New-York tribune., 1876-06-15
ASPECT OF THE CONVENTION.
DECORATION or THE HUGE FOUR-ACRE BUILDING
Study OF THE FACES OF nE DELEGATES.

DECORATION or THE HUGE FOUR-ACRE BUuDISG-
STUDY OF THE FACES or nE DELEGATES.
BY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrBUSEl
CINCINN,1I June 1.-THE National Republican
Convention of 1876 met to-day III the same hall
where gathered the great Convention Of four years
ago with which Summers and Chase sympatlized, and
for which Greeley died. In the same hall where
Carl Schurz spoke his mastery English, and Gratz
Brown virtually decided the quivering scales by
throwing Missouri for Mr.. Greeley, and where
Adams was cLeercd and cheered but could not be
nominated. there was to-day a millionaire for
chairman and there will doubtless be tomorrow
again an editor for candidate. In associations the
hall is much richer than in beauty. less attractive
place for so distinguished and interesting gather
inc could not well be found than this great barn,
winch spraws four acres, ITS architecture that
of an ambitious and disappointed railroad depot IFS
decorations those of a country barbecue on four
acre SCALE its rafters innocent of any INT except
that of age and it, roof All unsghty maze of beams
and rdfters.
Evidently there had been some vague conscious
ness somewhere that the hall was not all the heart
Of man could desire and there bad been efforts made
to better it. There were flags without number,
bunting without end, and muslin by the furlong,
but none of these could hide, and they did Ht;le to
diminish the native ugliness of the place. broad
stage had been built out from one end, up from
which ran a steep amphitheater nearly 10 a level
with the caves of the building, with room for more
than 800 spectators and guests of high degree. AT
the summit Of this amphthcatcr there was a gildcd
eagle pcrched on a gilded ball, from out OF which
burst ali aurora of cheap muslin OF the Natlohai
hues which spread all over the wall, or what was left
Of it. Great festoons of this cheap muslin ran from
column to column along both sides of the Hall.
There was procession Of lttle flags along the gal
lcrics and other professions Of still smaller flags
along the rafers and greater flags TO rule the less,
but there little inspiration III the display. lhere
was not so much as allusion to the Centennial
year anywhere, ana the eye saw nothing OF that en-
nusisstc gratitude to the Administration of which
the ear heard something lately.
Some distance below the level Of the stage and
directly in front of it, but some inches above the
level of the floor so that the eye could sweep over
the whole of faces, ran the newspaper belt OF
seats, where moro than hundred correspondents
were busy with pencil and paper The 700 delegates
held the front, the hall running straight across III
broad strip from wall to wall under the galleries as
well 40 between them railing separated them
from the equal body Of alternates who sat in com
pact section just behind them. Behind the alter
mates, the hall belonged to tine lockers on who not
only had thus good hold on the floors, but occupied
the deep gallery at the end of the hall opposite 10
the stage, well as the long galleries stretching the
full length of each side and the ampitheater which
commanded the whole cxpanse.
WHERE THE STATES SAT.
The body Of delegates the center of interest.
They were seated were their doubles behind
them, in one compact body, without dividing line
OF boundary of any kind Their States were indi-
Gated by black and white placards perched on poles,
the general effect being far from picturesque though
no doubt the arrangement was the most convenient
that could be had for easy recognition of speakers
and delegations. The States that had candidates
held the front from one side of the hall to the
other Maine, first in the order of the original States
and first in the days fortunes. first also III posi-
tion looking from the stage. New-York was next to
Maine and held the left of the aisle which cut the
hall in two, its delegation of 20 men running back
nearly the entire depth Of the space allotted to dele
gates Indiana had the front the other side of the
aisle. Kentucky was next, while Pennsylvania was
pushed off ignominiously to the right under the gal
lery. Ohio being in the same position on the
other side of the hall. There was little attempt at
geographical arrangement, except that New England
held well together. In the column behind Maine