The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-06-05
THE CHICAGO CONVENTION.

tlOn or the intensity Oh snc eACllchcht "
which it is pervaded. Not only is every hote
jam, but the saloons, restaurants, and all
public places are crowded with an eager, NOISY
excited mob. Especially are Potter Palmer 5
Tavern and the Grand Pacific Hotel sights
They remind one Of descriptions the newspa
pcrs gave occasionally years ago Of scenes IN
the gold room in New York or on the stock
board on days of exceptional excitement From
morning, the great rotundas or open places on
the first floor of those hotels were perpetual
seething squeezing, clbOwlng, reeking, noisy,
profane jam; while the floors, from the i'm
possibility of sweeping or cleaning them ap,
were covered half an inch deep with torn frag-
mcns of handbllls, dodgers, circulars, cards,
telegraph dispatches, cigar stumps and tobac-
co guilds! And in every direction huge pla-
cards stared one in the face like these: Third
Term means Defeat Of the Republican Party
SHERMAN and u sound currencyn "Thc New
York Delegation NOT a unitm &c, &c.
The great mass OF the mob it was PLAIN TO
perceive was anti.Gran!. Not only were most
of the strangers who had flocked TO the city
anti Grant, but all the active local political
leaders, bummers and strikers seemed fiercely
anti.Grant. People away from Chicago can
form no conception of the pressure that was
brought to bear locally to overawe and bull
dOze everything like trlendhness towards
Grant on the part Of outsiders. Especial vic
tins Of this pressure were the negro delegates
from the South. They no sooner made their
appearance than they were besct by threaten
ing, bowling mob, and the only way Cameron
and Conkllrg could keep any of them IN line
was to place guard over them. There was
another peculiarly about these darkey dele
gates Most OF them had come with their fare
and hotel bills provided for in advance, but
with very little money in their pockets. The
darkcy though a very indifferent statesman,
is no fool, 1t took these gentlemen just one
hour to find ont that tickets of admission to
the convention were scarce and IN demand
Some 10 tickets were distributed to each of
them each day for distribution among their
friends. The colored gentlemen distributed
them heap-thty did They sold them to
eager purchasers at from fifteen to fifty dollars
each, and thus raised money enough to smoke
cigars and drink whisky with the best of
them
AS to the convention itself the preliminary
work commenced half week before the day
appointed for It's meeting As early as Sun.
day Don Cameron as chairman of the Nation
al Committee, had been compelled to weld the
point Of naming whom he pleased for the
of the preliminary organization
In point Of fact, majority of the National
Committee are opposed to Grant and Don was
threatened with removal if he disobeyed their
behcsts. SO he consented that Judge TIoar
an antl.Grant man, should preside at the pre-
ever, during the meeting of the National Com
mlt,ee on Monday evening when II was pro-
posed to set aside the uRit rule during the pre-.
hminary organization, Don rebelleG He SAID
the convention, not the committee had the
making of the rules, and he refused, 10 the IN.
finite disgust of the antl-Grantites, to entertain
the motion. To set aside the unit rule at that
stage Cameron of course said was accepting
known that % of the New York and 90 of the
Pennsylvania delegates were anti Grant Later
on, however, the Grant men, to prevent a
break up even before the convention got
taI hat It,I,,
the temporary chairman, might, with the con.
sent OF the convention, ignore the unit rule
during the preliminary organization and until |
definite rules were adopted hy the convention.
With the preliminarics thus arranged IN adj |
vance, the convention held ITS first meeting in |
the Exposition building at | o'clock T.. NJ. on
Wednesday. After an opening prayer by DIR. ,
kittredge of Chicago, on motion of Don Cam.
temporary chairman, and on taking the char
he made the usual speech Two secretaries, AZ
agreed upon before hand with two stenograpl
ers, &c, were next appointed, and then, as had
also been agreed upon beforehand, the dele
gates Of each state were directed to name each
one man for the committee on credentials one
Tor the committee on rules and one for the
committee on resolutions. As a majority of
he states are Anti.Grant, the Grant men. in
yielding to this arrangement had agreed that
ali these important committees should be pack
ID against them. Either they must have felt
heir helpnessness or been marveously com
olacent! These prelimiRaries arranged the
adjourned to II o'clock on Thurs
lay.
Thursdays proceedings were as brief and
inlmporant as those of Wednesday. The com
nttee on credentials, after sweating over their
oh all night, were, on the re.assembling of the
at / o'clock, still unprepared to