Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-23
A MIXED CROWD.
The Kind of People Who Gathered at
the Blaine Ratification Meeting in
Washington.

lno hlhu OF Eeople VINO UatHeFou AT
the Blaine Ratification Meeting in
Washington.
All Of the lengthy accounts of the
Blaine ratification meeting here last night,
says a Washington special to the Balti-
more Sun, are deficient in supplying va
rious interesting details which the public
would like to be advised of. Three-fourths
of the audience were colored, and of this
large proportion almost if not one-half
were females. Two Of the three gentle
men who presided are claim agents and
lobbyists, properly credited with making
enormous annual incomes, which they
would expect to largely increase under
an administration in sympathy with
their purposes and practices. One
of the Senators who spoke came here
like Mr.. Blaine twenty years ago POOR as
church mouse, and like Mr.. Blaine is now
a double millionaire. A fellow feeling
makes us wondrous kind, and this Sena-
tor, although a disappointed aspirant for
the nomination which Mr.. Blaine receiY-
ed, was entirely consistent in lifting his
voice for him. In addition to the mem
bers of Congress and the lobbyists who
spoke, there were several who took part
in the meeting who are known as old po-
litical hacks and chronic office seekers.
from South Carolina, called the white
people of that State devils, and predicted
war of races in the ensuing cam
paigD, when, he said, s'they will not
be all niggers that are killed either"
The absence of genuine enthusiasm was
remarkable, and what cheering occurred
was principally when the old ar songs
were played by the band. Senators Sher-
man and Hawley did what they could to
stimulate the crowd by leading off several
times in waving their hats and cha ering.
When the band struck up "Mal ching
Through Georgia" Senator Hawley took
up the air with his fine baritone voice
and the crowd joined in. Senator SSher-
man undertook to assist Mr.. Hawley, but
the Ohio Senator does not add to his nu-
merous accomplishments, having nett her
any voice nor any idea of music, nd
made fearful muss of it.
The speech of the evening, of which 10
mention is made in any of the report ;,
was made by Representative Belford,
Colorado. Mr.. Belford said it was time
to stop submitting to Wall street dicta-
ton; that we had now a Wall street
President and Wall street Secretary of \
the Treasury. At this point some one in
the crowd yelled to the Colorado states /
man to "Shut up" Mr.. Belford said he |
would not shut up; he intended to give /
his opinion of that man in the White /
House, VINO, ne SAID, was responsible Tor Il
the broken banks and all the other finan-
cial troubles which were now afTlicting /
the country. He is now boarding up /
in the Treasury $160,000,000, which, |
waving his hand to the crowd, sought to /
be distributed among you laboring peo- |
ple" Mr.. Belford's cOlored auditors be-
gan to warm up at this. Long forgotten
visions of ''forty acres and a mule" |
danced before their eyes, and they evil
denced eagerness for more eloquence of the /
same sort. But those on the stand with /
Mr.. Belford did not seem to have as high /
an appreciation of his efforts, and in some |
way which Mr.. Belford could not under
stand, except that it was not in accord /
with Chesterfieldian tactics, he was SUI l
perseded in the middle of one of his pol /
ished sentences by the introduction of |
another speaker, and crowded into back |
seat