New-York tribune., 1877-08-23
PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRACY
.,ur CONVENTION AT HARRISBURG.


AND L. p sCHEIL FOR ACDlTORGENhl'A~
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.I
1,pp,sprpc Penn Aug. 22.-The delegates TO the
Dmocratic State Convention first gazed upon theni-
selves with admiration members OF representa-
five body at noon to-day. While III the snai ho.,'
Of the morning they had intrigued among 'he'I ei-
lows for support for their candidates, men anu no'
;,cirlos were the themes of the discussions which
Ivent ON in hot hotel corridors, beneath fiery gas
iets and outside upon the sidewalks In the cooer an
beneath the strong rays of the moon Late AT nigh.
n olee club from Pittsburg sang several pontcai
ballads and finally the well known hymn: Inc
Sweet Bye and Bye" The delegates, assuming ,na'
this was prophesy concerning 1850 sald tna' "
was pleasant thing to dream about ana az oi'0
went to bed. , w. =.
pnrose,tatives of the state capital. The delegates
comnared we'll in appearance with the kepresehIa-
+ives who ON every alternate year, Obtain the
sarne seats by more expensive and more laDOrlous
natb. The Chairman of the State Committee, "n'
McCelland afterc calling the Convention TO ORDER III
the course of brief speech said that he hopeu there
would be harmony. THIS keynote of harmony was
struck by two other speakers during the day. and
gave rise to the suspicion that there was some
fear of there beng discOrd. The permanent CHAIR
man went so far as to say he had no doubt every
thing would be done with harmony, becanse Demo
cratic conventions always were harmonious lnis
audacous statement was received with coldness ana
apparent astonishment A majority of the delegates
rsked creating discord at the start by voting against
a candidate for Temporary Chairman whose name
was on the slate supposed 10 have the strongest sup
mort Jacob Zegler the Temporary Chairman
elected might indeed be called-as he claimed TO
be-a representative Democrat he having voted
the Democratic ticket for forty years. For
several years he clerk for the Penn-
sylvania Senate and House of Representatives
and accordingly he made an excellent presiding Off
GER In his speech of thanks the sentence that won
the most applause was: E" The most important fea-
ture of the present political crisis is the demand OF
the people that parties shall practice what they
preach. and that performance shall follow
promises" He also referred in an indirect way 10
the labor troubles, and declared that the remedy
for any injustice to the people would be found IN
exerting the powers of government in favor of all
persons instead of favoring class. The fathers OF
the Repubic he declared, called on DemocTatcs to
follow the principles of government laid down
bv them; principles which would tend TO
public order and prosperity. The temporary
chairman rule lasted longer than usual
in consequence of the Committee on Credentials
being unable to settle the differences between some
inharmonious delegations and bodies claiming to be
delegations from Philadelphia.
A recess of four hours was at last taken. In the
interval it was whispered about the hotels that the
Committee on Resolutions was nearly swamped
in sea of resolutions, and that the
Greenback men from the Western part of
the State were stoutly arguing that the
Democratic craft ought to be supplied with
paper sails. The news caused much dismay, and
the Convention met at 8 p. in bad humOr. 1t
was quickly put In good humOr by radical Demo
cratic speech from the Hon. A. S. Stenger, who had
been selected for permanent Chairman in the inter
val. Mr.. StengeTs speech studded with
points for the back country Democratic ora
Tor in the coming campaign. He started out in
ais speech by uttering Mr.. Tldens keynote of
fraud and repeated the note at intervals throughout
he speech. Like q singers high &, the note always
won tremendous applause from I, listeners. He
claimed that millions Of money haG saved by
the last Democratic House of Representatives, and
that the reduction in the expense of carrying
the Departments. made known in Ohio last week
by Secretary Sherman, due to the action of
Democratic Congressman in refusing appropriations
for the army. He closed his speech with the decar-
tiOn that the Democratic party the partyOf
law and order, and bad proved it beyond denial by
submitting to a great wrong last March. At the
close of his speech the Convention adjourned for
three hours, to enable the bewildered Committee on
Resolutions TO come TO some agreement concerning
the platform.
The Committee after an hour of futile effort to
select fit resolutions from the sheaf that had been
submitted to them appointed a subcommittee of
five Of its own members to do the work This Com
mittee for two hours oiled at their task The sub
Committee had in its ranks some greenback men who
desired to commit the party for demand for the
reconciliation of silver, the making of greenbacks
interconvertible with United States four per cent
bonds, the bonds te be paid in greenbacks. One
other member desired a plank inserted for the
assumption by the United States of the
task of transporting free Of expense per
sons out Of work, such as miners, to the West,
and giving them land to live upon and
tools to farm the land with. but there were some
hard money and cautious men also upon the
Committee, and they rejected these wild schemes
When the Convention met at p. m. the platform
was ready. The plank denouncing President Hayes's
title was greeted with loud applause; those in rea-
tiOn TO Southern States and Civil Service Reform in
silence; that in relation to the Army with slight ap
pause those in relation to the distress of aborers
and against railway subsidies with immense ap-
plause that concerning railways obeying the Con-
stitution of 1873 with loud applause and that re-
affirming the ST. Louis Platform with very faint APP
plause
No sooner had the platform been read than Guy
/ arquahar Of Schuylkill County was upon his feet,
waving sheet of paper containing an additional
plank calling for the reconciliation of silver Con-
gresham Coffroth, delegate, at once made the
point that the plank must be sent to the
Committee on Resolutions, called for the adop-
ton of the platform as presented, and moved the
previous question. The few greenback men in the
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