The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-08-07
OHIO DEMOCRACY.
Proceedings of the State Con-
vention.
HOW THE BATTLEwAs SET IN ARRAY
FOR '7s.
Ewing and Rice Chosen as the Gallant
Standard Bearers, and n Strong
Ticket i'm Every Nominee
Named TO Win.
OFFICIAL REPORT.

The Convention Of Ohio Democracy,
which assembled in Columbus, June a.,
1879, was the largest and most enthusiasts
tic gathering of Democrats ever seen in
Ohio. Never has there been a Convention
that so fairly represented the people. and
never In platform or ticket have the wishes
of the rank and file of that great party
found such a happy and complete express
sionl Harmony and good-natured rivalry
characterized every act of the Convention;
the preference of persons and the ambition
of factions were wisely subordinated to
the good of the party, and every decision
Of the Convention was greeted with an UNI
exampled enthusiasm that harbingers VIC
tory in October.
PRELIMINARY WORK
Promptly at ten o'clock the Convention
was called to order by Hon. John G.
Thompson, as Chairman of the State Cen
trail Committee, who spoke as follows:
Before calling the Convention to order, |
desire to say, by way of explanation, !
found, this morning, a very large number
of people in the city to attend the ConVen-
ton who were not delegates, and of course
it would have been my pleasure to have
given tickets to everybody in the city who
desire to come here, but the hall was so
small that it was an impossiblity. The
main body of the hall simply seats the del
sgates to the Convention, and in the ar
4angement every delegate is provided with
a seat. Beyond that the only room left
was the stage and the gallery. The COM
mittee deemed it proper to not require any
tickets of admission to the gallery, but per-
NIT every person who desired to 60 into
the gallery to be admitted without a ticket.
Then there was room upon the stage for
about n hundred and fifty or two hun
dred people, including the officers of the
Convention, the Secretaries, the Vice Pres
idents, and reporters for the press, and such
others as could get upon the stage. is
sued the tickets as nearly equitable as |
could, but l found this morning, crowds
surrounding me, and there wa nothing
left for me to do but deliver up tickets to
every man who asked, and when they ran
out l could not give any more, so that If
any others were a little disappointed In not
receiving tickets, Task forgiveness, because
it was impossible for me to do more than |
have done on this occasion. Applause.
l want to say one word more, that In the
distribution Of these tickets, SO far as know,
there was no Partially shown to any enc
asking tickets. l simply gaveto those who
asked me. l would have gladly given to
all who desired them if it had been in my
power to do SO. [Cheers.
And now, before calling the convention
to. order, and before announcing a tenn
porary organization, as agreed upon by the
State Central Committee, Thaye only one
word to say. l don't desire to detain the
convention by a speech, because you have
much to do, and the business Of the conven-
ton is the business which you came here to
transact, and not to hear remarks from the
Chairman of the committee, and1hope that
in the selection ofyour ticket to-day all per
sonal feelings and chickering's will be buried,
and the best interests ofthe party conserved
by the placing in nomination ofadcket that
VIII be triumphantly elected at the polls
next October. Applause.
l am satisfied, from the faces before me,
that the Democratic party of Ohio never
was more alive or more in earnest as tc
their duty than on this occasion: and / con-
graduate the party Of the State in having
sent up an assembly of gentlemen, Of dele.
gates, that are SO able to transact the busi,
ness of the party, and to put IN nomination
a ticket that every Democrat in Ohio vii
support. [Great applause.
The State Central Committee have Sc
lected for temporary officers: Gen. james
B. Steedman, of Lucas county Cheers, fol
Temporary Chairman; for Temporary Sec
rotary, Allen O'Myers, of Pickaway county
Cheers. Assistant Secretary, Thomas
Riley, of Cuyahoga county. Cheers.
And now, gentlemen of the convention
Ihave the pleasure Of presenting to yor
your Temporary Chairman, General james
B. Steedman, the fighting General and herr
of Chickamauga prolonged cheers whit
will say a few words to you concerning wha
the fruits of the wal are, SO far as his OBJ
servation goes. [Gfeat applause.
SPEECH OF GEM RALJAMEs b. sTEEDMAN
General Steedlnan having thus been In
trodnced, came forward to the front OF the
stage, and, after the uR49rious burst O
applause with which the announcement O
his name was received had subsidized some
what, spoke as follows:
Democrats of Ohio In Convention Assem-
bled-I beg leave, through you, to tende
to your committee my most grateful &C
acknowledgements for the distinguished hon
or conferred upon me by presiding tempo
rarily over your deliberations. II is al
honor of which any citizen OF Ohio nigh
feel proud; and l beg to assure you tina
l esteem it the highest compliment / eve
received in my life. Applause, Sine
this Convention, the largest that has as
sembled in the State since the war, is at
tracing the attention of the entire peopl
of this country, and the patriots and lover
of liberty throughout the land are looking
with The deepest solicitude upon the actiol
which you shall take here to-day, upon tn
momentous issue forced upon the eountr
by the attitude of the Republican party.
Had the Conscript Fathers supposed
when they were framing this Government
that it would ever attempt to use the bayc
net to oyerawe and intimidate the peopl
and control their elections, the Constitution
of the United States would not have bee
adopted. [Long continued applause.
Our Revolutionary Fathers were impelle'
to the step which they took when they sep
arated from the Mother Government o.
account of the use of the bayonets to do tn
very thing with them which the Republica
party has been doing since the war, and
determined to continue doing in this coun
try. Applause.
This issue is forced upon us, and we ar
determined to meet itP Our opponents i
this State have endorsed it, and present t
us the gage of battle. To deceive the pee
pie as to the real, living issue before ther
IN the coming campaign, they have avowe
their determination to reopen all the issue
of The war, and swing the "bloody shirt
again in the faces of the people. The
have decided upon that. Well, the DEMO-
racy of Ohio can well afford to meet tha
issue with the Republican party. [Cheers.
The base ISLANDERS which they hav
heaped upon the heroic Democrat
who were sleeping in soldiers graves, an
whose bones are bleaching on the battle
fields of the war of the rebellion, is to /
repeated in this campaign. And the
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