Morning journal and courier., 1888-06-06
News by Telegraph
 FROM ALL QUARTERS. FREE TRADE ID THE FRONT. Watterson Heads The
 Platform Makers. SCENES OF TIE OPENING DAY. The Ticket Will Be
 Named To-Day. SHERIDAN A SHADE BETTER. Sweeping RepublicanVic-.
 tory in Oregon.
THE CONVENTION IN SESSION

I A Silver GaveI Sounds the Knell of Cleveland and Free Trade-Henry ! watterson Heads she Committee on Resolutions and so the Admintstra. ton Scores One-ConEressman Col. lfns to be the Permanent Chairman Editor BUTT and others Work All Night to Fix Up a Plntform-The Work of the Convention Under Its Temporary Organization.
 ST, LOUIS, June 5.--The scenes previous to the opening of the convention this morn ing varied little from those usually attendant on such occasions. There was 8 triokling stream of humanity into the big Exposition building, and long before the hour of calling the delegates to order ten thousand human faces gazed upon the high desk reserved for the presiding officer. At noon, when the convention should have been called to order, there was big empty space in the body of the hall. The Missouri, Minnesota, Missis- sippi, New York and Illinois delegations were the principal Iaggards, but the latter was cor dially received when it came in. Senator German slipped in unnotieed and so did Henry Watterson, Senator Vest, ex-Senator Davis of West Virginia and other leading lights of the party who in past conventions have been singled out for conspicuous atten- tions. Applause was accorded to the New
 
 fa1o with a full brass band marched into the gallery and created something of a sensa- tion, the convention bursting into applause and cheers which continued until the club had made the circuit of the gallery and was seated. Every member of the club wore 8 high hat and a Cleveland badge. Chairman Psrnum of the National committee appeared at 1927 upon the platform and was instantly recognized and amid the general applause voices crying "Barnum" were heard all over the hall The Hendricks club of In- dianapolis increased the volume of cheering as it marched up to the east gallery and placed it's banner by the side of the Cleve- l land Democracy banners. At this moment 8 California delegate mounted chair, and un- furling red handkerchief placed it upon the banner pole of the delegation. This was the signal for the appearance of hundreds of the tsOld Romans" standards and in almost an instant the banner poles of many delega- tions were decorated with red handkerchisfs, and from gallery, balconies and nave of the ! hall proper the red banners waved over all the auditorium. A cheer burst from thou sand throats in the galleries, which was caught up by the convention and grew in I volume until the b1are of the band trumpets I and the noise of the bass drum were drowned ! in the greater volume of the conventions | full-threated voice.
 At 12:33 pm. Hon. W. Fl. Barnum, chaire man of the National committee, arose and [ brought down his gavel Ia silver one which was the gift of the Colorado delegation) up on the desk and the Democratic national convention was in session. Without any re- marks he introduced Bishop Cranberry of St. Louis, who while the delegates rose to their feet delivered 8 brief but devout prayer. Then Chairman Barnum presented the re- \ port of the National committee naming \ lieutenant Governor White of California as \ temporary chairman. The report was unan- | imously adopted and Senator German, Gen eral Powell and Colonel Dawson were ap- pointed to escort the temporary chairman to | inc platform His Appearance was greeted ! with double round of applause and when X it had subsided, in clear, ringing voice ' which penetrated to the furthest extremity of ! the hall, he delivered his address.
 Mir. White, after thanking the convention for the honor conferred on him and congrat- \ ulating it that it met during the reign of the Democratic party, said no public servant ever responded to the call of duty more fully | or in better faith than President Cleveland. He said the present administration had real \ ized the promises made by the Democratic convention of 1884. It has sought to reduce | taxation and tighten the burdens of the peo- \ ple and to reduce the revenue so as to pre- \ vent undue accumulation in the treasury, \ and has at the same time taken the requisite | steps to foster and protect domestic indus ' tries, It has discouraged the centralization \ of wealth and has enabled, so far as circum- ' stances would permit, those in the less fa. K vored walks of life to enjoy the benefits of \ their exertiohs. In other words, the Demos ' cratic administration has set it's utmost en- deavors to carry out the platform on which our great reform victory was achieved. If \ the tariff had not been modified, it IS because | of Republican obstruction. The existence of ' an enurmous surplus in the treasury threat \ ems the industries of the country, is a con- | stant source of injury to the consumer and \ men of moderate means, who ind 1t difficult to obtain monetary assistance because of the | withdrawal of large portion of the circu- lating medium. This unfortunate situation | is directly attributable to the Republican | party, whose aim has ever been to encourage ! and enrich monopolies and to ignore the in- ! terests of the masses.
 During Republican dominancy many mil | lions of acres of the public domain passed | into the hands of corporate and foreign syn | dicates, formed for the creation of individual + fortunes. The obligations imposed con- ditions precedent to the investiture of title \ were persistently violated by the benefciaries and those violations passed unneeded until ' the Democratic administration, in conformity \ with the doctrines of the party, declared a forfeiture thus rendering to those seeking homes in good faith more than forty millions ' of acres, which had been withheld by the Re publican party for the benefit of a selfish few In conformity with the views of the President ' 6 statute mas O66u 6udcCeQ preventing Luo dC quisition of lands by those not citizens of the United States, and restricting the power oi \ corporations to obtain title to realty In the l territories. If preceding Republican admin
 istrations had adopted the present Democratic policy, there would have been preserved es homes for settlers locating in good faith i'm \ mense tracts of fertile soil now in the handt I of corporations and foreign spectators.
 For years universal attention has been al rected to the dangers of Chinese immigra ton. The advent of hordes of psgaI
 slaves. disciplined to starvation and inurec to unremunerative toil, hes rightly been con.
 sidered destructive to the interests oi Iabol and 8 menace to the republic. The De mccracy, unlike its political adversary, has I always been with the people in this issue The administration has entered into treaty \ with the Chinese empire which must result | in excluding the Mongolians from our shores
 and which, for the first time, makes it possi
 ble to prevent the perpetuatlon or tne IrsuoI | on our immigration laws now practlced ey that race, and to preserve us from the evil of seryils competition Thus, after repeated Republican failures, we reach successful
 settlement of the question which justly agi \ tated vast number of eur citizens, and will
 which Republican leaders have proved them
 selves incompetent to deal:
 The patriotic sentiment of the country, h' ! said. demanded the reelection of Grover Cleveland. Unable to reinstate themselye
 on any meritorious issues, corrupt politi
 clans, whose transgressions have exclude6
 them from office, seek restoration to author ity by endeavoring to reanimate the burie'
 issue of past generation; But these un
 seemly efforts must fail. Those who partici
 pated in the struggle are not anxious to re
 new it. The agitators of to-day were il
 most instances non-combatants. A new gen
 eration has come upon the scene. The young
 CT voters know of the war only through tra
 dition and history. They are ardent, ambi
 ktious and enlightened. They look with aver
 sion on every attempt to lead them into i'm
 pertinent discussion. They are anxious fe present success and future honor and happi ness. They are too busy with the practics !: affairs of life to engage in useless contrc
 versy. They love theireountry better tha
 Ithe delusion of an empty name. The
 know that the glory and advancement
 | of the republic is dependent on geners cooperation. While they glory in their father theroic deeds, they yet believe that unkin
 l@worda end exaggerated references to the pas
 are not promotive of present harmony, of fl
 ture prosperity, and that an administratio