Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-10-27
IT WAS HOT.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF AN EARLY
DAY CONVENTION.
One of the Most Stubborn Political Con-
tests in the History of
California.

CdCIdlHcutdbo vi TIC carly PoIiou vi tAe
SOS will recall the Democratic State Con-
yention held in the Baptist Church on the
corner of L and Fourth streets. 1t was
held while the -Broderick contest was
at it's hight, and there was also raging tc
disturb, divide and distract its party
throughout the Union, and eventually to
wreck both wings in overwhelming disaster
the discussion and popular excitement in
cident to the Kansas Nebraska issue. The
Gwin wing of the party, almost to man
took side with the Southern Democracy
and their Northern allies; the Broderick
wing espoused the cause of the greater
proportion of the people of the North. The
Republican party had not come into ey.
istence as an organized political element
and the Wings of the North and of the
South were as openly divided and as Sec
tionally antagonistic on the great issue as
were the Democrats. The Free Soil ele.
ment prevailed in the Free States alike
among Wings and Democrats Senator
Douglas of Illinois was vehemently
and rancorously assailed by all
of Free State sentiments fol-
his agency in the repeal of the Missouri
Compromise and his Kansas Nebraska bill,
for which the three thousand clergymen in
| the Northern States had denounced him.
Governor Bigler declared against him and
his doctrine in strong terms. Broderick
was unsparing in his virulent condemna-
| 4. tha Sapatn Of To1,ED,-.a
Charles H. Bryan Of Yuba, afterward
Justice of the Supreme Court, in speech
of much power, hurled his anathemas,
characterizing him as "a Northern dough-
| face and Southern charlatan."
The State Convention met as two hostile
factions, yet each faction was disposed in
part to forego present acrimony for that
campaign-for the election of members OF
Congress and the State Legislature-in the
similar hope of each faction that in the
election of State officers the following year
it would bear off the fruits of victory. The
Gwin faction were sanguine of the re-
election of their leader to the Senate
of the United States, and the large
proportion of the supporters of General
James A. McDougall stood with them
in regard to the Kansas-N Nebraska
issue. The Brcderick Democrats were
more hopeful, but less sanguine in respect
to their indomitable chief. In this spirit
the combating factions assembled in Conven-
ton, each intent upon the supremacy, for
with it was involved the mastery of fac
ton in the election of the members Of
Congress to aid in directing the Federal
patronage in the State, and the election Of
the Legislature to choose the United States
Senator to succeed to the seat occupied by
Dr. Gwin, whose term expired March 4
1855. Broderick had failed of election by
only one vote in the State Senate In the
session of 1S54-a few months before the
| Convention was held-and he had in those
few months made extraordinary exertions
to obtain the mastery of the Convention
Those who knew and who recall the great
| leader need not be told of the character of
Broderick's means to the end he had de-
termined upon. He kept his gaze upon
the object of his ambition He refused
and disdained to look at obstacles i'll the
way. He would push or kick them aside,
drive through them, surmount them, or
undermine them. There was in him much
of the fatal ambition of Napoleon much
of the arbitrary command of Cromwell
He respected authority, but it should not
obtrude in his pathway to his goal.
Broderick was Chairman of the State
| Central Committee. 1t was on that &C.
casion he asserted the prerogative of the
| Chairman of the committee to call the
Convention to order. 1t had never until
| then been claimed or exercised as the
/ &c h. Cba,rr1an of fbo Cantrol N0r,
mittee of either party-Democratic or
| Whig-in California. Broderick estab-
lished the precedent, which has ever since
been adopted. Further asserting his
prerogative, he had admitted only a
few of his ardent workers to arrange the
seating of the different delegations in the
pews, agreeably to his own instructions.
Before the announcement of the place
| and hour of meeting in the Sacramento
papers, the day before the Convention was
to meet, the Gwin and McDougall dele
gates discussed the singular selection. The
church was visited, Broderick's workers
were seen inside arranging the seats, but
admission was resolutely refused to any OF
the opposing factions. That evening a
caucus was held of all the Gwin and Nc
4 bOuSdil nClC duOPlto w
defeat the plans of the Broderick wing.
John McDougal, Ex-Governor, was chosen
for temporary Chairman and Geo. S. Evans
ofTuolumne for Secretary. James O'Meara,
delegate from San Francisco, was selected
to put McDougal and Evans in nomination
for each position, and to make sure that he
should be in place near Mr.. Broderick, to
be recognized at the instant, thirty
fearless and determined men were
to gather about him at the church
door and, if necessary, force the way to a
position close to the pulpit platform, from
| which Dir. Broderick would call the Con-
vention to order and announce his readi-
ness to receive motion for the election of
temporary Chairman. Among the thirty
selected for this purpose were Charles 5.
Fairfax, ex-Speaker of the Assembly; Sen
a:or Hook of Ell Dorado, Familiarity known
as "Old Nebraska" David S. Terry and
Sam. H. Brooks of San Joaquin, Charles l..
Scott Of Tuolumne, Phil III. Herbert and
Tom FlourDov of Mariposa, John c. Barch
of Trinity, VIM. g. Ross of San Francisco,
Jack Watson of Monterey, James Hubs
| peth of Sonoma, Tabb Mitchell of Placer,
Senator Crenshaw OF Nevada, j. G. McKib-
ben of Sierra, Vincent E. Geiger of Sacra-
mento, james Hawkins of Solano, Senator
VIM. B. Norman and Assemblymen Tallia-
ferro and Beatty, and DR.. Talliaferro Of
Marin The names of the others cannot
now be recalled.
At an early hour of the day appointed
for the Convention Governor McDougal,
Geiger and O'Meara called at the residence
of the pastor and from him ascertained that
the keys of the two rear doors of the church
had not been delivered to Mr.. Broderick,
had not been requested, and he still had
them. He willingly handed them to
Geiger, and also the key to small room
for the pastors occupation, on the left of
the wide pulpit platform. The possession
of these key, wa, quickly communicated to
the thirty, and to delegates who could be
trusted with the matter. The order of
proceedings was thereupon arranged in a
close caucus at noon, by which the entrance
to the church by the Gwin and McDougall
delegates would be through the rear door,
which would insure them seats and posi-
ton Immediately in front of the pulpit
platform, and compel the Broderick dele
gates to take the pews farther back toward
the front doors.
Before 1:30 the Broderick delegates and
crowd of his supporters gathered on
the front porch and upon the steps of the
/ T. rr,+L 80