The Portland daily press., 1892-10-05
HILL WASN'T THERE.
His Absence the Most Noticeable Thing
About this Convention.

His Absence the Most Noticeable Thing
About this Convention.
New York, October 4.-The second
quadrennnial convention of the National
Association of Democratic Clubs was
held today in the Academy of Music.
The hour at which the convention was
announced to be called to order was 10
o'clock, but before o'clock delegates
had begun to arrive and take their seats
in the auditorium. The entire orchest IA
and first balcony had been reserved for
the delegates, and they were divided off
into sections representing every state
and territory in the Union. The two
upper balconies and the four tiers of pri
vate boxes on either side were reserved
for spectators.
Ex-President Grover Cleveland and ex-
Lieut. Gov Chauncey F. Black of Penn
sylvania, came on the platform together
at five minutes to IL o'clock amid thun-
dering applause. Two minutes later
Mr. Black called the body to order and
made speech. When Mr.. Black had
finished he introduced Mr.. Clevelan d.
At the mention of the ex-President's S
name the convention went wild with en-
thusiasm and cheered vociferously for
some time.
In his speech, Mr.. Cleveland said:
"Your meeting is the council of war
which precedes decisive battle, and
your deliberations should be the prepa-
ration for stern conflict. All your wea-
pons and all your equipments are soon
to be tested. You have organized and
labored, and you have watched and
planned to insure your readiness for the
final engagement now near at hand. This
then, is no holiday assemblage, but an
impressive convocation in furtherance OF
the designs and purposes for the accom-
plishment of which you and those you
represent are banded together.
''Those designs and purposes, as de-
clared by your association, are: The
preservation OF the Constitution of the
United States; the autonomy of the
States; local self-government and free
dom of elections; opposition to the i'm
position of taxes beyond the necessities
of the government, economically admin
istered, and the promotion of economy
in all branches of the public service.
'"These professions embody the purest
patriotism and the loftiest aspirations Of
American citizenship. Though at all
|
strongest obligation to political effort,
their motive force, as incentives to po-
litical activity and watchfulness, should
be irresistible at time when the Con-
stitution is held in light esteem, as
against the accomplishment of selfish
purposes, when state boundaries are
hardly a barrier TO centralized power, and
when local self-governmenta and freedom
of elections are the scoff of partisanship.
Those who subscribe to the creed of this
association. and make any claim to sim
cerity. can hardly excuse themselves for
lack of effort at a time when the neces-
sites of the government, economically
administered, have but little relation to
the taxation of the people, and when eX-
travagance in the public service has be-
come contagious plague.
Mr.. Black then announced that the eX-
ecutive committee presented for tempo
rary organization the names of General
Patrick A. Collins of Massachusetts as
| chairman; Martin A. McGinnis of Mon
tana as vice chairman; Frederick Good
win of New York and Mr. McSherry of
| Of Maryland as secretaries, and George
| III. Hoffman of Philadelphia and j. r.
| Beckwith of North Carolina as reading
clerks. The above named were unani-
mously selected as temporary officers OF
! the convention.
In his speech Gen. Collins said:
''We are proud OF our great chief, the
honest, sturdy, fearless, cleal-sighted
patriot, Grover Cleveland, absolutely the
| best President the country has had with
| in the memory of living men. We are
proud of his colleague, Adlai E. Steven