The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-14

convention, but there were no admiring
throngS to greet 1t at the depot or eS-.
cort the tigers to their hotel They took
their chances, like everyone else, for
seats In the convention and were mere
ordinary people. Their voice was not
heard or felt and but FOR the sight of
an occasional Tammany badge, one
would hardly have known they were
here. They were lost in the maelstrom
and 1t was painfully apparent that the
claws of the tiger have been clipped,
and the dominating prestige of Tam
many In the Democratic party has
passed with the changing current of
political events. This was not due to
the domination of the convention by
the West or South, for Tammany would
only have been a drop in the bucket
If the East had been in control. 1t is
evident that Tammany has had its day,
but it was a big day while it lasted.
IN RE SAMUEL JOSEPHS.
During the closing of the Saturday
session of the convention, the band
played 1.-THE Baby Song of Wang"
and 1t wildly recalled to my mind the
Samuel Joseph's episode of the con-
vention of 1892. Josephs, it will be re-
membered, was prominent in local poll
tics in Philadelphia and was a member
of the Pennsylvania delegation. He was
the author of the celebrated parody of
the Baby Song"
Grover, Grover,
Four years more Of Grover,
Out they go. in we go,
Then We'll be in clover.
He had this printed and circulated
through the convention, and by ar
rangements with the band leader on
given signal, the band would strike up
the tune and Josephs and the Penn
sylvania delegation would start the
song, in which the convention and
audience would join, repeating it over
and over again. 1t became so popular
that at every lull in the convention
proceedings, when there was a wait.
they would pick Josephs up and put
him on chair in the front row of
seats, give the signal to the band and
away the convention would go singing
Grover, Grover" When the light
ming flashed, the thunder rolled and the
rain fell in such torrents, pouring as
1t did through the roof, as to suspend
the proceedings, the reporters would
mount their tables, delegates and spec
tators raise their umbrellas, Josephs
would take his chair as the leader, and
amid laughter and applause, the song
was repeated time and again until the
storm would SO abate that business
my mind as listened once more to the
Baby Song" in the Coliseum. And
there was a pathetic attachment as
well, in connection with the affair.
Josephs went home a local hero. CIeve-
land was elected and Josephs sought
the Glover" Perhaps he had no idea
Of making any literal application of his
song. when he composed 1t, but having
all his life been an active local Demo-
cratic politician, his national prom
1nence, by this humorous accident
possibly led him to aspire to higher
things, and he sought to be collector
Of Philadelphia 1t was his thought
by day and dream by night, and he
filed a mountain of recommendations
in Washington, but all to no avail
Days grew into weeks, weeks into
months, and months into years, tTbut
Jcsephs was still waiting to BE In
Glover" The disappointment was too
great and a few weeks ago, he sickened
and died. Heart broken at the in
gratitude of politics and inwardly wish
securing -Four years more Of Grover"
CONVENTION BUILDINGS.
But one other convention building
has ever contained so many people as
gathered in the Coliseum last week,
and no other one so many who were
able to hear the proceedings. The single
exception, In point of numbers, was in
the 1880 convention which nominated
Garfield. 1t was held in the old Expo
sition building on the lake front, which
was long and narrow. While the whole
building was not occupied length of
more than a block was taken and
fitted up for the convention. Room
was provided for $4,000 people and the
building was packed to its utmost
capacity, but 1 question whether more
than 5000 persons, at any one time,
heard word of the proceedings. At
one session a Blaine meeting was
extemporized in the rear Of the hall
among the audience, without In the
least disturbing the proceedings of the
convention, and it was finally sup
pressed by the police, more as a mat
ter Of good order than as any necessity
to allow the proceedings to continue
The acoustics of the Coliseum are
admirable, for so large a building, and
far superior to the Auditorium at st.
Louis or any Of the temporary wig
vans which have been erected for con-
vention purposes. It is estimated that
20, 600 people were packed in the build
Ding on the night of the nominating
speeches. while 10000 more were on the
IL.
While probably many of the audience
were SO located that they could not fol-
low the thread of the proceedings, they
could all hear something, and that
they did not hear more, was due to the
confusion sof the audience itself, which
was so vast that few thousand more
or less were making a noise all the
time The really most enjoyable con-
ventions / have ever attended, so far
as hearing was concerned. were the
Ti1den convention at st. Louis in 1875.
which was held in the Merchants ex-
change, the Greedy and Hancock con-
ventions held in Cincinnati In 1872 and
1880 respectively in Music hall, and the
1888 conventions held in Chicago in the
Auditorium. By comparison with the
temporary buildings, which have been
erected for national conventions, and
the Coliseum these halls were small
and the average public speaker could
make himself heard, so that those who
were fortunate enough to be present
could enjoy the proceedings, while the
participants need not absolutely de-
stroy their lung power in the vain at
tempt to talk to the world at large un-
der one roof. recognize the desire or
the great public to see and hear, and
would not be selfish enough to advise
the return to halls of the description I
have named. I believe in letting the
great American people have all the fun
possible as they go through life.
WOMAN IN THE CONVENTION.
1t was in the 1880 convention that the
beginning of The Woman in the Ma
tional Convention" occurred. An en-
thusiastic Blaine lady on the platform
aroused great enthusiasm by her wav-
ing of flags and hysterical screams,
frequently greatly prolonging the ap-
plause by her efforts. She was con-