Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-25
1T WAS A WILD CONFERENCE,
But 1t Got There" at Last and Finished
Its Work.

Its Work.
ST. LOUIS, Feb 24.-Save for the mem
bers of the committees on the anti-option
bill and platform all the delegates to the
national Industrial conference and over
1000 of the general public were on hand in
Exposition hall at 9 o'clock yesterday
morning when Chairman Polk called the
conference to order. Comrade Wachter,
of Indiana, was selected to make the open
ing prayer, but his supplication was inter-
larded with a stump speech. and when he
concluded a delegate in the Illinois sec
ton shouted out amid approving cheers
that such prayer as that ought to have
been addressed to the conference instead
of to the Almighty. Then the patriotic
proceedings were inaugurated by Ben Ter
rell, of Texas, who was loudly cheered as
he came forward. He made short speech
declaring that the north and south should
be united under the stars and stripes, and
then presented Paul Vandervoort, ex-com-
mander-in-chef of the G.. A X.
The Bloody Chasm Bridsed.
When the Nebraska veteran appeared
the convention went wild. He read reso-
bury the "late unpleasantness,n ETC., in a
common tomb and join hands against the
@money power" This created more en-
thusiasm and when it subsidized Wander
WORT made clasp hands across the
bloody chasm" speech. When he had con-
cluded Polk said: 81 clasp you in my
arms, my brothers." Turning to a group
of Union veterans behind him. Il clasp
you in love and Affection TIL en- turning
to Vandervoort, he continued. "Shake
hands brother, am proud of you. Take
my hand, and in the name of the Great
Father of us all, let us be friends here
after" Vandervoort grasped the proffered
hand and shook it heartily while the au-
dience every man and woman on the in feet
and pressing close around the stage,
cheered until exhaustion compelled them
to quit.
The Colored Brother was elm It,"
Van Wyck of Nebraska was greeted
with cheers and "Our next governor" from
Nebraskans, and made pacific speech,
and then Wadsworth of Indiana followed
suit. He called upon ali the Union
and Confederate veterans to clasp hands
and embrace each other. The response was
instantaneous and electric. Men climbed
upon the platform to find their old oppon-
ents upon the battle field, and having
tound them caught both hands and wrung
them again and again. Others fell upon
each others necks. Blacks enthused with
whites. "Shake brother" said Georgian
to a stalwart Virginia negro. II was a
slave owner once; you are free man now.
Both of us are equal" The veterans
shouted to each other the number of their
lnr1f ont i'm
@Tenth Illinois" Sixteenth Ohio" "F'ifth
Georgia" ninth louisiana" Fifteenth
Georgia." and so on until the babel was
deafening. In the midst of all this Wads-
worth started up union song to the tune
of Marching Through Georgia." and I'M
der the influence of the music there was
more handshaking and embracing and
greetings and protestations of new found
and never dying affection.
North and South at Outs Again.
When the tumult died away a resolution
was offered by Branch of Georgia as fol-
lows: "That we protest against the condi-
tion of the common people of this country;
that we are here to remedy it, and that we
hold the Democratic and Republican par
ties responsible for the existing condi-
tions." The northern men cheered this to
the echo, while the southern anti-indepen-
dents shouted: NO." and vigorously
Missed. There was bitter wrangle be-
tween the two elements, and in the result
on standinging vote the resolution was
adopted by 40 to 1879, but later the chair
man ordered it struck from the record I'M
til after the platform was presented. Then
there was an acrimonious debate over a
number of points, one being the contest
from Georgia, raised by Moses, but the
committee on platform appeared just here
Rnd quiet was restored.