The record-union., 1896-06-17
THE CONVENTION OPENED.
Chairman Carter Calls the Assem-
blage to Order.

CONVENTION HALL ST. LOUIS.
June l6--The first day Of the conven-
ton opened with unclouded skies, and
with the prospect of extremely hot
weather. Although the convention was
rot to be called to order until noon the
streets in the vicinity of the hall were
thronged for two hours before that
time with strangers, who had come to
the city to witness what they could of
the grand spectacle, and who naturally
drifted toward the Auditorium. but the
doors We're closed to all persons. includ-
ing delegates and alternates. until the
time should arrive for their official
opening. The only exceptions to this
rule were newspaper men. furnished
with badges and tickets of admission.
officials of the convention and several
hundred special and general aids to the
Sergeant-at-Arms. Conspicuous in the
second class was the Secretary of the
convention, Charles w. Johnson Of Min
nesota, late Chief Clerk of the United
states Senate, who arrived carly and
ousied himself in arranging the tables
at which he and his assistants were to
sit and transact business
There were few indications in the
hail OF locations to be occupied by the
various delegations. The row of seate
| Immediately fronting the President and
Chair was assigned to the State Of
Maine, and the rows back of that 70 tbe
State of Massachusetts. Next behind
Massachusetts, came four rows as
signed to the State of New York Pacl,
| OF those were assigned the States Of
Michigan and Wisconsin. The cbairs
IN the extreme back rows were rnarLad
off for the delegates from the Terri
tories and the District of CoI,,mb;o
That disposed of the first section inn
mediately fronting the chair or tbe
presiding officer.
with the exception of Iowa and Kan
sas, to which back rows of the next
section on the right were assigned ana
OF Alabama, which had the front row
oI lllat section, there were no other in
dicatonS in sight Of where the delaea :
tons from the other States were to he
Iocated, but as time passed on similar p
IRON rods bearing the placards with the
name or the State painted in white LET
ters on blue ground were placed in
POSITION
At ii O'Clock assignments were com
| pleted for all the States.
In the section immediately IN Tho
right of the platform were fixed the MA
cards for the States of California, Col
crado, Connecticut, Illinois, Washing
ton, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida. South
Carolina, louisiana Nebraska. New.
Jersey, West Virginia and Delaware-
California and Alabama being in the
front rows and the other States COM
ing behind them in the order named
ihe other States We're fixed in the sec
| tons facing the platform at the left.
An hour was occupied by the Assist
ant Sergeant-at-Arns in instructinp
and locating his deputies and aides.
and in the meantime a band of music
in the gallery behind the platform
played various airs. The doors were
not open for general admission until
about l1:lo, and by that time inspectors
made their way to the galleries, but not
in large numbers, the tickets for ad
mission being put at the highest figure
1 OF $40 for the set-that is for every ses-
sion of the convention.
At 11:3o the delegations began to
! arrive-those of California and Maine
being the first to enter the hall. They
! did so without demonstration. Other
/ State delegates poured in rapidly, and
scon the sections assigned to them be-
| San to fill up.
Outside the clash of brass bands was
coming of the delegations The Massa-
chusetts men, under the leadership of
J Senator Lodge. wearing a smile of sat-