Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1884 — THE DEMOCRACY. [ARTICLE]

THE DEMOCRACY.

Proceedings of the National Convention at Chicago. I‘irst Day. The fourteenth Democratic National Convention convened in the Exposition Building, at Chicago, on Tuesday, July 8, and was called to order at 12:40 p. m. by Chairman William H. Barnum, of the National Committee. Prayer was offered by Bev. Duncan C. Marquis. On motion of Chairman Barnum, Hon. Bichard ,B. Hubbard of Texas. was unanimously chosen Temporary Chairman. Gov. Hubbard delivered a, twenty-minutes’ speech upon assuming the chair. He said: Mr. Chairman, and Gentlemen of the Demooratic Convention of the Union—lam profoundly grateful for the confidence whitn you have reposed in me in rati'ying the nomination of the National Execu ive Committee, who have done your bidding for the last four years, by your authority. I accept it, my fellow Democrats, not as a tribute o-the humble citizen, to your fellow Democrat who speaks to you to-day, but rather as a compl.ment to the great State from which I oome -a State which, more than any ether American State, is absolutely cosmopolitan in every fiber of its being. In its early days and struggles thither came to our reli f, as the winds sweep across the sea, men of Dlinois and New York; men of Maine and New England; men of Georgia, and al ng the ccast, gave their lives at the Alamo and San Jacinto ftjr Texas. I can only reSail in the brief moments which I shall detain you the fact that our neigllboring sister Stake—her women, her glorious Spartan women—sent anus the twin cannon that won the best, the glorious victory at San Jacinto. But above all that. I accept it as a tribute to the fact, my fellow Democrats, that Texas, with our 2,000,000 pe 'pie, gladly at each recurring election, places in the ballot-box unawed over 100,000 Democra-'ic majority. Fellow Democrats, we ffiave met upon an absorbing occasion. The occasion would not justify me, nor demand that 1 should attempt to speak to you of the paitv’s great history andite distinguishing principles through two-thirds of the most glorious history of our count< y. I could not stop to discuss if I won d Its magnificent policies of progress; the path it has taken in battling for our country, its prowess, its territory, and its wealth. I can only say to you to-day in brief that the Democratic party, in all essential elements, is the same as it was when founded by ■the franters of our Constitution, nearly threequarters of a century ago. Men die as leaves in autumn, but the principles underlying Democracy'are eternal. As an underlying principle of free government the right of representation ami taxation go hand in hand; economy in the administration of its government placing the burden upon the millions who constitute her countrymen. These and others are principles underlying the Democratic party which cannot perish from the earth, though their authors be dead. I thank God, fellow-citizens, that though we have been out of power for a quarter of a century, we are to-day in adherence, confidence, and zeal as much a party organization for aggressive warfare as when the banners of victory were perched upon our heads. Democratic fellowcitizens, since'the war the Democratic party has resumed its control and its power. It has your House of Representatives, and but for treason stalking in the Senate qhamber we would have that, too. We hive had the Presidency, too——but with impious hand—the hand of robbery —our rights were stricken down at the ballotbox, and through perjury and bribery and corruption, men uttering falsehood through pale lips and chattering teeth, in the very temple of liberty, stole the Presidency from this country. Some of the men who participated in it have passed beyond the river and stand to a give an account of their stewardship. But history will not lie wiv. a it recalls the vote announced in the Senate chamber in regard to the vote of Louisiana when the law was passed. I remember it. It is the blackest page of oar historv. They turned their faces and refreed to consider the vote, although reeking with ignominy, bribery, and shame. That is a wrong we have met to right. Eight years have passed, that is true; that the law is given over to them," that is true; but the jury in its box, under tiie Constitution of your State, and the Judge upon the bench, who holds the scales of justice, are even yet with guilty hand upholding the parchment from the Executive of your State, and the innocent may sit, in the box and bo condemned to death under the sanction of thd' law. It is what the law writers of civilization for hundreds of years have cursed and condemned as legal murder. So the great sin of that Electoral Commission, remains to-day unpunished, and ever will be unavenged so long as the Republipan party is in power in this country, and I thank (fed that there is no statute of Imitations running in favor of that crime. And in that connection, my fellow-Democrats, be it said to the credit of the Democratic party, they exhibited none of that spirit of Hotspur, of the pirate, none of that spirit that sought to ingulf this country, fresh as it was upon the heels of a great and fratricidal wan But our great leaders Tilden and Heiroricks who, with ttio dignity that comes from heroic statesmen, with the courage of men that love their country better than its pelf or its power, accepted that wrong and endured the fraud ana perjury, and they are grander to-day in their defeat than the men who wear power at. the expense of justice. Thus we have succeeded in the face of Federal power. We wotrtdbave succeeded in 1880 but for Federal gold and Federal greenbheks, fresh from Washington uncut—money earned by star-route contractors and the loving friends of a venal administration. They bought the Presidency.. Fellow.-Democrats, we want reform. God knows that—not only in the personnel of the men, butns well in the measures of government. We, want men" there whose very names shall be a platform to this people. Wo want men there who shall, in all the departments of the Government, in its departments of justice, in its postal affairs, its'interior dej artment, everywhere, follow its servants with the watchful eye of ministers of justice, and see that every cent that belongs to ttie Government shall remain with the Government, and no tribute shall be demanded except the tribute that is due to the Government; that no assessments upon the hundred thousand office holders by the hundreds of millions annually shall be made to go into the corrupt political fund. These, we thank God, will be corrected when the Democratic party gets into power onw move ; ■ • «**••* The Democratic party, while it may have its local differences, when the onslaught and the charge come will be together, and whoever you will nominate of all the great and good names that are before you, from the East to the West, the North to the South, he who stands back in the hour of peril, forsooth be ause nis s own State or himself shall not receive the choice oi tun heart, is less than a good Democrat, and hardly patriotic in this our country’s how of. peril. 'The Democratic party is a loyal and a Union party. The bloody shirt, rin the vulgar parlance of the times, has, at each recurring election, been Haunted in the face of the Southern Democrats, and in your own faces. And with Logan on the ticket I presume it will be again. Blaine could hardly afford it, not having indulged much in that war. They will endeavor to stir up the bad blood of the past. My c®' dry men, the war is over for a quarter of a a naury?and they know it. Why, our boyshave married the young maidens of the North land, and children born to them since those days; and they will continue to go. side by side to the altar, and to that bourne from whence no traveler returns. Why, the boys in the blue and the gray slept together upon a common fid i of glory! Let their bones alone; they res resent the best blood of the land. But, thank God, the go ,d men of all parties have united In the great common progress of our race to forget th i memories of the war times. I thank ) on, fellow-citizens, for your attention, and I trust that your forbearance will be extended to met-wlay, and what mistakes I shall make yowjwHl treat lightly and kindly. And, hoping that success may crown your efforts, and that you may send a ticket to our country upon which all may unite is the wish of him whom you hove honored with your suffrage this day. a After the delivery of Gov. Hnbbard's opening sp- eoh and the completion of the temporary organization, B. B. Smalley, of Vermont, a-m-mber of the National Committee, moved that the rules of former Democratic conventions govern the present one, with the modification that no Btafte shall be allowed to change it a vote unth after the completion of the roll-call. To this Senator Thomas F. Grady, of New Ycrk, offered an amendment prodding that the j vote of Individual delegates shall be the ) vote of ths State in case of challenges. G. V. | Menzies, of Indiana, offered an amendment to I Mr. Grady’s amendment, to the effect that no change of vote be permitted until after the result of the ballot had been announced. This amendment was withdrawn as er an animated debate, mainly between John- B. Follows and Jqfin Kelly, of New York. Arguments on the question were made by Messrs. Gradv,' Faulkner, Jac-obs, and Cochran, of New Ymk;. Judge DeoMbtie, of Wisconsin; O. W. Powe-, of Michigan; Garter H. Harrison, of Illinois; and Cisne, of California. A vote was then taken on this attempt to break the unit rule, the result being 388 yeas and 453 nays. The vote on the ; Gndy amendment was as follows: I Ayes Noes: Ayes Noes Alabama.. 15 5 Missouri. 8 34 AfhinA.. 14Nebraska...... 5 5 Caiifomfa_.... 15 ..‘Nevada ... • ..' Colorado .. 4 2.N. Hampshire.. . 8

Connecticut,... 3 WlNew Jersey.... 14 4 Delaware. 8 ..NewYork .. 73 Florida. 2 6 North Carolina. 10 12 Georgia. 12 ,12 0hi0..... 35 21 H1in0t5......... 23 22 Oregon 6 Indiana... a... 30 .. Pennsylvania.. 21 39 lowa 6 20 Rhode Island 8 Kansas 3 16 South Carolina. 3 14 Kentucky...... 20 6 Tennessee-..-.. 17 7 Louisiana 16 Tess's 12 19 Maine 2 10 Vermont ..! 8 Maryland 16 Virginia. -.. 6 18 Massachusetts. 21 7iWest Virginia.. 9 3 Michigan 12 12 Wisconsin 6 17 Minnesota 14, Mississippi.... 18 ..I 332 463 The original resolution of Mr. Smalley was then adopted. A. K. Delaney, of Wisconsin, offered the following: Resolved. That a committee of one delegate from each State, to be selected by the delegation thereof, be appointed to act as Committee on Permanent Organization; that the roll of States be called, and the Chait man of each delegation announce the name of the delegate selected for such committee. The Chairman—lt is the dutyof the Committee on Credentials first to determine who are delegates, and then follow the Committees On Permanent Organization and on Platform. D. B. Francis, of Missouri, offered the following resolution as a substitute for the resolution last offered, and moved its adoption: Resolved, That a Committee on Credentials and a Committee on Permanent Organization be now appointed, the Secretary calling the roil by States, and the Chairmen of the delegations announcing the members of those committees from their respective States. The Chairman—The question recurs on the resolution offered by Mr. Francis, of Missouri; those in favor of this resolution will say aye. The resolution is adopted. A Delegate—l move that it would facilitate the business of the convention and save one rollcall for the roll to be called upon the resolutions at once. - - The Chairman—l was going to announce that when the roll is called the Chairmen of the delegations will mention the committeemen on credentials and then the committeemen on permanent organization next. Mr. Hay, of Pennsylvania—l ask that the rollcall be suspended, so that the resolution which I sent up may be read. The Chairman—The roll-call will be suspended. 1 The Secretary then read the resolution as follows: Resolved, That a committee of one delegate from each State, to be selected by the delegation thereof, be appointed to report resolutions, and that all resolutions in relation to the platform of the Democratic party be referred to such committee without debate; — The Chairman—That is offered as an amendment. These in favor say aye. It is carried. As the resolution is now for the appointment of the three committees, the Chairmen of the different delegations will announce the names and send up the list in writing to the Secretary’s desk, the names first of the Committee on Credentials, then of the Committee on Permanent Organization, and lastly of the Committee on Platform and Besolutions. / A Delegate—To expedite business I would also move at the same time the roll is called a delegate from each State be named as Vice President. The Chairman—That is the province of the Committee on Permanent Organization, and then it is for the convention to confirm their action. The Secretary then called the roll with the following. result:' COMMITTEE ON CREDENTIALS. Ala... .H. C. Thompson Miss James T. Fant Arkansas..C. M. Taylor Missouri..Ed M. Barber California.. .M. Schmidt Nebraska.W. H. Munger Colorado. .J. R. Litchen Nevada. J. B. Moore Connecticut.D. M. Real N. H......H. W. Parker Delaware. .J. W. Causey'N. J.... „C. F. Randolph Florida 0. H. Smith ,N. York. Solomon Scheu Georgia..W.E.Simmons N. 0....G.H. Brown, Jr Illinois..A. J. O’Connor Ohio R. J. Shields Indiana..C. F. McNutt Oregon T. L. Potter lowa D. M. Harris.Penn....R. S*Patterson Kansas W. C. Perry R. I J. McGuire, Jr. Kentucky .Jas. D. White'S. C G. G. Patterson Louisiana P. Meley.Tennessee. ..John Slack "Maine,-.... J. F. Rawson Texas. Silas Hare Maryland. .Wm. Walsh Verm’t...Amos Aldrich Mass J.W. Corcoran Virginia...B. J. Graham Michigan. .0. P. Black W. Va W. Mollohan Minnesota. G. N. BaxterlWis J. M. Morrow COMMITTEE ON PERMANENT ORGANIZATION. A1a.... Joseph F. Judson Mlss....R. O. Reynolds Arkansas. .J. C. Tappan Missouri. Robt. P.Railey Cal.. Warren B. English Nebraska. Tobias Castor Colorado....J. B. Grant Nevada.E. P. Hardesty Conn.... John C. Bixbee N. H... Hosea W.Parker De 1.... James L. Walcott N. J... James Smith, Jr. Florida ~. ...E. A. Todd New York.. .A. M. Bliss Georgia.W. T.McArthur N. Oarolina..M. H.Pinks Hlinois.W. A. J. Sparks Ohio Durbin Ward Indiana. Jason B. Brown Oregon F. P. Hogan lowa N. B. HyatteiPenn....Robt. P. Allen Kansas W. C. Jones R. Island. .John Waters Ky Hunter Wood S. C....D. 8. Henderson La ..W. H. WiseiTenn.. 8. A. Champion Maine. ..Payson Tucker Texas....W. H. Burgess Maryland..Jas. DiercksVt J. D. Hanrahan Mass. ..J. W. Cummings'Va Benj. H. Nash Mich.. Orland W.Pow ■rs , W.Va..G.W. Thompson Minn.. ..Robt. A. Smith;Wlß......A. K. Delaney . COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS. Alabama..L. P. Walker Mississippi.W.A.Percey Arkansas. ,B. T. Du ValiMissouri.. W. H. Phelps California..T. J. Clunie; Nebraska... J. S.Morton Colorado... .M. D. CrowiNevada. .D.E.McCarthy Connecticut..A. E. Burr N. H H. Bingham Delaware. Geo. H. Bates N.J J.R.McPherson Florida..... P. P. Bishop New York.. A. 8. Hewitt Georgia... .E. P. Howell N. Carolina. ..J. 8. Carr Illinois..W. R. Morrison Ohio.. Geo. L. Converse Indiana...G. V. Menzies Oregon A. E. Wait lowa J. W. Good Pennsylvania...M. Hay Kansas T. P. Fenlon Rhode Isrd..E. Schmidt Kentucky.H. Watterson S’th Car’a.L.F.Yeomans Louisiana. ...E. A. Burk Tennessee..A. T.McNeil Maine....D. R. Hastings Texas...D. C. Giddings Maryland.C. JMoGwinn Vermont. ...J. A. Bloom Massach’ts.B. F. Butler Virginia..P.W.McKenny Michigan..T. E. Tnrney W. Vlrginia..H.G. Davis Minnesota. ...J. C. Wise'Wisconsin..J.G. Jenkins A Delegate from Missouri—l would suggest that the Chair announce the time of the meeting of these different committees. The Chair —The Chair-has no control of that; the committees will control their own action. D. R. Frances, of Missouri—l move that when the convention adjourns it adjourn to 11 o’clock to-morrow morning. That motion being put the Chairman announced its adoption. The Chairman—l wish to say,that the different committees will immediately after the adjournment of the convention meet for the purpose of informal organization and determining where their headquarters shall be, upon the platform. Senator Voorhees, of Indiana—l have a resolution which I ask tp be referred to the Committee on Credentials. The Chairman—The Secretary will read it. The Secretary— Resolved, That the Territories cf the United States and the District of Columbia having been admitted to participate in the deliberations of the National Democratic Convention, they be accorded full membership in this body and entitled to all the privileges of delegates. The Chairman—lt goes to the Committee on Resolutions under the rules. The convention then adjourned for the day.