The Washington critic., 1888-06-19
THE CONVENTION.
The Great Gathering Famed

The Great Gathering Famed by
Breezes from the Lake.
CONVENTION HALL, CHICAGO, June 10
l1:30 q. MA strong breeze, that made
the big stripes of bunting in which the
exterior of the auditorium was enveloped,
flop like the sails of West India mer-
chantinan in an October gale, swept over
Lake Michigan landward this morning.
Very grateful 1t proved to the thousands
of perspiring patriots that from an early
hour gathered in front of the great build
ing and gazed longingly upon the doors
through whose portals they had no open
sesame. Inside the building all was hustle
and confusion.
The war concert of last night had inter-
rupted the labors of the workmen, and a
good deal in the way of decorating re-
mained to be done at daybreak. But the
small army of mechanics worked with q
will, and everything but the arrangement
and numbering of the press seats was
completed by 10 o'clock. Unfortunately
the lotter the really most important work,
had been left until the last moment, and
greatly to their dismay the legion of cor
respondents were to wait outside Of the
barriers and permitted to fill the air with
maledictions upon the management un-
til within few minutes of the time APP
pointed for calling the convention to
OTQcT. u0 ucleBulCo JilSlhoSlNco WClC
slow in assembling, and the same might
be said of the visitors.
A Plethora of Red Tape.
Between The police and the plethora
Of assistant sergeants-at-arms and other
subordinate functionaries, as much red
tape was brought into use as if the fortu-
nate holders of tickets were about to
enter into the Kingdom of Heaven,
Once within the building however, in
dignation was quickly changed into eX-
clamations of delight. 1t was like a
transformation from barren plain into
I'll lyland. With its myriads of electric
jets, in arches, in stars and diamonds in
spheres, in almost every conceivable de-
sign of art, with its olies, banners, bunt-
ing, streamers of q thousand hues, the
immense interior was q symphony OF
color, magnificent spectacle of the art
decorative.
/, The chairman's platform was simply
y floral bower. Nothing could be seen OF
the front of the desk upon which eight
years ago descended the gavel that an
nounced the nomination of James A, Gar
field and four years later the success OF
vi James G. Blaine. 1t was one huge bank
w of roses iacqueminots marechal neils
hyacinths, ,peonies, yiolets, and lilies, and
it shed its delicate perfume far and wide
The entire floral work was tribute To
the convention from Manager Fred
Limoise of the Floral Glen Company, and
it has never been surpassed. To the righ!
n and left the American flag was patterned
II in floral shields, while on the top o
Il either end two huge and artistically
arranged bouquets attached to arches o.
M smilaX, which in turn connected with tho
N American flags which entwined the enc
T pillars and combined to make the stanC
/ an ATcadian bower.
4 Directly beneath the arch were pictures
of Generals Logan and Grant, wreatheC
\ in immortelles while from the first bal
\ oony portraits of all the Republican Presi
dents from Washington to Arthur looked
down upon the delegates. The New
!, York, Michigan and Massachusetts, dele
s'gations, which had been honored with tn
front seats directly facing the speaker
stand, were among the first to arrive, bu
u very little enthusiasm greeted their ap
peaTance At II o. clock, at which hour
4 SO said Chairman Jones yesterday, tn
convention would be promptly called b
/ order, less than half the delegates wer
in their seats, while the chairs in the bal
" comics allotted to guests were less thai
lone-third filled
~ In the next five minutes the Wester
aRd Northwestern delegates came in raj
NJ, idly, but the Southern men, especial
y II those from Tennessee, the Carolinas, an
u Mississippi, still Jagged and left big hol
N Min the seating space to the left of th