The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-06-28

ed temporary CHAIRMAN, anu SenntO
Barnum Of Connecticut and Senator Ran
som Of North Carolina, were appointed
committee TO conduct him to the chail
Mr.. wATrERsoN's SPEECH.
Mr.. Watterson ASSUMED the chair an,
was received with cheers. Upon the sub
sidence Of the applause Mr.. WattersoI
addressed the Convention as follows:
Gentlemen OF the Conyention-We ar
called together TO determine. by our wis
dom, whether honest government, I'D
ministered by honest men shall be re
stored to the American people, or to de
eide by our folly that it Is the destiny o
this country to pursue an endless, ever
evolving circle OF partisan passion ant
corruption, unit, with the loss Of oul
national we'll being, we lose the poo
mans last hope-ciyil liberty itself.
Every citizen OF the republic, be. he o
one party or Of the other, feels and hal
felt for many a day the depressing inau
ence Of what are called hard times. We
look around US, ,andsee neglected feldS.ant
vacant houses: the factories are closed
the furnace door is shut; there are my
riads Of idle hands; the.happy activity Of .
prosperous life is not here to be found
and lobbyists iatten while honest mel
starye; empty. .is.the mart.and shipless th'
bay. Why is ii? What has wrought Sc
great n change in land that under the
rule Of an intelligent, progressive, consti
tutional party, advanced within Q
half century from the condition Of {
huddle Of petty and squalid provincial
soyereignties to a foremost place among
the nations OF the earth. The reason ol
men must answer partisan misrule and
SECTIONAL misdirection. The Republicans,
my friends, are not alone responsible
With them rest the disgraces. With uG
the follies. These twin agents Of Ma
tional mischance, working under the mis-
cradle rule Of contraries, have kept the
people Of the North and South aside, and
have supplied sustenance 10 corruption
they have disturbed values; they have
unsettled prices; they have made our
whole financial system a cheat and a
snare; they have driven the best elenents
Of political society into exile, and have
organized charlatanism into sort OF
public polity, enabling the rogue TO get a
cheap advantage. Of his dupe, and sacri-
ficing every popular interest to the lust
OF that oligarchy which has become SO
encrusted with power as to believe itseli
entitled to rule by the sheer force OF Its
own wrong doing. So much let us SET
down to the convenient pretext of war
so much 70 the long account OF damages
between the North and South. II is for
you to say, whether the same conflict,
with consequences multiplied and mag
nified, shalt by any act Of yours be In
augurated between the East and West.
I shall not undertake, on an occasion OF
this kind and in the presence Of so impos.
ing a body, to enforce the familiar reason
Of mutual forbearance. Nobody doubts
our capacity to make battle among our.
selves. Entreating you to direct your
energies to the common enemy, ask In
diligence only in my own behalf. You
have called mo to plGce pot merely ot
distinction but OF difficulty-to place
which requires the best training Of bet.
ter man than am. In taking it l trust
to your confidence and good nature, and
to heart incapable OF an unmanly or an
unfair act. The book before us should
relate to ideas rather than 10 individuals.
II is the issue not the man, that should
engage US. We have come here TO make
the peoples, not our, fight for freedom,
no less than for an honest government,
for the reform OF the public service and
the restoration Of public morals. For the
administration and relief from the ad-
miuistraliye mobilism embraced in the
simple creeds Of the home rule to
reduce the taxes TO living chance
for the South as well as the
North, for both the East and the West.
II anything comes OF our proceedings it
must spring from the spirit OF aspiration
and fellowship that animated the follow
ers OF Andrew Jackson aud Silas Wright,
Of Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, whose
political descendants meet together on
common ground at last to arrest the gov
ernment Of their fathers fromithe clutch
OF the rings and robbers Of the Federal ,
State and municipal governments, and
who we are 10 extirpate wherever they
are found, whether they be Republicans
or Democrats.
The points Of Mr.. Watterson's speech
were emphasized by frequent applause.
All the conclusion he introduced Rev. Mr..
Marvin, who offered a prayer. :.
The ckair-The chair is directed by the
Democratic National Convention to an
nounce as temporary Secretary oil the
convention Mr.. Frederick o. Price, OF
Massachusetts,, and as Assistant Secreta-
ries Mr.. T. o. Walker, OF Iowa, and MIR.
s. X. Doniphan, OF Ohio. Before the
convention proceeds to business the chair
would state as matter Of convenience to
the reporters and the convention, the
gentlemen who are recognized by the
chair will call their name and State.
The convention Is now ready for busi'
ness and the chair desires to know
its pleasure The Chair further an
nounced that Mr.. Dan Able, Of Missouri,
had been selected as Sergeant-at-Arms.
Mr.. Abbott, Of Massachusetts,, offered
a resolution that the rules Of the last
National Democratic Convention govern
this body till otherwise ordered. After
some discussion, the resolution was
adopted.
Mr.. Swalley, OF Vermont, offered res
olution for call Of the States for the an
nouncement OF the Committees on Perma'
neht Organization and on Credentials.
Agreed 10.
The call was proceeded with. Before
the Secretary had proceeded far some In.
terruptions took place, when Mr.. Wal
lace, Of Pa, moved to reconsider the vote
by which the roll was being called for
committees, In order to give the Conven-
tion an opportunity 10 understand clear.
ly tbs business. Mr.. Wallace said: u
now read, in answer to the gentleman
from New York, the resolutions adopted
in the Convention OF 1868. It is in these
worlds That there shall be now two com.
mittees appointed, each to consist Of one
delegate from each State, selected by the
respective delegates thereof, one commit
tee to act as q committee on permanent
organization and the other as acommittee
on credentials. therefore submit that
II Is in order TO call the States for the re.
port OF committee man on credentials
and committee man on organization,
It belongs to the States TO name them,
The Chair will state that the Secretary
OF the Convention has been directed to
call the roll by States.
Mr.. Finch, ofIowa, offered a resolution
giving the Territories representation in