, 1876-04-09
What South Side Merchants Think Of
Another Assessment by Ed
Phillips.
The lniquity Consummated--.con-
clusion Of the So.Called
Official Count.
Dave Thornton Admits There
Was Fraud, but Protests
His Innocence.
FARWELL HALL.
THE GREAT OuTPpuRINC

bAi4L01-BOA 6IuEFEt2S pESOUECkO
1t was said there would be riot All day
long, wherever men net, the probability Of =
disturbance was discussed There vera hints
and rumo1s that gang Of bummers and gam
blers would be present; that they had their
organization perfected; that the meeting would
cclminate in q deadly struggle. Ten Thousand
gentlemen marched to Farweu Hall to see tho
operation. The thieves and ragamufhns had
etolen an election. A meeting Was called to dis
euss the propriety Of driving them into the lake.
Indignant men had made up their minds to put
down the Frauds and, II necessary, emancipato
the s*indiers from the cares Of existence.
When it became known that the cut-throats
would come ont Of the sewers and try force. q
force Of numbers Was organized. and 10000
men Of every political faith aud every condition
Of life prepared to welcome the attack Fa1we1l
Hall was jarnrned. From the stage the rows Of
faces we're banked solid1y to the back part Of the
hall. In the rear Of the seats men were packed
until the movement Of muscle vas im-
possible In the halls, halfway down,
we're msssed half Thousand: men.
Around the 6idee, pressed against the valls, were
thousand more. The staircases to the GAL
leries creaked and croaned- At the doorwaye
walls Of humanity protected those within In
the gallery, the faces rose solid banks twenty
one il number. Behind those sitting were q
thousand more, who stood pstaient}y waiting
and listening. Five thousand men had quietly
worked their way into the hall, and 5000 more
waited outside There Was no noise Not sin
gle wave dashed over the great Sea OF human
countenances, that we're all expectation and
silence. Five thousand men, for whom the
meeting WIS called, waited for the appearance OF
the thiavea from the 6lums; waited for the
promised riot Outside, 600 more men waited
complacentiy for the first intimation. Had tbs
intnation come. Farven Hall would hare passed
quietly into history. There wonld have heen
but little noise The job vouh hare been done
in that silent, of-hand manner characteristic OF
good breeding. and it is doubtful il the speakers
would have been annoyed. 1t is not often that
men wake up SO thoroughly upon matter gen
orally considered as purely political. When |
they do wake up with such unaninity. and with |
such Little demonstration as marked the early !
part Of last nights meeting, there is danger to
1ho6e who threaten to assault them
Until the meeting opened. there VAS scarcely ]
. word spoken in ali that vast assemelase. The |
etaircaee and pavement echoed the tread of thou
sands Of feet. nntil from away up in the shadows
Of the gallery down to the curb there was ono !
rnass Of men, as silent as il the occasion we're a
funeral The police were there in abundance.
Up the stairway and to the door OF the hsll they
iong-dtavn line Of gentlemen. eyeiug them !
and specializing upon how long those po-
liceneu would lsst, VAS they to look upoa their !
functions as they sometimes look upon them At
The polls.
At 7:30 not another human being could get in !
10 the auditorium. At 8 the side door WAS |
opehed and the stage rapidly filled. Prominent
among those for whom seats had been reserved
Upon THE pIATFoRN1
vera Robert T. Lincoln, Prof. Swing. j. c.
" .lBaily, s. D. Haskell, Enoch Wood, J. H.
Reea, o. Sands A. D. Ellsworth. the Rev. Ar
hur Mitchell, J. T. White, G. B. Smith, Judge
Field. II. s. Carver, D. ". Nickerson. James O.
Cleveland. D. D. Dntton. James George, J. E
Murphy, H. H. Thomas, r. s. Tuthln, John H.
3oberts, Hugh Alexander, James Smith. Wash
ngton Libby, Leonard Swett, William Btoes, J.
n. Bennett, Thomas A. Hill, Writ Dexter, S. b. |
Phelps, and Thomas Hoyna.
There was 90 effort at decoration. few
notices had been provided, hard-headed mot
oes, ep,G1anna:ic = and terse. Economy, no:
: War against the ballot~box suffers, thieves, |
md bummera." "DoHn With corruption, up
Awny with the primary system" Besides
hese. the only decorations were 10000 eyes,
Mr. L. L. Coburn called the meeting to order,
nd the asdetnblage WAS all attention. "A yet I
mt little enthusiasm VAS manifested. Mr. Co
urn was listened % gravelS, but the 1atchful-
esa for the r1or had not been overcome.
TIE HON. LEONARD SWEET II
7aa introduced. In = few minutes tha gathering {
'as bowling. seething mass. As he pictured {
be frauds thanhad been pe1petrated. they yelled Z
nd shouted till the lights quivered. and q cloud +
dust from the thousands OF feet went up to {
ae brilliant ceutrs-hghs, and hung in dull, q
,utky ring around it As be delinest- I
i their condition. they arose and c
hneked for the men who had swindie<i | q
lem. and then threatened to take their +
leetlng from thom. They were no longer quies | =
he apparent apathy was dropped, and they ]
ame out at last. and announced that they are |
,ady now for anything. The gallery waved and q
.eaked. and the floor Of the auditorium g1oaued q
i'd resounded. Farwen Hall has before been Il
70 theatre Of wild scenes, but its walls never q
sfore looked down upon such al expression Of | Il
ate and honest indignation.
Mr. SWEET had portrayed the state Of affairs. Il
The question now ia," said he, 'What shall 0
e do to emancipate ourselves from the rule Of ,l
@ swindfe1s :" 81
It vas in no ordinary tone Of condemnation s
ut the answer came: b
!" Hang them :! Hang the.n!!" a
And from mouth to mouth the sentence deM. | ii
evetY man was On his feet, and the speaker | o
BOD aghast as he contemplated the storm hs T
d raised NJ
=. Hang them!! Hang tnemI!!" "
The cry came again and again. and the great OF
b OF faces WAS stormy then The | T
1 was fearful There WEE no ehriek- in