The record-union., 1895-10-26
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION.

An Interesting story That Has Here
tofore Not Been Told.
NEW YORK, Oct. 25.-The Sun says:
The Republicans who came to New York
to fl K the time and place of the National
Convention were nearly all gone yester-
day. They lett behind an Interesting
story-one that has never been told, and
one which will ex plain why the RepuD-
licans passed over Chicago in 1892 and
went TO Minneapolis. The story will
also go a long way toward explaining
why there is bitter opposition now to
holding the convention i'll Chicago next
year Tue story OF the opposition to Chi
cago dates back to the convention OF 1888.
The facts IN the case are best told In the
words OF a member Of the National Com
mittee, who was on the ground at that
time and who said last night: I'VE Sc
Iected Chicago in 1883, after the fairest
promises that the city was Interested in
no candidate. and that we would have
fair treatment. Like most OF Chicago's h
pramises, the pledges were empty. From
the day we arrived there, we ascertalned
that the whole city government OF Chi
cago had got up great boom for
Gresham. We also ascertalned that there
was an organized scheme TO pack the
galleries for Gresham. We did not OBJ
jecL TO the candidacy OF Judge Gresham,
but we did draw the line al the work of
Chicago's municipal officers backed up
by their police force, TO pack ihe galleries
and to attempt to turn the convention
into pandemonium.
Ii was necessary for the committee to
select doorkeepers and instruct them not
to admit anybody without ticket. These
doorkeepers wore badges announcing
that they were the official doorkeepers
appointed by the National Committee
on the first day OF the convention the po-
lice removed the badges from the door
Keepers and threatened them with all
kinds of punishment IL they persisted in
admitting people only with tickets. The
galleries were packed and the National
/ Committeeman and the delegates To the
convention were violently opposed
when they protested against the per-
/ fOrmance.
| For several days Chicago's policemen
were the practical doorkeepers OF the
! convention. Finally the National Com
! nittee decided to attempt TO stop the out
RACES. We held a meeting behind closed
doors to see what We could 10. The
/ municipal officers OF Chicago got an
inkIing OF the meeting and the doors
! were burst open ana every member of
/ the National Republican Committee was
/ put under arrest. Such men as d. L.
Jones OF PittsbuTg, sam Fessenden OF
/ Connecticut, j. ). Clarkson of Iowa, and
! in fact every member OF the National
/ Committee felt the hand of burly po-
! liceman on his shoulder. The police
patrol wagons were driven up to the
doors ready TO cart us away to tho
cooler" The charge against us was a
| purely technical one. 1t was that we
hired Pinkerton detectives TO stand be-
aide our doorkeepers and 10 prevent the
| policemen from packing the galleries. 1t
IS true That we hired Pinkerton detectives
to protect our doorkeepers. 1t was our
only recourse.
"W While all the National Republican
! Committeeman were put under arrest on
/ that occasion, we were not lugged off to
the cooler Certain Chicago citizens
who learned OF the outrage stepped in
and protected US and told the authorities
OF the shame that would come upon their
/ city ii we were lugged off to jail
/ Naturally the Chicago newspapers have
| bsen silent about this matter. but the
| National Com mitteemen have remem-
/ bered ii. | observe that Mr.. Platt be-
] lieves that the convention should go to
| Chicago. He is fully acquainted with
our treatment there in 1888. After he had
| been sent to the Worlds Fair there and
] put into the Golfers of that city millions