Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-21
scuoEs OF ST.. LOUIS CONVENTION.

ECHOES OF ST. LoUIs CONVENTION.
-
There was a vaudeville performance at ST,
Louis for the delectation OF the delegates in
which one OF the most delightful and APP
plauded scenes was put down in the theater
bill as the jumping flea" Some OF our Ne
braska delegates must have witnessed this
performance with infinite pleasure, for they
carried the antics Of the little beast into
their deliberations And this is the way it
all come about. Chairman Foraker for the
committee on platform had just presented to
the convention the declarations OF the re-
publican party for 1896. when Mr.. Teller
moved as a substitute for the money plank,
the silver demand OF free coinage at Is TO l.,
Foraker moved to table the amendment,
and in the vote that followed on the call
OF states, Nebraska rolled up sixteen bal
lots, her unanimous endorsement, TO put
Senator Teller's amendment in the waste
basket Of political oblivion. This procedure
may be called scene one, when the 'jumping
flea may have been present, but not in
evidence. Scene two; one OF the parlia-
mentary rules OF the convention provided
that on the motion of any state, seconded
by two others, any question before the
house. like the adoption of the national
platform. Invisible in its character, should
on such demand be submitted section by
section TO the vote Of the delegates. Du-
bois Of Idaho, on the failure of the Teller
substitute, called for the division of the
question on the adoption of the national
platform, and moved that the vote of the
convention be now taken on the adoption
Of the financial plank as reported by For
aker. 1t was so ordered. The vote was
taken. Nebraska's name was called. The
chairman of the delegation announced the
vote thirteen for the support of the gold
standard declaration as it appears in the re
publican platform, three against its adop-
ton. No poll of the delegation was taken,
and the official minutes VIII never tel.
But il YOU are asked their names you may
tell your neighhor they are Tom kennard
of Lincoln, John C. Martin of Clarks and
s. w. Christy Of Edgar. If you are asked
why, you may say, the jumping flea was
getting in its work.
Making history is what national con
v~entions are doing nowadays. issues ana
men are the factors. The issue was there
In the silver question, but the men to make
capital out Of the white hobby were not. 1t
is but a step from the sublime to the rldicu-
lous. from the climax to the tZzle. When
Teller's spare, sombre form arose at the
speakers desk, pale, gray, grim in race ana
with dry, hollow, hating voice began MS
plea. a hush and a solemnity fell on the
great conCourse, such as comes only on mo-
mentous occasions when the destinics or re-
publiCs tremble in the balance and the liber-
ties of the people are at stake. me colNen-
ton was ready to listen to the demand OF
silver at the forum of the party and accord
it's champion fair play. Its generous greet
ing was meant to warm the heart OF the old
man and to encourage him., that he stood
before the multitude not as an enemy, not
as an alien, but as a Compatriot In the house
of his brethren. His opening statement in
Dictated the trend of his address. He was to
pose as the martyr OF the twentieth century
lost cause.
Not a murmur of dissent from the crowd
as the Colorado senator drew the fanCied
picture of calamity and distress that would
follow the adoption of the majority report
on the money plank. The stoCk-in-trade ar
gument repeated by the speaker was well
known to the audience, but 1t listened pa
tiently and respectfully until the speakers
time was ended and accorded him an APP
plause which had no malice in its Offering.
But patience was exhausted and the temper
Of the convention was soon to change like
a summers day when the tension of a thun-
der storm is brewing breaks with uncon-
trolled fury. With high pitched voice, def
ant in its intensity, Frank A. Cannon, Utah's
senator, entered the formal protest of the
silver delegates. The republican party
once the redeemer of the people, but now
about to become their oppressors," he
shouted. and thereupon the pent-up rage of
Il. 600 people was let loose in a yell OF def
ance that hurled back the lie. But only for
a moment was this manifestation of anger.
a pause for breath, a silence deep and aw-
full. Then burst forth, swelling louder and
louder, a glad chorus, a mighty and pro-
iOHStu SMUT, d ndiltiuIdh VI JOY, pdtl lOllC
songs. all for the apotheosis of the repub-
lican party. Such sounds as these made he
roes of men when they faced death at An
tietam, at Shiloh, at Gettysburg. To the
mighty battle roar of Hail Columbia" Col
orado's eight delegates. Idaho's six, one out
of Montana's six, three of Nevada's six
eighteen in all out of nine hundred and
twenty-three delegates. bolted at the part
ing of the ways" while Senators Mantle of
Montana and Brown of Utah reafirmed
their allegiance to the party. 1t was doing
Senator Teller and his mourners too much
honor that the funeral of little Free Silver
should have been attended by SO big a
crowd.