The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-06-19
THE DEMOCRATS.
DIR. Garcelon Nominated.
Straddling the Financial Question.
A FEGHTs OVER THE RUM CUES
TION,

| 1kVN.
The Democratic State Convention which me
| in this city yesterday was up to D. M the mos
| listless affair Of the kind ever known It was
| born tired, its brief life was snatched between
sleep and sleep, and only on one or two oc
casions did it get up liveliLess enough to ever
kick. Most of the time it was wrapped in
profound lethargy. Only the approach of deatl
could stir it to any enthusiasm. Its Dennis
was as clear case of euthanasia as can any
where be found on record. After fever tina
was anything but ftful and diagnosed by tn,
audience as Uncommon slow" it slept we'll
The truth was the delegates did not know
what to do, and did as little as possible.
They realized that they were making no pro
gress but merely marking time, aud their chic
endeavor was to keep step to the music which
the organs are grinding out. They were, most
of them, hard money men at heart; but not
bigoted, for they were ready to resolve in favor
of anything that would bring them success.
Entertaining however profound distrust of
the success of the Gresnblck movement they
were not min led to strike hands with the soft
money men. They had no objection to rolling
in the DIRT if they could make anything there
by, but did have decided objections to rolling in
the dirt for nothing. They had been fooled
too often by bogus Whisefelds preaching vari-
GUS gospels 10 be in a trusting mood. But in
order to hold their own men they were willing
to straddle little.
The Convention was small. The report of
the committee on credentials, which was worthy
the inventive genius of "red-headed Jim," per-
iurer and Democratic witness, said 703 dele
gates were present. That was clear case of
paper imitation, for there were certainly not
five hundred men in the hail. and of these
many were lookers-on. PenObscot was con-
spicuous by its absence. Had it not been for
the local squabbles in the Cumberland del
egation and the rum question the body
would have been as quiet and decorous as
an assemblage at funeral. Few men were
there from the East. Those who did attend did
not hesitate to say that the intention of the
Eastern Democracy is to take control of the
Greenback movement in that section and shape
it to their own sweet will.
The Convention was called at nine O'clock
1t got together at half-past ten, and then did
not know what to do. The general opinion
was that the party had better hold together,
take part in no bargains, and wait for some-
thing to turn up. Little sympathy with the
purposes of the Greenbackers was expressed.
Indeed one delegate from York, who seemed to
have mora life than all the rest of the Conven-
ton, said he owned some bonds and some bank
stock, that he had been thirty years earning
the money to buy them and that he'd bs-well,
sent as consul to warm clime-if he'd divide
with anybody. Evidently he understood the
true inwardness of the National movement.
Bat most of the delegates were willing to avail
themselves of the Grsenbackers, and to con-
denim the national banking system in order to
win their support. Further than that they
were not prepared to go. The delegations
whiled away the time before the calling of the
convention to order by meeting and choosing
their committesmen-all but the Cumberland
delegation. When Cumberland met Col.
Charles B. Merrill made point of order that
the delegation had no right to make these
selections until the Convention had passed
upon its credentials The majority sustained
the point, and the delegation adjourned to re-
new the fight later. In the York delegation
the member of the committee on resolutions
was instructed by very decisive vote to oppose
the introduction of license plank ia the plat.
form. In the Knox delegation there was a
contest over member of the committee on reso-
buttons resulting in the choice of Mr.. Oliver
o lis of the Rockland Opinion and che defeat of
the hard.money candidate. Mr.. Otis is under
stood to ''stand upon the platforms Of 1863 and
1876" What his straddling capacity may be
is not known, but it ought to be equal to that
of the Colossus of Rhodes to enable him to put
one foot on the New York greenback platform
and the other on the st. Louis hard-money
platform.
At ha!f-past ten the Convention was called
to order by John d. Anderson chairman Of the
State committee, who nominated as temporary
chairman Charles E. Larrabee of Bath. Mr..
Larrabes on assuming the chair read some
words Of thanks for the honor conferred on
him and of congratulation over "the fattering
auspices" under which the delegates met. He
condemned "fraud" and was especially strong
in his denunciation of a sinful game called '7
to 8" in which the Democracy took hand two
years ago and got beaten and over the result of
which they ara now squealing. He approved
the Potter investigation, saying its object was
not to disturb the title of President Hayes but
to make electoral frauds impossible in the fu.
ture. For the rest his address sounded much
like an old campaign speech of1876.
The State committee was constituted COM
mtttee on credentials and reported the whole
number of delegates present as 7O3.
While waiting for the committee the chair
man suggested that some speaker address the
convention. Bion Bradbury, S. J. Anderson,
E. f. Pillsbury, A. W. Bradbury, D. r. Hast
ngs, W. Fl. Clifford, DR.. Jordan of Bangor.
S. G. Andrews and s. g. Strout were called
upon but failed to respond. So that proposal
fell through.
On motion of E. f. Pillsbury the county del
egatons withdrew and chose committeeman
as follows:
Committee ON Resolutions.
Androscoggin-J. s. Lyford, Lewiston.
Aroostook-J. 2. Donworth, Houlton.
Cumberland-W. H. Clifford, Portland.
Franklin-G. S. Milliken.
Hancock-Monroe Young, Ellsworth.
Kennebec-E. f. Pilsbtry Augusta.
Knox-Oliver Otis, Roc kand.
LincOln-Joseph Stafford, Wiscasset.
Oxford-David r. Hastings, Fryeburg
PenObsc0t-Nathaniel Wilson, Orono.
Piscataquis-A. M. Robinson, Dover
Somerset-Alhert Moore Arson.
Sagadahoc-W. S. Hagar Richmond.
Waldo-L FL. Murch.
Washington-A. McNichol, Calais,
YOrk-Edward Eastman, Saco.
State Committee,
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Morrill, Auburn,
Aroostook-James Doyle, Caribou.
Observation-Disclosures Dana, Portland
Franklin-S. @. Belcher. Pennington.
e. Hancock-John b. Redman, Ellsworth
Kennehec-E F. Pillsbury, Augusta.
Knox-John Bird, Rockland.
Lincoln-Charles Weeks, Newcastle.
Oxford-A. S. Kimball, Waterford.
Peuobscot-C. N. Hersey, Bangor.
Piscataquis-A. j. Chase, Sebec
Somerset-W. d. Haydn, Madison.
Sagadahoc-Abiel Libby, Richmond.
Wado-L. II. Murch.
WaShington-A. McNichol, Calais,
York-Hampden Fairfield, Saco
The temporary organization was then made
permanent. On motion of D. r. Hastings of
Fryeburg, the Convention ordered that all res.
olutions offered be referred without debate to
the committee on resolutions. Then long
pause followed, broken by the announcement
that the men to make the platform were ex-
pected to at once go to work. So with their