New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-09-26

members of the convention with full powers, al
though their seats were cOntested-the battle ragged
nightly for three hours John G. Jacobs tried to
| speak: a determined effort made TO shout him
| down. Many of the Tammany Democrats are notO-
TiOusly lOud-mOuthed and the noise they made was
deafening. II was no longer convention 1t was
disorderly gathering of Infatuated parti-
sans, over whom the chairman had no con-
troll. Mr.. Laniug had big mallet and
he beat the desk perssteDtly and heav-
! lily, but he could not quell the tumult. Thomas
| +. Grady, of the I'D District of New-YOrk, who
| has often made himself laughing-stOck in the AS
sembly by his foolish Outbursts, was especially
ridiculous in the general tumult. He was over
charged with OratOTy and insisted on relieving him
! self. When there was an almost unanimous demand
| from all parts of the house that he SIT down,
/ he shook his fist and beloved a." j won't sit down
until the chairman or some one IL authority makes
me-"
The widest confusion prevailed. Men here and
| there and almost everywhere were jumping up with
! points of order. Mr.. Peter Mitchell, sometimes
! known as Point of Order Peter" from his procliv-
ity in that direction, sTOve particularly hard TO
show his parliamentary knowledge, but none needed
| him. Dozens of disheveed and wild-eyed delegates
were trying to make themselves heard at once
! Yells and cries of all kinds filed the air. Smith
Weed strobe down the aisle to the railing in front OF
the stage, and shouted amid the din appeals. ergu-
ments and quotations from rules and resolutions
| which no one could hear while, amid all the up
roar the beat of the chairnans hammer on his desk
MIR. WEED REFUSES TO BE PUT DOWN.
After time the excited members of the cOnven-
! tiOn became a little weary, and there was short
| lull in the storm which gave Mr. Laning oppOr-
| tunity to announce the ruling that any delegate
whose seat was contested had the right to vote on
all questions until the contest was decided. Smith
| Weed appealed from the chairman's decision, but
| Mr.. Lanng would not entertain an appeal. Mr..
! Weed then again tried to speak, but the chairman
would not recognize him. AS Mr.. Laning had re-
| peatedly ignored him aud recognized other dele
gates, who rose after Mr. Weed was his feet, the
! Tilden leaders kept on speaking without the chair
mans recognition.
! Then the convention again resembed Babel
President Roberts, of the New-York Aldermen, stood
up and attempted to make a speech while Mr.. Weed
was talking, and the men of each faction began
shouting In an effort to drown the voice of the OPP
posing speaker. Mr.. Schell also rose and the truth
of history makes it necessary TO state that his
| ally benevolent face was blazing with wrath. Mr.
Weed would not give way and Mr.. Schell addressed
him in terms which were undoubtedly very
severe but which nobody could hear
| The Opera House was packed to the doors
with excited men. both on the main floor and in
the gallery. On the stage were several scores of
politicians, in addition 10 the officers of the con-
vention and reporters and all crowded to the
|
! From the gallery, from the groups of Tammany
and Kings County men, from the seats of the
country Democrats-indeed, from every quarter of
| the Opera House. including the stage-rose shouts
| yells cries and noises of every Sort
Mr. Weed made an effort TO read from the rules of
the Assembly. He might as well have tried to read
| from the works of COnfucius in the original He
would have been as clearly understood in one case
In the other. In subsequent brief intervals IN the
| tempest Mr.. Weed was heard 10 say that the Chair
had right to refuse 70 receive his appeal without
reading the rules and Mr.. Schell was understood
| to remark that he had been recognized by the
| Chair and demanded to be heard. In spite of Mr..
| ScheIs reprOofs Mr. Weed did not cease denoune-
| ing the action of Mr.. Laning
| RATIONAL DEBATE-FREsH DISORDER.
When the storm became less furious Mr. Laning
redoubled his efforts for order and at length Dewitt
| C. West was able to make himself heard. He tined
to pour oil on the much vexed waters and to explain
the decision of the chair only intended to bring
the matter fully before the convention for decision.
| Mr. Weed was then allowed to talk without inter
ruption for a few minutes. He argued against
delegation voting its own admission and declared
that the chair had right TO reject his appeal until
| he had had an opportunity to give his reasons for
the appeal. Mr.. Weeds plain language about the
chairman caused renewal Of the confusion, but the
| delegate would not be silenced.
John Kelly rose TO make a speech, but Mr.. Weed
| continued talking.
i
sent to allow gentlemen on each side five minutes
! to present points Of privilege. This granted,
and Mr.. Weed proceeded to state his reasons for
| poaling from the Chairs decision. He accused Mr..
Lanng Of violating every parliamentary principle,
and complained of his repeated Tefusals TO TecOg-
nze him. He said that the way in which matters
had been carried on in the convention thus far was
not the way to elect the ticket and he charged his
opponents with Inconsistency IN demanding that
delegation should vote on its own admission.
John Kelly said that convention after convention
had decided that the Tammany Hall delegation was
| the regular one from New-YOrk. He wanted TO
! leave it to the convention itself whether it was
right to exclude Tammany Hall yearafter year from
! the work of the convention until the decision Of
the contests had been made. He appealed to the
delegates TO decide the matter now and forever.
| Mr. Laning explained that Mr. Weeds appeal was
out of order at the time when it was made He said
/ his only means of determining who were delegates
| lay in the roll made up by the State Committee.
! He had no right to rule without orders from the
convention that any county should be dIsfranchised
Mr. Weed referred to the rules Of the last conven-
| ton.
| The Chair declared that each convention must
! settle such matters for itself.
Mr. Weed appealed from the Chairs. rulings, and
would not stop speaking.
Then began disorder compared with which the
previous tumult had been slight. Rufus w. Peck
ham, of Albany, rushed down the aisle and shouted
| out his protest and the protest of tho Tildcn men
| generally against the attempt to rlle the conyen-
ton by gag law; if the proceedings were to be car
ried on IN this way, and DO attention paid TO their
| appeals they would have no part in the affair. Men
sprang up IN ell parts of the house, and several furi
GUS Tammany partisans pushed menacingly toward
Mr.. Weed and Mr.. Peckham, who were
standing in the aisle near the stage.