The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, July 12, 1900, Image 7
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I
IT'S BRYAN AN
Who Are Made the S
Democrat!
EXCITING SCENES IN CONVENTION.:
1 he Platform Was R-ad By Senator
T.llman, of S;ulh Caro:i :a ? Dav.d B. 1
Hill Makes a Speech and Pledges H;s '
Support.
The First Day.
Kansas City. Special.?The National
Convention of tne Democratic parly
iuet here in its opening session on
Wednesday, July 4;h. The vast hall
was filled to overflowing with dele- :
gates and visitors. The decorations '
were splendid. National airs broke !
forth from the band as the convention
began to assemble. Famous Demo- j
era tic leaders were cheered vocifer- ,
onsly as they made their appearance,
and were recognized by ;he crowds.
At exactly 12:02 o'clock, unairinan
Jones ascended the platform. As the ,
wave of applause subsided Chairman
Jones rapped vigorously and repeated- ;
ly, stillng the tumult, and then above i
the din his voice could be hoard an- I
iiouncing: "The convention will come
to order. The sergeant-at-arms will
see that the aisles are cleared." Sergeant-at-arms
Martin advanced to the
front and urged the crowds massed in
front of the platform to take their
seats. Great disorder prevailed, the
aisles were jammed with a noisy crowd
of subordinate officials and intruders,
and it took some time to secure quiet.
The first business of the convention
was the reading of the formal call, by
Secretary Walsh. Chairman Jones an- ;
nounced the prayer by Rev. S. W. j
Neel. "Gentlemen will please be in
order," said Chairman Jones, as the J
bum and bustle again broke loose af- '
ter the prayer. "We must have quiet
on the floor. Gentlemen of the con- ]
vention, I have the honor to present
to you the Democratic mayor of Kansas
City, James A. Reed." A shout of
applause went up as the slender form
of Mr. Reed came to the platform. He 1
spoke deliberately and with a clear. !
resonant voice that easily penetrated
to every corner of the hall.
Governor Thomas of Colarado was ,
announced as temporary chairman, J
and made a vigorous speech to the
convention, which was heartily ap- j
plauded.
At the conclusion of Governor j
Thomas' speech Chas. A. Walsh, of :
Iowa, rose and read a resolution by
Daniel Campau, of Michigan, that the
Declaration of Independence, "drafted
g by that Democrat of Democrats,
Thomas Jefferson," be read to the convention
on this, the anniversary of the
nation's natal year.
"The Republican party recently in
Philadelphia, the cradle city of liberty,
where the Declaration of Independence
was written, and the constitution
was iramed, did there endorse an
i-J-i. 41 .-V!AV. V,??,
aaniiaibll ULIUU ? UK u uao i cpuuiuivu j
the constitution and nominated a :
President who has betrayed the print
pies of the declaration. This conven- >
tion is composed of men who have the
same faith 03 was in their fathers in
this immortal instrument. As the reaffirmation
of Democratic fealty to j
the fundamental principles of Ameri- j
can liberty, I move, Mr. Chairman, j
that the clerk be directed to read the
glorious Declaration of Independence,
drafted by that Democrat, of all Dem- j
ocrats, Thomas Jefferson, and adopted ,
124 years ago to-day."
With cheers and applause the resolu- 1
tion was adopted while the band in the
south gallery played patriotic airs.
Ayn mo t io ccono rrc?H A 5 !
1 UtU U uiuiuam.
the vast audience was qnietlng down ,
to listening to the reading of the read-,
ing of the Declaration two men appear- j
ed on the platform, bearing carefully
in their arms two large objects, each |
completely shrouded in the Stars and ;
Stripes. They were placed the one up- j
on the other immediately to the i
right and front of the chairman. Del- j
egates and spectators craned their |
necks to tee what was about to occur.
Quickly advancing to the flag-draped
objects, a handsome man deftly lifted
the flag from a splendid bust of Mr.
Bryan. As the familiar features of
their leader were recognized by the delegates
and spectators a tornado of applause
swept over the audience. From
side to side the oust was turned, mat.
all might know whom it represented.
When the applause had subsided
Chos. Hampton, of Petoskey, Mich.,
read in magnificent voice the immortal
Declaration of Independence. As tiie
full and rounded sentences of the great
State paper rolled through the hall, the
cheering and enthusiasm increased and
when Mr. llamptou had concluded the
tremendous applause fairly shook the
building. When the orator had finished
the Declaration of Independence and
the applause had ceased. Miss Fulton
was introduced and sang "The Star
Spangled Banner," the audience standing
and cheering and applauding after
i each verse. It was an innovation at a
national convention. Then as she finished
the last strain, the band took up
"America," and led by Miss Fulton, the
great mass of 20,000 people broke Into
the stirring strains of "My Country,
'Tis of Thee." singing it through with
unison and closing with a cheer.
There were vociferous calls for Hill,
and much enthusiasm was shown for j
D STEVENSON';
I
taiidard Bearers of the
ic Party.
i
ihe Now Yorker, but ho declined to
speak.
I; was moved and carried that Mr. 1
Bryan be invited to attend the con- :
vent'on. and in the contusion following
the announcement a recess was
taken.
The convention reassembled at 4:30
p. m.
The afternoon and night sessions
were devoid of incidents except the ,
spontaneous outbursts of enthusiasm i
when the names of the great Democratic
leaders were mentioned.
Hon. James D. Richardson, of Tennessee,
was made permanent chairman
of the convention.
During the night session a speech j
by Governor Altgeld of Illinois, was
attentively listened to.
The conclusion of Chairman Rich- ;
ardson's speech, which he had ar- !
ranged under sixteen separate heads, '
was the signal for terrific applause |
and cheers. His mention of the name j
of \Y. J. Bryan brought the convention I
to its feet in a frenzy of enthusiasm, j
Delegates sprang up on their chairs, j
waving hats, handkerchiefs, umbrellas ;
in llie wildest fashion. By common j
impulse the poles bearing the names
of States were torn up and thrust into '
the air.
The nomination of Mr. Bryan was 1
expected to take place on the first day !
of the convention, by an adjournment |
was taken till Thursday without a call j
for nomination?
Second Day?Bryan Nominated.
Kansas City, Special?Convention
hall was again besieged by eager and
excited thousands and long before the
time set for opening the second day's
proceedings of the convention all of ;
the streets approaching the building 1
were solidly massed with humanity, !
moving forward to the many entran- *
ces. Expectancy was at a high pitch, a
as it was universally felt that the day j
had in store the great events of the j
convention. By 10 o'clock, thirty t
minutes before the time set for the ;
opening of the convention, nearly ev- j
ery seat in the galleries w-as occupied. (
During the time of waiting for the con- j
vention to open the Texans raised to (
the top of their standard the huge j
horns of a Texas steer, surmounted by (
the legend "Texas Gives 200,000 Major- f
ity," there was a roar and shout and t
enthusiastic tribute to Texas' Demo- (
cracy. Governor Beckham, of Ken- f
tucky, was given an entnusiastic reception
as he came in, a large number
of delegates crowding around to shake
him by the hand.
At 11 o'clock the slender figure of
Chairman Richardson loomed up above
the platform assemblage. He swung
the gavel lustily and above the din
faintly could be heard his calls for order.
Slowly quiet was brought out of
the confusion and the chairman presented
Rev. John J. Glennan for the
opening invocation, the entire audience,
delegates and spectators, standing
with bowed heads while the words
of the prayer re-echoed through the
building. Mr. Richardson now an.
nounced that the platform committee
was not ready to report and pending
word from them he invited to the platform
ex-Governor Hogg, of Texas, to
address the convention. The giant
form of the Texan advanced to the
front and was greeted enthusiastically.
Possessing a good voice, his words
reverberated through the hall. When
he declared that the party did not propoise
to surrender one iota of its attitude
in 1896, as promulgated by the
Chicago convention, there was round
after round of applause. But this broke
into a whirlwind of applause when the
Govern nor asserted that the party's
platform must contain an unequivocal
and specific declaration for 16 to 1. It
was noticeable that the delegates
joined with the body of spectators in ,
the tribute to the 16 to 1 idea.
r>n/?olrham of Kpntnokv '
uuvciawi ww?u??u, w. .. ? . , .
made a speech that was applauded to '
the echo, and promised 100,000 majority
from his State.
The platform committee not being '
ready to report, the convention took ;
a recess until 3:30 p. m. 1
TILLMAN READS THE PLATFORM. J
It was not until 4 o'clock that Chairman
Richardson, turning from a conference
with Governor McMillin and '
Senator White, picked up the gavel and '
brought the convention to order. The
platform committee, headed by Senator
Tillman, Mr. Jones and Mr. Campau, '
pushed their way through the dense
throng and proceeding to the platform \
Mr. Richardson appealed long and !
vainly for order. The portly form of
Senator Jones, silver-haired and seri- 1
ous, advanced to the front of the stage. 1
He held a roll of manuscript in his
hands. But it was useless to talk .
against such a tumult and he dropped
back in his seat until order was being
restored. At last the noise subsided
and Mr. Jones, in a clear voice, announced:
j
"I am instructed to present the plat- i
form agreed upon and I will yield to
the Senator from South Carolina, Mr.
Tillman to read the document."
Mr. Tillman stopped to the front and ,
with the public affairs of the people, or |
to control the sovereignty which crewas
greeted with a cheer. He read the
platform in a full, round voice, easily
heard throughout the hall.
As he proceeded each plank was
greeted with applause. The Senator
'tit-' y '
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V I
iccompanied n:s reading with emphatc
gestures, striding up and down the
jlatform. turning this way and that,
ifter his manner in the Senate. There
vas a howl of approval as he clenched
lis fist and flrecely arraigned the
ourse of the administration in Cuba.
3ut it remained for his reading of the
leclaration that "imperialism is tne
4 "* v.!? Aomnai<*n" fn
Paramount ui mu v.uuiyw<0u ?...
>voke a storm of applause. Thn delegates
sprang to their feet, standing on
:heir chairs, waving hats, handkerchiefs.
umbrellas and flags, while the
galleries took up the chorus and car ied
it along for many minutes. Senator
Hill could been seen marshaling
:he hosts to cheer. He hell a fan
ligh above his head and added his !
foiee to the shouting. A second time
Senator Tillman read this declaration,
ind now even a greater demonstration
han before carried the convention off
.heir feet. Suddenly hundreds, then
housands. of miniature American
lags were passed among the delegates,
ind the whole floor or the vast struc;ure
became a sea of Hags. An instant
ater the flags swept over the galleries ,
ike a mass of flame. Bundles of them :
vere tossed upon the seats and distrib- I
ited. The scene was magnificently in- i
spiring and the great audience was (
ivorked up to a fever heat. On each
lag was the device, "The Constitution i
ind the Flag are Inseparable, Now and |
Forever. The Flag o: t.uk rv^uu1..
Forever; of an Empire. Never."
Senator Tillman stood surveying the ;
storm and awaiting an opportunity to j
proceed. The chairman pounded his
?avel and appealed for order. But the
march of the delegates bearing their ;
standards and banners ran on inter- 1
ruptedly for two minutc3. As Senator
Tillman was about to resume, he remarked
that the thread of his discourse j
had been broken, and down South, as '
:bey were in the habit of saying. "Hell
had broken loose in Georgia." "And," :
idded the Senator, vociferously, "7if
Mark Hanna had Seen hero a few minutes
ago he would have thought hell
had broken loose in Missouri." There
were cries of "CoO'i!" "Good!" when
j uri,ftn 4 v ?
the trust plant* was n-aa. >* ucu n...
Senator reached the re-affirmation of
:he Chicago platform witn the declaration
for free silver coinage at a ratio
of 16 to 1. pjandemonum again broke
oose. But the d?monatration was fa;ct i
in comparison to what had Just occurred
when imperialism was announced
as the "paramount issue." Many of
the delegates stood on their chairs and
waved flags and cheered, but a very |
considerable number?more than naif
?held their seats. Senator liill was
among those who maintained quiet,
while Mr. Croker waved a flag until It :
broke, and George Fred Williams led
the Massachusetts contingent in salvo? '
af cheers. One of the New Yor'c dele- I
gates raised a standard bearing the '
inscription: "Don'!. 'Ihink There ore.
No 16 to l'ers in New York." The dem- |
onstration lasted four and one-half1
minutes.
THE PLATFORM ADOPTED LY AC.
CLAMATION. |
There was intense scorn In the Sena- '
tor's voice as he read the platform ar- j
raignment of the Hay-Pauncefote
treaty, evoking mingled laughter and
applause. The Boer plank brought another
cheer, and the Senator received a
round of applause as he closed. When
the applause had subsided. Chairman
Jones, of the platform eomuii:tee, said
he had been Instructed to move that
the platform be adopted by the convention
by acclamation. The motion was ,
i
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mmmmiiiimmmmmm^i w, 'j'l Jil^i n"1'
LLIAM JENNINGS B2YA
put and amid a roar of chcjrs the platform
was adopted without a word of;
dissent. The announcement of Chair-!
man Richardson of the adoption of the j
platform was followed by a stunning |
shout which made the building ring '
from one end to the other. Then fol-1
lowed a stirring and dramatic scene. I
The plank in the platform denouncing !
England's policy toward the Boers had
called out immense applause, but when
it was announced by Chairman Ricn- !
ardsou that the convention would be 1
addressed by Hon. Webster Davis, for- j
mer Assistant Secretary of the Interior,
the crowd manifested its enthusiasm
by cheering for two minutes. Then
the former Republican leader ascended
the platform and stood facing the
thousands or spectators.
THE NOMINATION OF MR. BRYAN, I
Sergeant-at-arms Martin rose to his
feet and waved desperately for silence.
When a few delegates of confusion had
been eliminated he said: "The next
business before the convention is the
nomination of a candidate for the
ADLAI *. 3TETISS0X, 0* ILUMOIS.
presidency of the United Sta'.es. The
cor>refnrv XL-ifl rail thP roll Of StateS."
Before doing so, the secretary read
the names of the members of the committee
appointed by the chair to confer
with the Silver Republicans and Popu-1
lists in accordance with the resolutions i
introduced by George Fred Wiiliara3
of Massachusetts, at the morning session.
They are: George Fred Williams,
of Massachusetts: J. C. fl*rry, of Ar- j
Kansas; W. H. Thompson, of Nebr.as- I
ka; Chas. Thomas, of Colorado; J. f
Rose, of Wisconsin; Thomas H. Mar- j
tin, of Virginia; J. C. McGnire, of Cal- i
ifornla; B. R. Tillman, of South Caro- ,
liua; Carter H. Harrison, of Illinois, j
"Alabama!" the secretary then I
shouted, commencing the call of the j
roll.
"The State of Alabama!" said the j
chairman of the delegation of that
State, "yields to Nebraska the privilege
of naming the next President of
the United States."
OLDHAM PRESENTS ERYAN.
W. D. Oldham,.of Nebraska, who W33
tc present the name of Bryan to the !
convention, was waiting by the chairman's
desk, and as the chairman of the i
Alabama delegation resumed his seat,
he came forward nd in a few graceful
words expressed his ppreciarion of the
favor extended by Alabama in surrendering
its time to the State of Mr. Bryan.
Mr. Oldham delivered his eulogy of
Mr. Bryan with Impassioned fervor. As
.
I ?
IN.
he approached the close of his address,
he raised both hands high over his
head and spoke slowly and with an energy
that caused his voice to penetrate
into every corner of the hail. "And,'
that man it?William Jennings 13iyj
an," he concluded, bringing hi3 hands
lower with each word until the last Lai
been uttered when he brought them
up with a sweep, but quicker than his
motion was that answering cheer that ?
swept across the convention. It was a
simultaneous roar from all parts of the
hall. Up went the delegates on heir
chairs, over their heads went the t'ags
and above Dhem all soared and rang
the cheers for Bryan. The band loyally
performed its share, but the noise of
its creation was but a drop in the torrent.
The men from the otate o! Neraska
flung up a large banner bearing
likenesses of Mr. Bryan >n one sine
and on the other side "Nebraska,'' and
a smaller portrait of Mr. Bryan, enclosed
in a star of blue.
DAVE HILL UTTERS A WAR
WHOOP.
Whatever may have been the differences
of delegates over the platform,
they seemed to have forgotten them,
and all were as one in favor of the
man. New York vied with Nebraska
and Kansas in venting its enthusiasm.
Richard Croker wa3 on a chair,
both arms aloft, a flag in his right
ham) whirh hp waved vigorously. Hill
was not behind him In the show of loy?
ally to the nominee and waving his
arms, he let forth a series of cheers
that Quailed those uttered by any man
on the floor. Over in Illinois, Ohio and
Indiana, where 16 to 1 is not popular,
there was no hesitation now. Round
the hall started the Nebraska men
with their huge banner, and catching
up their State emblems, the other delegations
took up the march, waving
flags, and hats and cheering at the tops
of their voices without cessation, save
! for the breath necessary to a fresh
outburst.
The demand for Hill that broke
forth continuously since the first session
was at last gratified. In respose to
repeated calls, the Senator took the
platform, and in a telling speech
pledged the undivided support of thft
party in New York, and the 33 electorial
vates, of that State to the nominee.
This speech was greeted with the
wildest applau.se.
Third Day.
Kansas City, Special.?The National
democratic Convention met Friday
morning to complete its work by
nominating a candidate for the Vice
Presidency.
The chairman ordered the roll of
States called for nominations. California
yielded to Illinois, which presented
the name of Adlai E. Stevenson.
of Illinois, who was Vice Presi
fient m uieveiana s seiuuu aummiotration.
Connecticut yielded to Minnesota,
which placed in nomination
Charles A. Towne, the Silver Repub!ii
an who was nominated by the Populist
convention.
Senator Grady presented the name
cf David B. Hill. Mr. Hill, in a speech
declined the nomination, saying lie did
not desire the nomination.
Gen. Carr, of >*orth Carolina, waa
put in nomination.
Stevenson received CSS 1-2 votes on
firs: ballot, and on motion of Senator
Tillman, of South Carolina, hla noml?
nation waa made unanimous.
,y . -.'ji