St. Paul daily globe., 1888-08-09

W speak, OUT Gue applause was reneWous
| with cries of "What's the matter with
Harrlson?" Quiet was finally secured.
Gen. Harrison spoke briefly, but with
considerable force, energy and dramatic
effect. He said this reception crowned
long series of friendly acts on the
part of his neighbors. To have their
confidence was very grateful to him; to
be worthy OF it was the highest
ambition he could set before himself.
Whatever might befall him he felt
that his fellow-citiZens had crowned him
in way that made him forever their
debtor. He alluded to two widely diff
ferent events occurring while they were
llrsesSion, one, the arrival at seaport
OF great citizen whose powerful voice
Will be heard in Indiana before the
campaign was over; the other, a journey
from his cottage by the sea to Washing
ton of the remains of the gallant soldier
Gen. Sheridan. From Chicago they sent
him greetings and we'll wishes. To-day
they mourned their hero dead. He paid
a brief but eloquent tribute to Gen.
Sheridan, and closed abruptly without
referring to national or state issues.
! There was renewed applause as he re-
tired from the hall. Nominations were
announced as next in order, and instant
lya
went up from the floor, came down
from the galleries and was repeated
again and again. Delegate Hanna, of
Fort Wayne, placed Lieut.. Gov. Robert
son in nomination, on the ground that
it had been promised him two years
ago, but he was interrupted time and
again by shouts of Porter
From this point on the proceedings
alternated between the dramatic and
the sensational. Hanna's peroration in
nominating Robertson was drowned by
cries for Porter, and Frank B. Posey,
of Pike county, was enthusiastic
the ex-governor in nomination. ''The
whole force of the fraud and
crookedness and corruption OF the DEM
ocratic party" he said, Twill be brought
to bear against this state in the coming
campaign. In this crisis the Republican
party demands the help of the man who
once before led the Republican army to
victory, that fearless leader, Albert q.
Porter. With Benjamin Harrison and
the Republican party at stake, the peo-
pie have right to demand his nOmina-
tiOn, and to demand that he respond to
the call" A great burst of cheering
followed this outburst, but all of sud
den the great majority of the delegates
seemed to realize that the speaker had
PUT HIS FOOT INTO IT,
and they stopped their shouting and set
tied back as silent as the grave. POSey
had hardly resumed his seat when
Hanna was again on his chair. clamOr-
ing for recognition, and frantically
waving a manuscript over his head.
The chairman told him to go ahead. but
the convention preferred to howl him
down, and for some minutes the din
was deafening. But in the end the
chair had his way, and Hanna read the
following communication:
Hon. Albert G. Porter-Verv Dear Sir:
Impressed with the popular demand for
your nominasion, and it being asserted that
my candidacy is barrier to YOUR accepting
hands to use, if you have the slightest wish
to accept. Yours truly, r. S. ROBERTSON
The cries for Porter were renewed,
while Hanna explained that this note
had been sent to the ex-governor early
in the morning. that no reply had been
returned, and that subsequently Robert
sons friends had determined to submit
his name to the convention. Hiram
BrOwnleG, of Marion, in behalf of Major
George W. Steele. one of the candidates.
seconded POrter'S nomination, and so
did Congressman Johnston in behalf of
General HOvey, another of the candi-
dates. All this time the greatest up
roar prevailed, but silence was restored
when General Bennett announced that
he had been asked to perform an un-
pleasant duty. On Tuesday, he said,
he had been sent for by Gov
ernor Porter and requested to
inform the convention that under no
circumstances would he accept the
nomination. 81 say this in fullfllment
of my PROMISE" concluded Bennett,
"but l am in favor of drafting him any
how" ThereupOn the shouts for Porter
were renewed, the convention
BECAME A HOWLING MOB
and stampede was imminent. The
| nomination would undoubtedly have
been made by acclamation in couple
of moments had not EX-Speaker War
ren q. Sayre. of Wabash, advanced to
the front of the platform and waved
his arms in an entreating manner for
silence. The convention recognized in
him one of the most intimate friends of
Speaking in a slow and deliberate
manner, Gen. Sayre said: 81 have
been authorized by Mr.. Porter to
| speak to this convention and it is i'm
| portant to me that perform my duty.
| The governor has not only said that he
will not accept the nomination. At
| this point Senator johnson shouted out
''The voice of the people is the voice of
God. Who dareS stand i'll the way of
| the popular will?" The cheering and
cries for Porter were resumed, but
| Sayre held his ground and continued:
| Not only did he forbid the use of his
name, but when | told him how such q
statement would be received he told me
| TO beg the convention not to place the
| Republican party in such an embarrass-
| ing position, or himself under the mOrti-
| tication of declining, as he would be
compelled to dO.'
If one big wet blanket had fallen over
| the heads of one and all of the delegates
| the silence that followed this statement
could not have been more oppressive.
| Everybody seemed daZed for moment
or two Gen. Shanks, of Portland. was
| the first to recover, and from his place
| on the floor he demanded why. if Albert
G.. Porter had any communication to
make, he couldn't have made it to the
| convention direct instead of through the
roundabout way of conversations with
different men. Away back in the rear
| delegate vociferouSly asked of the
chair whether the Republican party be-
| longed to Porter or Porter belonged to
/ the party. An earnest appeal for calm
| and conservative action was made by
Gen. John COburn. He told the dele
| gateS tndl III was llo SOou 10 give the
| nomination to man who would
| THROW IT BACK IN THEIR TEETH.
| The condition of affairs was not merely
remarkable, but extraordinary. He had
attended every Republican state con-
ventiOn for forty years, but never be-
| fore had he seen such a crisis, such a
unanimity for man, such d rejection
| But Porter was master of his own fu-
ture. He did not own the party and
the party did not own him. He begged
them not to be fools OF to rush madlv
to destruction. By this time the tide
| had harnn to tnrIl The Snnnlrnr,c L..