredobffp«ie<h>n -deans of access by which tedders of tickets for, seats in the different sec&dtfb/obuld -find their proper location without trouble or confusion. A ainphitheir&P ‘ Tvonna the level square in.which the delegates were seated. A peculiarity of the arrangement by which seats had peen prepared for the ■debates was the utter impossibility of -«ccess to this square by any one lacking the proper privilege of being there. There : were tMJO seats for delegates, thirty more ■than were j'equired. Fifteen thousand chairs were given up to spectators. The speaker's platform was on the east side of the hall in exactly the middle of that portion q£ the .building which vfas

used for convention purposes. On this platform there were 700 chairs, occupied by “distinguished guests.” At the immediate right and left of the presiding officer's platform, but on a lower level, there wore ninety-six seats for reporters, making 10” on the east side of the hall. At the north and south ends there were provisions for 240 more workers. These

tables* were covered with white cotton cloth'nml draped alternately in the colors of the Union. Red, white and blue bunting prevailed nenrly everywhere. The tight board fence separating the delegates from the alternates was covered with it, every Iron beam and girder was draped with it, while from the ceiling, at frequent and regular intervals, depended immense flags, some of them silk, others of bunting. Everything around the speaker’s platform was festooned with evergreen. Three aisles divided the delegates’ scats into four sections. The delegations were seated alphabetically, beginning at the extreme right of the chairman, or at the northeast corner of the square. Thus the States began with Alabama and ended with Wyoming. Telegraphic and telephonic facilities were believed to be ample for any possible emergency. Sixteen private telephone wires ran from the reporters’ tables to eight newspaper offices. The Western Union Telegraph Company had sixty wires in service, with facilities for an hicreasejAoiM they be njgMgt lhe nfftlonaT vfhg passed on contests, this is the way the gold and silver forces lined up in tile temporary organization: State or Dele- 811- Sound Territory. gates. Gold., ver. money. Alabama ........ 22 ... 22 Arkansas 16 10 California ....... 18 ... 18 Colorado 4:' 8 ... 8 .., Connecticut ..... 12 12 Delaware .. *6 ... ... 6 Florida '8 4 4 Georgia 26 ... 26 Idaho 6 ...’ 6 Illinois 48 3'.’.. 48

Indiana bo ... 30 lowa og 0,5 .Kansas 20 ... 20 Kentucky 26 ... 26 Louisiana 10 i« Maine 12 7 5 Maryland!-,- .... K Massachusetts ... SO 30

Michigan 28 28 ... ... Minnesota IS 12 « ... Mississippi 18 ... 1.8 ... Missouri 34 ... 34 ... Montana t> ... 0 ... Nebraska 13 It? ... ... Nevada it ... 0 ... New Hampshire.. 8 ... ... 8 New Jersey 20 go ... ... New York 72 72 ... ... North Carolina... 22 ... 22 ... North Dakota.... 3 ... tl ...

Ohio 43 ... 40 Oregon 8 ... 8 Pennsylvania.... 64 64 ... ... Rhode Island 8 8 ... ... South Carolina... 18 ... 18 ... South Dakota.... 8 4 4 ... Tennessee 24 ... 24 ... Texas 30 30 ... Utah 0 ... H Vermont 8 8 ... ... Virginia 24 24 ...

Washington ...... 8. , . ... 8 ... West Virginia. ... 12 ... 12 Wisconsin 24 24 ... ... Wyoming, 0 ... 6 Alaska'. 2 ... 2 ... Arizona '.l'. 2 ... 2 . ... Dlst. of Columbia* 2 1 1 ... Indian Territory. 2 ... 2 New Mexico 2 ... 2 Oklahoma 2 ~. 2 ... Totals 000 310 566 30 Chairman Harrity performed the duty of calling the convention to order with n which has a, history dating back to the time of the Pharaobs. This unique gavel was the gift, of Ossiau Guthrie, of Chicago, who presented a similar gift for 'Use at the Republican convention. The head of the gavel is carved from a piece of oak w hieh formed a part of old Fort Dearborn. The handle is also of oak, but from a tree which was growing on the present site of Chicago 7,000 years ago. This tree was one of a primeval forest, covered br the debris of centuries and.hidden until a few months ago, when excavations at Sheffield aveque brought the great trunk to light. Thus the oaks of two periods centuries apart were levied upoiv for the ghvel. The gavel when received by SergeantqtvArms Marlin,’uvas accompanied by a letter from Ossian Guthrie describing its history and a statement from Prof. Up-

ham of the Minnesota Historical Society giving the age of the tree from which the handle is made, as computed by eminent geologists. Chairman Harrity was also tendered the use of a gavei made from the platform upon which George Washington stood when inaugurated President of the United Stntes for his second term in the Senate chnmber of Congress Hall. Sixth and Chestnut streets, Philadelphia, on March 4, 1793. The gavel was made by William Jones, who has been the janitor of Independence Hall for a quarter of a century. The genuineness of the material is certified to by Andrew Jackson Reilly, who has been for many years an officer of the District Court of Philadelphia. . At 12:30 o'clock Chairman Harrity, of the National Democratic Committee, with the convention gavel in hand, rapped loudly for order and introduced Rev. 10. M. Stires, who raised his hands to heaven iu an invocation for wisdom, peace and good-will among the assembled Democracy of the nation. The vast assemblage, numbering over twelve thousand people, rose and remained standing during the devotions. At the conclusion of the prayer the chairman announced that the National Committee liud reported Hon. David B. Hill of New York for temporary presiding officer of the convention. Then he was interrupted and the stiver men hnd their chance. Chairman Harrity recognized National Committeeman Clayton of Alabama. As he rose the silver men sent a mighty roar of applause. Before he had opened his mouth the crowd knew what w;as coming, and for two minutes kept up a hubbub that drowned out his voice. . It was well known Mr. Clayton intended to oppose the national committee by a minority repo-t favoring Senator Daniel for temporary chairman. Senator. Daniel’s name was wildly cheered, silver delegates rising from their seats and tossing their lints in the air. A hasty review of the lloor covered by the excited

delegates speedily showed that in point of numbers the minority report was the favorite; it was really the first slogan of the silver forces. When order had been restored Allan McDermott of New Jersey made an impassioned plea for Senator Hill. Mr. McDermott said that it would not be proper to overturn the traditions of the Democratic party in a thoughtless manner. He argued against turning down a man who for years had been prominent in the Democratic party, and whose words, “I am a Democrat,” are known the length and breadth of the land. He declared that free silver was a sufficient novelty in the' enmpaign without striking out at the beginning at the very foundation principles of the party. Mr. McDermott was given generous applause. Then ex-Governor Waller of Connecticut stepped upon the platform and lent his oratory to what the delegates thought was a conciliatory speech. He declared that both Hill and Daniel wore great names should be spoken together, cheered together and voted together. He then threw out the olive branch, which the delegates were quick to see, by advocating that Hill be made temporary chairman and Daniel permanent chairman Watercress is a remedy for scurvy.

THE GREAT CHICAGO COLISEUM.

WILLIAM F. HARRITY. Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS MARTIN.

CONFERENCE OF SUBCOMMITTEES OF THE BIMETALLIC LEAGUE AND NATION COMMITTEE.