The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-28


from Texas, literally as Wild and un-
tractable as the Texas steer which oc-
casionaliy breaks loose from some pass
Ing herd while being transported to
market. Under the example and leader
ship of Texas, which had some excuse
for being boisterous, as 1t could hear
nothing, the whole convention was tur
bulent and disorderly a very large
portion OF the time Every little while
the Texas crowd would conclude to
hold convention of their own, and
when the sergeant-at- would come
to restore quiet they would forcibly
thrust him aside and go on until they
got ready to suspend operations them
selves There was a seeming rivalry
for leadership of the Texas delegation
between J. M. Davis, better known as
Cyclone" Davis, and stump Ashby.
Davis passed most Of his time on the
chairman's platform, while Ashby was
part of the time on the platform watch
ing Davis, but q considerable part of
the time presiding at the sub-conven-
lions Of the Texas delegation. He is
credited with being a Methodist minis
ter and at one time clown in cir
Gus. At all events he was a typical
Texan, as was evidenced by one Of his
announcements when he was trying to
bring the delegation to order.
''Sit down, sit down." ne exclaimed,
I'D make you sit down, but / left my
gun in Texas"
On the second day Of the convention
the confusion was so great that mo-
ton was made to employ "repeaters,"
who should station themselves suf-
f1cfently near the chairman to hear the
motions and then proceed to the dis
tant parts of the hall and repeat them
to the delegates. The word repeater"
was evidently Objectionable to the Pop
ulist ear, for the motion was over
whelmingly voted down, but at the
next session the chairman inaugurated
the repeater system just as though
nothing had happened. Under that
plan when the chair was about to put a
motion he would announce it so that
the central body of the delegates could
hear, and then wait until the repeat
ers" had announced it in different por-
lions of the hall before he put it When
he had some motion to put that he
knew would not be satisfactory to
Texas, he would put the motion while
the 'srepeaters'' were doing their work
and then the 103 Texans would rise up
in a body and yell that they had not
heard the question and demand that
1t be taken over again. Confusion
would thus be created all over the hall.
and after about five minutes business
would again be resumed with the ques-
ton recorded as carried or lost accord
ing to the wishes Of the chair These
boisterOus scenes were so frequent as
to lose their interest and become
almost monotonous.
THE VICE PRESIDENCY.
One of the banes of the old party con-
Ventions has been the careless indif-
ference with which the vice presidential
candidate is usually selected, during the
mr. afc. af +1,n
Oftentimes many Of the delegates are
absent and it is generally a hit or miss
affair. The Populists are certainly en-
titled to credit for originality, if moth
ing else, and in accordance with this
original idea they made the vice presi-
dency the leading feature When Sen
ator Allen was chosen chairman by
1874 majority the permanent defeat Of
the "Middle-of-the-road" faction was
supposed to have taken place.
Every standing committee report had
a minority report attached. This min
GRITTY report generally emanated from,
and at all events was always support
ed by Texas. The minority report of
the committee on rules made vice
presidents prominent by providing that
that officer should be nominated be-
fore the president. The "Middle-of-the-
Road" men centered their opposition
hostile to Bryan. Sewall was merely a
cover. and the war was waged on him,
with the hope that it would lead to the
defeat Of Bryan. Then there was an
other faction which honestly opposed
Sewall alone and sincerely favored
Bryan. third faction wanted Bryan
and Sewall. The obstreperousness of the
Texas delegation forced a good many
Bryan delegates into the anti-SewaIl
ranks, and these all Joining was what
enabled them to reverse the order of
the nominations This was designed as
a center shot at the Bryan forces but
it nevertheless dignified the vice presi-
Dental position, and 1 fancy will bear
the fruit of making the old parties in
the future expend more care and time
in selecting their candidate for that
supposedly perfunctory office.
CHOICE INCIDENTS.
There were numerous exciting and
interesting passages during the debate
relative to this minority report on
rules, but the Friday night session,
lasting until after midnight, when the
vice president was nominated, was es-
pecially musical The terms Populist
and orator ought to be synonyms. They
certainly seemed to be in this gathering
The South was especially prolific in
oratory. In fact, the South produces, in
orators than the North. Time was when
orators abounded in the North much
more than at present. Prior to the great
development of the newspapers and
the use Of the telegraph in transmit
ting political documents, campaigns
were conducted from the stump. OF
late years the Northern newspaper
has largely supplanted the stump
speaker, while in the South, the news
paper not being SO greatly developed,
the stump speaker still thrives and
fattens on the wind he creates. That
was the entire reason for the long night
session which eliminated in the nomi-
nation of Tom Watson for vice presi-
dent.
When Hall, of New York, nominated
Sewall, Texas man asked if he would
stand on the Populist platform until
November.
Eyes. sir. and until hell freezes over"
was the quick and sharp response.
A Kansas man announced that IL
Watson was nominated they would
confront the legions of Wall street
and hell by a million majority"
A Louisiana man styled Watson
'eThe plumed knight of the Peoples
party" and furnished besides these,
gems:
st cannot see the wisdom of selecting
the president of a national bank to put
down national banks"
81 second the nomination of a man
who can stand on our platform with
both feet"
IF the Democratic party swallows
Tom Watson, they will have more
brains In their stomach than in their
head"
When Patterson, of Colorado. had