Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-07-06
The National Democratic
Pow Wow!
SAMUEL D i. TEEDEN
Selected for Slaughter!
A Hard-M0ney Man on a Soft
Money Platform
SOFT-MONEY MEN DISSATIS-
FLED!
Scenes of Strife and Confusion !!
n ~ 7 n, ~ 0
Scenes of Strife and Confusion !!
FIRST D4YS PROCEEDINGS!
ecial to the Cincinnati Gazette

ST. LOUIS, MO-, June u.
Outside was pandemenium for the
space of several hours; inside quiet
gathering went on of all tongues and
kindred. Confederate dough faces
noted Union Generals, as well as noted
rebel leaders, hard money men, green,
back eXtremeties, the old Virginia gen
man, the hard-shell Democrat from
Maine, the eX-guerrilla from Kentucky
COpperheadS of note and Union Demo-
Gratis, ex-otfice-holders of Bdchanan's
time, some of the wrecks of Andrew
Johnson's regime, Tam many plug
uglies, scores of shelved COngressmen
and thousands of the rank and file OF
the great unwashed. 1t was "a motley
company, but the professional part OF
it had Subdued and nneXcited look,
as if they had long been used to the dis
play of AN opening campaign, and -oi
the defeats that have long closed them.
The Main Hall of the Merchants Elk.
change is, without doubt, one of the
largest and most elaborately finished in
the country. i
The gathering was in fair order after
the crush in the one and only entrance
was passed.
AT u o'clock Secretary Prince, of the
National Committee, marched in, fol-
lowed by the committee.
AT seventeen minutes after time,
Augustus Schell, of Tammany fame,
put on his spectacles, called the Con-
ventiOn to order, and made a few fu-
nereal remarks, in dull tone md duller
manner. 1t may read well in the or.
gans, but it was received with mingled
feelings, especially the allusion to the
currency question.
The, applause was in spots on this
head, though there was little of it
evoked by Mr.. Schell on any topic.
Mr.. Watterson, as Temporary Chair
man, was well received, though, for
some unexplained reason, the whole
affair opened fiat. There were few
signs of life or Zest, animation or erthu-
siasm. Let this not be attributed to
partisan description. 1t is Simple a
fact, and significant one, too. He had
presence of mind enoaghAo announce
prayer, and little before one O'Clock
the Democratic machine was fairly
started.
Pennsylvania, in the person of Sena-
tor Wallace, al once stepped into the
ring and raised row over most i'm
material point of order, and succeeded
in stirring up some bad blood, and was
sOrely defeated in about ten minutes.
There were many among the New
York delegation who seemed to be
questioning whether the shadow of
Pennsylvania which fell on Cincinnati
was again to drop down here. But
Watterson made good presiding Off
Ger, and ruled and overruled right and
left, cutting off untimely motions, and
cutting down intruding delegates, and
at last the disorder attending the start
ing was conquered, and all the work of
the temporary organization completed.
By this time, fully one-third of the
audience had left the hall; though the
session had only lasted an hour and
half. For many it had been much too
long between drinks. There were some
striking persons, or combinations of
such, meeting the eye on all sides. The
ole Sergeant-at-Arms of the Charleston
Convention was moving uneasily
around, as if just arrived from that old
tine, and trying to accustOn himself
TO the new. He disappeared when an.
other man was announced as the sue
cessful candidate instead of himself,
but in spirit he was the fittest man.
Under the banner of Wisconsin sat
Doolittle, the hero of JOhnSon'S arm
in-arm convention, and man who,
but few years since, denounced De-
mocracy with unmeasured severity and
force.
There were Fitzhugh Lee and Wade
Hampton, and Gen. Wheeler, of Con-
cavalry fame, and George Nc
Cook, the brother of all the Union
of the fighting McCook
family, and Morgan, Ewing, and
of Ohio; Palmer and Frank
lin; Slocum and McClernand, of the
Union Corps and Army Commander;
Sunset Cox, who denounced the South
arners as tiend5 and brutes, sat he.
tween John Kelly's gang of short-hair
and the gentleman-like John
Biglow, eX-Minister TO FraHce. The
after, while here, has been tie daily
,o-oprrator with, and the hour cooper
,tor of, John Morris5ey. Pierce M. B.
Young, OF the District ring notoriety
n Washington, has been washed clean
enough by years retirement for u
Democratic Convention. Sandwiched
,etween these worthless were the Puri- !
an Democrats of Massachusetts. Mr..
frank Bird, dictator of morals and Of