The evening times., 1896-07-02

Chicago, July 2.-The remarkable thinS
about the Democratic national convention
that is TO begin its sessions in the Coliseum
building, Tuesday, July z, is tLat not
since the war has the men been SO sub
ordinated to the principle as will be the
case at this convention.
The rank and file of the party, ana the
leaders as well, seem practically indiffer-
ent 10 the personality that VIII lead the
party IN Tie light. III 1877 Horace HleeieS
dominates the Democratic convention; IN
1876, il was Samuel j. Iilden; in 1850,
ii was General Hancock; since tLen Cleve-
land has been the controlling fgure.
The Republican party has been the same.
From 1872 Grants and Blaine's persun-
alities sEadowed The issues, aud at st.
Louis il was all Mckinley. Now all this
is changed. AS Victor Hugo would say:
Man is swallowed up in principle"
Not since the aDte-bellum days has the
Democratic party faced a situation SO near
a crisis US the one that will confrunt the
national Convention when it meets in the
Coliseum building Tuesday. The money
question that has been snolderipg at the
party heart for more than twenty years
will break into Il flame that promises to
melt the bonds Of party unity beyond the
power uf future Welding.
PARTING OF THE WAYS.
Never before has the party So clearly
come 10 the parting Of the ways. One
path is made OF gold. the otler OF silver
Down one or the other the party's mighty
feet must ring this fall. For nearly Il
quarter of a century the elastic legs of
Democracy have heen able TO straddie the
two roads. but now the West and South are
determined to keep both legs On the silver
path. II they succeed the campaign will
be like the Waterloo campaign. Each
side will be rushing its artillery and troops
along parallel roads. which on November
3 will debouch ON the great election battlc-
field. where the American Napoleon will
win or lose.
In proportion as the Republican party
has moved i'll the past six months toward
gold, SO has the Democrat cy moved toward
free silver. The sentiment in the South
and West has grown amazingly in that
direction since last January. The battle
delivered by the administration last sum
mer through Secretary Carlisle seemed
only 10 intensity the silver feeling AMI
to lift the money question into a national
iss ue.
The Coliseum building, at Sixty-third
street and the Illinois Central Railway,
is the largest permanent exhibition builti-
ing in the world. The Coliseum is fire
proof structure Of brick. steel and glass.
II is 6T6 feet long and 500 feet wide, with
clear central space OF 225 feet in width
and 632 feet in length. One OF the special
features OF the interior Of the Coliseum is
an adjustable amphitheater or auditorium,
which is made in sections so as to accommo-
date an audience of from 5000 to $1,000
comfortably. or it can he taken out of the
building entirely, leaving the floor and
gallery space for great exposition. The
Coliseum is quickly and easily reached
from pf (hir.,On Tho ir,
square feet is 2s5,0OO.
AN IMMENSE HALL.
+ The convention hall proper will occupy
space 450 by $50 feet, at the north eEd.
The speakers stand and platform for the
national committee, and 400 guests, is at
the east side, and Immediately in front
will he the desks for the $50 ne wspaper men
In the center 2,000 seats are reserved for
the delegates and altemates and the other
1900 seats will be for the dear public.
The elevated trains. cable lines and cross
town cars will be able To handle so 600
persons hourly. The building is on the site
of Buffalo Bits Wild West, familiar TO the
thousands who visited the Worlds Fair.
Some idea OF the structure may be Cleaned
from the fact that il is just twice the size
of Madison Square Garden in New York.
The chairman of the national committee
will call the 80 delegates to order-twenty-
four fewer than mustered ut the St Louis
Republican convention. The man who will
have charge of the arrangements is Col.
John /. Martin, the weIl-known lawyer
politician of st. Louis. Col Martin Is a
tremendously powerful man physically, OF
middle height, with the neck, shoulders
and chest of Il gladiator. He will be able
to take u couple OF obstreperous delegates
or door TANNERS, and knock their heads to-
gether. Tickets to the hall this time will be
distributed under the supervision of the n a
naicommittee, and willnot be BILE a,
the sweet will of the local committee.
The silver men are claiming to have a