Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-07-01
AND sATuRDAx.
the oltta Sotal, agrfu1tura and Gommerral Snteres

- AoO 70
convention. 1t will not be like the con-
vention of four years ago in which the
friends Of Mr. Cleveland told the COM
mittee on what platform he would be
willing to run. Nor will the convention
likely do what that convention did when
it repudiated the tariff plank brought in
by the committee and adopted that ring
ing declaration beginning, Republican
protection Is fraud" If there are any
compromises to be made on the plat.
form, they vii likely be made in the
committee. But the fight for considera-
ton will be carried by the minority into
the convention hall and the secrets OF
the committee room will leak out there,
80 that the country will know just how
much has been conceded to gold or to
silver, as the case may be.
And then the convention will ballot
for its candidates. The candidates will
fit the platform this year If present con.
ditions are not deceptive It has hap
pened that the platform was made to
fit the candidates.
The Democratic convention Of 1895
promises to be one Of the most exciting
In the history Of the party-even more
exciting than that Of 1S92. 1t will
abound in exciting incidenta The con-
vention of four years ago had only one.
A Mammoth Convention.
On the night Of June 28-4, 1892, the
Democratic national convention made
its nomination for the presidency under
conditions which have not been paral-
leled in the history Of national conven.
tons To understand them thoroughly
one must have clear comprehension OF
what had preceded the convention, and
this is matter Of history so fresh in
most American minds that it needs but
a brief rehearsal. Grover Cleveland had
been president for four years, and had
been defeated at the polls for reelection
after he had received unanimous NOM
ination at the st. Louis convention OF
1888. David B. Hill of New York, who
was lieutenant governor when Cleve-
land was elected to the presidency first,
was candidate for the presidential
nomination. He had been one Of the
New York delegation to the convention
Of 1884 when Cleveland received his
first nomination, and he had urged
Cleveland on the delegates to that con-
vention az the choice Of New York, and
therefore the strongest candidate the
Democracy could put before the coun-
try. The Promise made by Hill in 1884
had been kept New York had given
Cleveland its electoral vote, and he had
been elected-the first Democrat to
reach the presidential Office since the
war. Hill had gained such control OF
the Democratic party in the state OF
New York-or at least Of that branch
Of the Democratic party which is in the
majority, and therefore recognized as
the Democracy Of the state-that he
knew be could have the indorsement OF
the delegates to the state convention,
and, having that, he expected to 90 be-
fore the convention of 1892, as Cleve.
land had gone before the convention of
1884, as the candidate Of the state Of
New York. In order to clinch his hold
on the convention, however, he had it
called at an early date, and because 1t
was called so early his enemies said he
was trying to take ''snap" judgment,
and bitterly opposed the act. Then they
made the fact that the convention was
called so early an excuse for calling an
other convention, known as the antisnap
convention, which met at Syracuse in
the fall of 1891. Thus New York had
two full sets Of delegates at Chicago
one the delegates of the regular Democ-
racy and the other the delegates Of the
"antisnappers," as they were known.
The 70 delegates of the regular Democ.
racy were instructed to vote as unit
for David B. Hill. The other delegates
were instructed to vote for Grover
Cleveland
william G. whitney.
William c. Whitney of New York,
who had been Mr.. Cleveland's secretary
of the navy, was the manager of MI:
Cleveland's campaign. He was well
adapted for the difficult work before him
because while in sympathy with the
object Of the ''antisnappers" he was a
member Of the regular Democracy and
Of Tammany Hall, its representative in
the city of New York. By the advice
Of Mr.. Whitney, the "antisnappers"
gave up a contest for the New York seats
in the conventions contest which MIR.
Cleveland's personal followers in the
convention. might have decided in their
favor, but which would have been so
manifestly unfair that it would have
split the Democracy Of New York hope
lessly.
Before the convention met, the most
earnest efforts were made to unite the
delegates opposed to Mr.. Cleveland Oh
some other candidate. The Hill men
were prepared to abandon their candi.
date-with his own consent-if they
could find any one on whom they could
unite enough votes to nominate him. At
one time the Hill delegates believed
they had found a compromise candidate