Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-09-28
e. 1881
WILLIAMSPORT.

WILLIAMSPORT.
rO-DAY,s DEMOcRATIC CONVENTION.
A Go.as-yo1:pisass Affair Without any
Of the Candidates..
Col. A. K. Mcclure, editor of the Times,
who is up at Williamsport looking at the
Democratic convention which meets there
to-day to nominate candidate for State
treasurer, telegraphs to, his newspaper as
follows:
There is one very gratifying sign exhi-
bited by the delegates. Most of of them
are almost entirely uncommitted and un-
decided, and the common anxiety is to
present thoroughly honest and compe-
tent man. They confidently expect to
elect their nominee and they recognize the
fact that they cannot afford to present q
doubtful man to the people. Instead of
caucusing in the interest of individual can
didates or of factions or leaders, the bulk
of the delegates are looking for the man
who would make the most aggressively
honest State treasurer.
Another healthy sign is the entire alb
sence of all the common wranglers of fac
ton. There is no Wallace and Randall
dispute, no struggle for personal mastery.
Wallace is here trying an important case
in the United States court and he has re-
fused to take any part in the struggle. 1t
is customary for leaders to say SO when
they mean to do their level best in quiet
way to control results, but any one who
notes the struggling focks that would bs
in the Wallace fold if he were in the fight,
need not be told that Wallace has no per-
sOnal candidate for State treasurer. Ran
dali is not here, nor is there any one here
who represents him, and regular 60 as
you please race is to be run to morrow
with almost any result possible except the
| acter.
The Philadelphians seem to be taking a
picnic rather than running 4 convention.
If they intend to get in dead earnest about
they have yet to display the symptoms of
it.
| The Candidates. Chances.
J. H. Lambert, the careful and reliable
staff correspondent. of the same paper,
takes this view OF tho chances of the sew
eral candidates
The Democratic party seems to be very
much in need of boss. Never in my ex-
perience have l seen so many loose ends to
convention crowd and the unprejudiced
observer must pick up these ends and
thread them to suit himself. The dele
gates and candidates and workers are
scattered up and down town for two
miles. The weather is hot and pocket
handkerchiefs and cold drinks arc in ur-
gent demand. The candidates are all on
tho ground and there are so many that no
delegate has been left without attention.
1t has, in fact, been more difficult
to find delegates than to find
candidates. Noble has bis headquarters
in the City Hotel, but he prefers to
move about the corridors and seek the
delegates. He has done this all day and
nearly everybody has shaken hands with
him at least once. He is tall, robust
man of six feet, perhaps, with a stoop to
his shoulders, a carelessness in his dress
and black slOuch hat. He owns a
national bank and lot of other things in
Erie, has some strong friends, and, besides
having a good showing of delegates, is
shouted for by some prominent Erie Dem
ocrats on local account. Lounging about
the City hotel, also, is Bogert, OF Wilkes
barre. Bogert is good looking, good
| natured Democrat, who has had some
local experience and made popular can
didate in his Own county. He dresses as
becomes a Democrat, has rather frail
moustache, but knows exactly what he is
up to. Bogert's estimate of Bogert's
strength is thirty delegates perhaps more,
| perhaps less.
The Other Candidates,
Kerr, of Bedford, who takes a front
place among candidates, is everywhere.
He is very winning in his way and makes
friend of every man whom lie takes by
the hand. He is a man of perhaps forty or
forty-five, with black beard, with Just a
stroke of gray hair, and a keen eye full of
business. Kerr, like Bogert, is an editor.
Plumer, of VenangO, who had the race al
together alone with Noble for long time,
is making the best use of his time. He
does not move about much, but with a
quiet dignity stands near the Office Of the
hotel and receives his friends. There are
many of them, but they are not by any
means all delegates. Plumcr was the first
man in the fight and he feels as if a hornet 8
nest had been opened since he began the
contest some months ago. Col. Guthrie,
of Pittsburgh, is at the Park hotel, up
town, mile or so away. He came in at
noon today with the whole Allegheny
delegation, every member of which he
named. Guthrie says he didn't want to
be candidate, but since he is in he will
make the most of it. He has eighteen
votes to start with, and some candidates
who now appear very promising in their
own minds won't start as we'll as Guthrie.
Senator Ross. of York, and Representative
Hackett, of Nol champion, are also on the
| ground and each has friends doing ali that
is possible for him. Colonel Dissinger, of
Northumberland, is the jolly candidate,
with gray hair and beard and happy red
face. He says the boys are going to have
some fun whether he is nominated or not,
and he is helping them to as much Of the
fun as possible.
How Arthur " as Nominated.
Philadelphia Press.
After that tumultuous and thrilling
scene when the Chicago convention surged
away from both Grant and Blaine and
named General Garfield as its standard
bearer, it adjourned till evening to con-
slider the question of vice president. All
sides agreed that the candidate must come
from New York and that, as the president
represented the anti-Grant division, the
vice president must be chosen from the
Grant element. Three conspicuous names
were canvassed-Levi p. Morton, now
minister to France, General Stewart l..
Woodford and General Chester A. Arthur.
When tho New York delegation met to
mass unon tho Subiect Mr. Mortop and