The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1884-06-28
SCALES AND STEDMAN.
THE Democratic State Convention
Noisily Does Good Work.
rItT ACTION AND ANTICS OF THE
nXERC DED ID T. Nj OC X A C. Y
ASSEIBLED.

Humorous COnventiOn-.-A Good
weeks W ork--As Strong a Ticket as
"a. Ever Nominated--GOOd Feeling
1 and Assurance of Victory.
The state Convention was in many WAYS
rh. most nOteworthy one that has assem-
iIrd Ia North Carolina in recent years. It
was tie largest, the most intelligent, the
nojsic,t and the most disorderly The
floor of Metropolitan Hall was not large
qDough 10 seat them all. The Halifax
delegation Bill Day, tooD occupied box,
And New Hanover, Wake, Orange. Robe
M and Johnston had seats in the gallery.
Even then the hall was packed past being
comfortable There was little or no room
for members to move about for consulta-
tjon. and the crowded condition of the
hall was one cause of the great disorder.
soon after II o'clock on Wednesday.
Mr. r. II. Battle Chairman of the State
Executive Committee, called the Conven-
ton IT, order, and called ex-Speaker Chas.
NJ. Cooke Of Franklin, to the chair as
temporary chairman. Mr.. Cooke congrat-
ulatcd the Convention, and through it the
people on the bcnehcent results of Demo-
cratic rule-especially upon the growing
unity of our people. How he hit the nail
on the head when he said: s'Let us not
remember or consider what section is the
home Of any candidate. Nor need we
care ot what church man is a member
Loud cheers.
BY the time that Mr.. Cooke raped the
table for order, the Convention had be
come seated and settled, and you could
get good view Of it. Everybody agreed
that il was remarkable assembly. Well
dressed, good humored, full of handsome
rtIs NaI, mo /,
an assembly worth phOtOgraphing
4 thousand fans made desperate efforts
Y cool thousand upturned faces. There
was sort of desperate delay in the first
hours work. The speakers who filled the
spare moments of waiting for organization
with various kinds Of nOnsense-eXpres-
olonS OF presidential preferences, general
spread-eagle declamations, and ''hurrahs
Tor Us made the impatience greater.
They dropped the name ''Tilden" in 300
.palrs of ears, and l 200 mouths opened as
H by preconcerted arrangement, and no
further proof was needed that the conven-
ton had good lungs and believed in IN
Gle Samuel. For Governor Cleveland
they yelled with almost as great power.
For Bayard there was loud cheering, but
not 50 loud as for Cleveland. And any
thing provoked laughter. Col Walter
''lCclc COluelH i TAKE u glass Oh water W1Un-
out exciting mirth; Mr.. NJ O. Waddell
couldn't hitch up his sleeve (Which means
NOW, boys, for joke, y but the situation
became boisterously funny. Maj. Mac
Robbins preached a sermon on Providence,
and they laughed when he quoted Scrip |
lure Somebody turned q window nn and |
gallon Of water fell on his neighbors Sun
day coat, and they laughed at that. And
the whole crowd had the itch to get to Gov
ernor making. Old Mr.. Waddell tried them
hy calling Capt. Cokes name. Then came a
storm. one fellow leaped into his chair,
flung his beaver to the breeze and led the |
yell He occupied a conspicuous seat near
the front, and for three hours poor fell |
low , excited the mirth of the convention.
He strained every nerve, and did perma-
neur injury . his vocal organs His face
would swell and rcdden, he would clinch |
III, fists and leap on the chair Nobody
knew him. Nobody knew what became of
him. His l., the only death that the con
ycntlon caused, or Gf he yet lives) ought to |
have caused. When General Scales's name |
was spoken a general cry went roofward |
and came flOOrWari and sounded all round |
about. ''COnfound your yelling" said |
one sturdy old mountaineer. ''Get your |
committees in and lets do the votin'.' !
Tho thoughtful members Of the conven-
tion all felt deep sympathy for the Per- i
mancnt chairman, whoever he might be; !,
and the crowd began to ask who would be |
chairman.
1t was a general surprise, but also a |
general satisfaction, when the committee |
Oh Permanent Organization recommended |
eI-Judge Ruffin of Orange for permanent |
chairman Mr. Ruffin followed the ex-
ample If Nat Macon, and said simply: |
II thank YOU, gentlemen, for such an hon
or as calling me 10 preside over this con-
ycutlon: and, as the best proof of my APP
probation of it and of my wish to serve
You faithfully, | now declare the conven-
ton ready for business"
Although Mr. Waddell, Mr.. Steele, Mr.. |
Robbins, Mr.. Day, Mr. Kitchin and other |
gentlemen had done their best to say |
nothing pleasantly while the convention
awaited the report on credentials, the as |
sL1Dly of gentlemen showed early symp-
tons of becoming a mob. The stalest as
surancc of invincibility called forth such |
cheers as an original discovery of some i'm
portant fact..might call forth. In the whole |
collection Of jokes which Mr.. Waddell has,
and in the tamcst rhetoric Of Mr.. Steele, |
nothing was too tame to cause a wild yell. |
ANYBODY who knew the character of !
the convention could easily discern from
tus lumor that most of the members We're |
perfectly confident of Scales's nomination
On tGe first ballot
The Nominations.
Nr Henry r. Bryan, Of Craven, came
u tha front Of the stage, and with com
n a1rp}