New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-09-14
NOT A CHEERFUL GATHERING.

| NOT A CHEERFUL GATHERING.
A PRETTY BLUE SESSION AND nAsrY FLIGHT AT
TIE cLosE-rHE VENERABLE GRAVES AT TIE
| HBIH-H'QUADHs EPFUsiv EEE~s.
| tBY TELEGRAPH rRIBUFE.)
SARATOGA, N. Y, Sept l3-TIbe one feature Of the
convention to-day has veiy clearly been the agpss-
sive prominence Of an aged person with long white
beard rusty in stre,ks and trife tangled. who
announced by the chair as Mr.. Graves Of Stsaben.
Mr. Graves Of Steuben was continually sitting down
OF bent pin aud Of course constantly bodDeng mp
with motion. q suggestion, or resolution,
which so soon rs somebody else made remark
about IL, hc ineontinentiy withdrew. Mr. Graves
was frequent and Interruptions. IL occurred to him
early in the game that it was his opportunity. II 10
but Justice TO him to say that he made The most OF
10. There were persons In this convention who
knew great deal mole than Mr., Graves Vt Stsuben
know enough IN fact, to keep siillt but Grayes OF
Steuben knew that the circumstances under
which the convention assembled we're 90
peculiar that o great many fluent persons
in it had made MP their minds not
to Bsy anything, for feer " opening discussion
which might not cOnduce 10 harmony. With grcat
qnickness Graves recognized his opportunity, and
stepped over into its embrace The convention had
hardly pulled itself hore before Graves burst upon 1t
with O motion relating 10 o ballot for Governor,
which was probably moro elaborate IN its coustrnc-
ton and moro intricate IN detail than any single
particular proceeding that wa over hurled upon
presiding officer. Tho venerable chairInsii-the
same who fortnight ago visited upon his party
dulnes. ton dense for description. and no was sie
to-day with his unftncss for tho place more con-
spicuous than OVERHEAD the sagacty TO remark that
the motion altogether TO complicated to be I'M
derstood, after which John Kelly made single OBJ
seryatiOn, upon which the motion Nas Withdrawn.
But this garulous old perSon kept at
IL incsssantly. and from thai m"Uleos iii
the adjournment there was no pause IN
the proceedings lie did not fill with his drcadfui
tediousuces. His gesticulation wild and zipont
beginning with the index finger and gradually taxi
ing III the remaining digit while Lis voice and man
ne, and itonation wero all Of t. OF profoundly
sepulchrl character which lends solennity 70 .
camp meeting and gives dignity and decrncy to o
Iuneral If the other unyention was John Keliy's,
which | think it was, this was nantes ~ old
Gravess of Steuben. He took IL in charge from the
beginning and no undertaken ever conducted cero-
nOny with more tenderness OF feeling for the sur
wing relatives aud friends and rcgarl Tor the
corpse than he His was the first voice that greeted
the assembled mOJrneTs after the convention was
called to ORDER, and his the motion TO adjourn for
which tho delegates heartily waited before they
scattered into space. tie is the sort OF ulan wo
ought 10 take 60 conventions to ru1. have rarely
seen man so VOL calculated he to hasten an adj
| jonrnmeDt.
The hall in which the convention met was elabor-
atoly decorated with aags on tho gas burners con-
taining blue portraits Of Tilon a:d Hendricks and
reform. presume tho portraits were good. They
were uncommnnly blue. taken, doubtless, after tho
returns had been received from Maine In no other
way can account for their dc ply dsrs ", bsauti-
fl!y Oluo appearance Ip addition to these decora-
tlons there fun grown IDIOT In military hat
Of various coIors, who peranIbaated the hall elhng
Tildcn and Hendricks badges AMI medals Selling,
lid say S-ottcrng them rAthsr. The delegates sur
gcyed him and his wares In blank aniazcaent and
made no purchase. lie caIno frop Buffalo, and
ought t0 be suppressed IN tho Interest Of reform.
With the exception Of tho hagS and the idiot there
was no display. There should huyc been Grape, bGt
IL was Omitted.
Tho convention slid into its seat like mutes at
funeral II was not BY any means hilarious 1t was
rather what ManIaiiIi called ~ domnitiTl body"
aud it came together with worry diStncs impression
that it had heaps Of ;oublo on its mind. have seen
many conventions ia my time, bat never that
b,pl 60 clear aud aumistitkabo funeral aspect
this You could almost hear tho notes of the Dead
March ia Saul ~ ths mourrers Fled IL. JOHN Kelly
hal his usual place ia the middle aisle, and Augustus
Schell with his features ia rpose, sat as usa just in
front of him. Back Of MIR. Kolly sat hr Hugh Nc
Lauvbliu OF Brooklyn. Behind mia. MF. RuIus
peckham, aal away in tho roar, Judge lib
BARI of Buffalo, who at the Last con-
yenti.n aroused all the dormant enthusiasm
Of tho Irish delegates hS his reference 10
Dorshcn,cr a, the descendant Of Martin Luther. la
a window eat, with his short iegs dangling in the
air, Alfred Wilkinson of Syracuse, representative Of
the liberal element, clad in velvet Goa: and white
md autiblv.
Wilkinson is here in th" double relation of delegate
to the Democratic ard Unitarian Conventions. To-
,lay lie has hesu Democrat. To-Dlorrow he VIII
take bath aud bo Unitarian 1t rs whispered
also ~ whispers 10 that he will b. Controller IN
RJbinson's place in the improbable event of that
genllemag promotion the ehair of the Governor.
On the stage was Hiram Culkins. the heroic rusener
Of s. riggs reading secretary Of The convention.
On ~. Il ont snat Graves of Stsuben, uneasy with
sons nf respOls Lllity, and various other patriots,
wl,as~ blossoms he~vcd with the impulse IF reform,
Il was great and solemn anu melancholy c'nrcn-
ton ard was rot called to order until haf-p,st ID
At that lorr tho venerable Jadgo Gray appeared
OF tho platform and called the convention t0 order
With eanc, which was reinforced with tack ham
ner. AID afterward as the impartanrc Of Inc "ccasion
began ~ dawn upon tho minds of The State Com
mittcc, supplemented with stono-maSnn's mallet
big enough 20 call THmmany lIsh itssf to order In
It's stormicht no,nen's judge trays remarks upon
calling tho convention to order werc brief and per-
fluent. He was interrupted only once by appianse
and that was when he said that Gov. Seymour lad
deslinrd the nomination. At this point Mr.. Casper
C. Childs. jr.. who was leaning against % whdoT-
sill In hernr attitude. put IN some we.l-mcans
rlronStraru,s nf approval, ut which the other aei
cvaieS hlr.rl upon that statesman with q stare OK
a,unzs,nent which. caaoed hiG shortly to dcs'sI ~
-. LIZ. an, thr cllnnlnaon uf Judge draws