The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1892-06-22
The National Democratic Convention
Called to Order at 12:42
Pm.
The Temporary Organization Program
Carried Ont and Mr.. Owens Makes
Speech.
The Usual Committees Appointed and
the Convention Adjourned for
the Day.

THE WIGwAM, CHICAGO, June 21.--
The convention hall was roped in like a
gigantic prize ring, and guarded by a
strong force Of police. 1t was muggy,
sticky, sweltering Chicago day. The
air was 80 thick with smoke that respir-
alton was difficult. Occasionally the
sun struggled through the gloom, only
to make more plainly visible the perpetu-
ally descending SCOT fakes. Through
these cheerless surroundings the vast
crowds forced their way, hedged in by
alternate layers of livery stables and
huge Chicago Office buildings ON one
side and by the bill posters boardings,
shutting out their view of the lake on
the other side. -..
Conspicuous painted signs indicated
the different sections for which tickets
of admission to the wigham had been
issued, and small army of deputy SER
geant-at-arms, superintended the pro-
cess of packing the delegates and spec
tators into their allotted places. Fully
two hours before the time set for the
commencement of the proceedings the
crowds began to climb the outside stairs,
and tumbled themselves inside the ugly
wooden box much after the way in
which Shem, Ham and Japhet and the
little wooden ANIMALS are let down into
the toy Noah's ark.
The constructors of the wigwam
claimed that it would pack 10000 people
standing and seat $4,000. Apparently
these limits were reached, but as for
hearing the speeches or discerning the
features of the speakers, the great ma
jority Of the audience was about as well
off as the on-lookers at spectacular ex-
hibition of the FAN OF Babylon.
Nevertheless the discomforts were in
great part taken spontaneously, and
To be in and to form part OF great
national Democratic convention seemed
to be soul-satisfying glory enough even
for the most exacting.
The Finishing Touches.
Almost up to the hour of meeting the
sound of the hammer hurriedly driving
the last nails into the woodwork of the
galleries echoed through the hall In
the concluding rush number of the in
tended decorative effects had to be aban-
doned and others were materially
changed. The four-pillared arch with
its towering busts of Andrew Jackson
and Stephen A. Douglass, which was to
have surmounted the chairman's stand
was unconstructed. All the platform
fittings were somewhat meagre and
primative az compared with those at
Minneapolis.
The most conspicuous object was q
modest mahogany desk bearing in front
the inscription in old English text 'Cleve.
land and Hendricks nominated from this
desk July II, 1884" This was the chair
mans stand. It was hanked on each
side by bunch of roses in glass pitcher,
and similar bunch with half dozen
laurels in pots stood in front of the sec
retary's desk Immediately below the
chairman.
Blue silk banners with the names OF
states lettered in gold marked the loca.
ton of the delegations. They had ap.
parently been assigned to their places on
some alphabetical system which brought
the Ms and Ms conspicuously in front
The center aisle was fanked by Mon.
tana, Missouri, Nevada, New Hamp.
shire, New Jersey, Mississippi, Michi-
gan, Minnesota and Massachusetts. The
side aisle to the speakers right displayed
the banners of Iowa, Indiana, Illinois
and to the extreme right were Colorado
ana California.
On the left side aisle We're Pennsyl
vania, Wisconsin, South Carolina, South
Dakota, Rhode Island, Ohio and Oregon
and back of all, further from the plat.
form the great state of Texas.
In the corresponding corner on the
other side were grouped all In one row
the territories Of Arizona, New Mexico
and the District of Columbia.
An unexpected burst Of sunshine, just
before the opening, lit up the building
and raised the already superheated tenn.
perature few notches higher. The
first cheers, rather feeble than other.
wise, were drawn by the entrance Of a
Boies club at 1l:50 They New York
delegation, headed by Gouernor Flower
Bourke Coehrane, Murphy and -George
Raines, came In directly afterwards and
were received with q Tammany yell.
High Priced Seats.
AS much as 800 seat was asked for
front seats in the gallery. and they filed
up very slowly at THESE rates. There
was hardly man in the galleries who
had not his coat off, and some Of them
had Invested themselves of collars and
vests. A futter of fans gave tumultu.
Gus motion to the air.
Pennsylvania entered late with ban.
ner SO much larger than any of the other
states that cries of pull it down, I" take
a reef in it, were rd.aeG.
Directly aftarwarl.. I. rain and thunde,