Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1876-04-27
Indianapolis correspondence.
- INpfANAPoLfss April, %, 1870
To the Editor Of The Chronicle

- INDdANAPoLfss April, %, 1S8 :
To The Editor Of The Chronicle
THE CONVENTION.
It is entirely safe to say that there
never was such convention in this
State or any other, as that which met
here yesterday. 1T was large, in this
it waSlike many others, but there new
er before was a convention, the two
nearly equal parts of which, were so
thoroughly and irrecOncilably hostile
to each other, and there never before
was such coming down from the top
loftical pretensions which each faction
arrogated to itself.
o. Holman o, Holman! Beware of the day
When Landers shall meet thee in hattie array.
They met. and eytinguished each
other But the struggle was terrific.
The scene in the convention was one
which utterly beggars description. The
Landers men were especially demon
strative. for they fought under the eve
of their leader and when in this modern
Lupercal they thrice did offer him a
kingly crown. he thrice refused it. ex-
aetlv as Cesar refused it-wanting it
all the time. And even while he stood
there. putting it away from him. and
while Holman's telegram of refusal al
So. held MANY hours i'm the pocket Of
John :. Williams. was being read To
the convention. the friends Of both
Holman and Landers understood these
two true knights well enough To know
that both wanted the nomination. and
they voted for them i'm the whirlwlnd
of confusion. with vigor that was not
lessened a particle nv their repeated
Withdrawals. But whata Babel it waSl
The old confusion of tongues" was
nothing to it. II was war of sound. n
roar Of confusion worse COMPOUNDED.
Tr was noise embodied. which seemed
to have form and substance. and made
the windows rattle. and the walls of
the building fairly tremble as it i'm
hinged upon them. 1t was a chaos of
huge sound out of which no intelligi-
bile word could be secured. Again
and again the band was directed to play
i'm the hope that music would have
charms to soothe the savage Democrat
ic breast. At last the lot fell upon
the sky-blue man of destiny, as you
know. and James ID. Williams was de-
clared nominated. This closed the ex-
element. There was no further strife.
4 There was but one candidate for Lieut..
Governor. Col. Isaac p. Gray, a rene
gade Republican,; and for the other
Offices. except Clerk and Reporter of
the Supreme court. the present State
officers were nominated.
Many of the old fossils of the De-
mocracy were present at this cOnven-
ton. They belong to the Saurian peri
cd of the party. and had crept up out
( Of their holes for the last time. An
drew Humphreys was there, and Cyrus
l.. Durham. and Dave Gooding in his
swallow-taIled coat, and Sam Buskirk,
and old John Petit, who hangs III won
derfully, having been in the LPgisla-
ture in 1888. But tine next election
will close ont all Of these.
The convention was disgrace to
the State. 1t would be disgrace t.
the PARTY, il that were possible. The
nomination of Williams was a trick OF
| Hendricks pets. and it was achieved
by unblushing knavery. Beyond AL
I doubt. Holman was nominated on the
first ballot. and Mas fraudulently coun
ted out. Il was disgracefully turbulent
and wild with passion and presented &
study for the pity of the people of the
State.
II is worthy of note that Landers. il
his anxiet,to secur, theDemocratic nom
mat ion, declared that he had never ac
cepted the nomination of the lndepend
+nts. Ills remark was true. but i
must be rather humiliating to the mel
of that party TO have their profile
spurned thus after weeks of waiting
and To be thrown back ut such Il tim
WAS duubly ungrtteful. The nom IN,
tinn If Williams is Il surprise and a dis
appointment to the men who nominate
him. lie will make "a slow candidate
and has no fitness whatever for tn
office Of Governor.