Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 July 1884 — The Democratic Convention. [ARTICLE]

The Democratic Convention.

The democratic congressional convention for the 10th congres 7 sional district, was held at the Opera House, in Rensselaer, last Tuesday afternoon. In striking and appropriate contrast to the republican convention, which met at Monticello on June 26th, this convention consisted of but a mere handful of mem, whose only purpose and business was to give a formal, ratification to the previous decision of the politicians. The convention met, as already stated, at the Opera House. As jjghLjand. tproper in such a case, the citizens of the town, urespective of politics, turned out in fair numbers and gave the convention and the subsequent speech, a respectful hearing. A.B. Crampton, the towering editor of the Delphi Times, acted as temporary chairman, and made a good presiding officer. Old George Majors, of Benton county, was made pernianent chairman. aiidZa worse one would have been hard to find. His little squeak of a voice could hardly be heard three seats back, and h e had ho more dignity of bearing than a and evident!} 7 no knowledge of parliMr. A. T. Bitters, editor of the Rochester Sentinel, was made secretary, and all the democratic editors of the district present, assistant secretaries. A committee on resolutions, consisting of one man from each county was appointed. Mr. J. C. Odell, of Carrot county was not appointed head of the committee but at once ehose to make himself so. He called the committee together in the side room, and in a spece of time so brief as to show that the resolutions had, undoubtedly, been prepared before hand, he sent the other members back into the hall, while himself mounted the platform, read the resolutions and then actually had the bad taste to move their adoption. The resolutions carried without a dissenting vote. In fact the able chairman never asked for a dissenting vote on any motion. The resolutions were three in number. The first affirmed the principles of the national platform and pledged the support of the democrats of the district to CleveTaljdrand Hendricks. The second did the same for the state platform and ticket, while the third “got down to business” by eulogizing Tom Wood with a fulsomness and a fluency which suggested Mr. Wood’s, down master hand as the author. After the adoption of the resolutions, Major McFadden, of Cass county, moved that Mr. Wood be made the congressional candidate by acclamation. L .__.As always, no call was made for dissenting votes, though probably none would have been given in this instance. A committee was appointed to notify Mr. Wood of his nomination; the irrepressible Odell again thrusting himself forward as head maiifOf the committee. Mr. Wood was Soon found, and immediately began a speech of nearly two hours length; " Mr. Wobd is a specious, fluent tongued man, with considerable natural personal magnetism, little education but much native ability, a consummate demagogue, and the most, self-satisfied and supremely egotistical man in the district. And his speech was just what might have been expected from such a man at such a time. Undeserved censure of the Republican party, and equally undeserved praise of Thomas Jefferson Wood’ were the two ruling ideas of his speech, and lie never wandered from one without soon taking up the other. Of his many times reiterated charges of universal thievery and corruption urged against Republicans, and which, if true, must embrace Jan absolutely universal criminal conspiracy, participated in by every Federal officeholder, not only of the present time, but ever since the party came into power; they are quite too

vague and indefinite to admit of more than a general denial. The revenues of the country are collected aliqost- absolutely without loss. That the inoney so collected is nearly all wisely and honestly expended, we do not believe any man of intelligence, and not warped 1 n judgment by partisan ’rancor, will honestly deny. Considering the vastness and necessarily complicated system of this government it is not a matter for surprise, in fact quite the contrary, if occasionally there should be some isolated office the accounts of which proper scrutiny for a term of years. That such cases are rare exceptions and not the rule, is amply proven by the exceedingly great howl Mr. Wood madejover the one or two cases mentioned in his speech, and in all of which the total loss -would not amount to SIOO,OOO. AVe had noted down a number of the more salient points in Mr. Wood’s speech, but the pressure of other matters-.will prevent our giving them further attention until our next issue.