Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-10

and the other members of the populist
committee were present In the room and
saw the very gracious reception accorded
to their mission. They had to wait the
sweet will Of a negro convention for a
hearing, and they waited.
The Populist Convention. H
1.-THE populist convention had adjourn
ed to p. m. and it was then 8. Every
thing was working along in the Mckinley
convention, so / went down to the opera
house to view the. popuhsts. Frank
Baltzell was the chairman of this con-
vention, but he does not make his marx
as strongly in the chair as on the tripod.
and the bottled oratory of the body was
so much in evidence that Frank occa-
slonally found himself in water of high
degree of temperature. This convention
with little wedding out might have easl-
ly been taken for a-real farmers con-
gress There were a few men in 1t with
looking glass shoes and creased trousers,
and one man with silk hat, but the
great body of the convention was COM
posed of staid farmers, many or Wnom
gave evidence of their calling every time
they spoke by using farming experiences
to illustrate points. / watched this con-
vention pretty nearly all the time from
D. M to 1:30 a. M, when after an I'M
FASHIONED speech from Lewis e. Parsons
the body decided to recess until the col-
mittee sent to decker with the Mckinney
ties could report. The city men IN tne
convention wanted to adjourn until III a.
M. but the farmers, who were accus-
toned to daylight arising, would not
have 1t. and insisted on reassembl1ng at
a. M Then a compromise was trleu py
fixing the hour at a. M, but the Farmers
again insisted on O'Clock, and oclock
II would have been, but Baltzell put the
motion to the house with the two hours
named. and after the vote declared the
convention adjourned to 9 o'clock.
Among McKinleyites Again.
"About a. m. paid another visit to
the Mckinley convention and founo tne
tangle still in progress. The war talh
co-laborers In preserving order had tlred
of the Job. Herschel Cashin, colored,
was in the chair, and as a chairman ne
was a RATHER and was probably the only
one in the house capable of holding the
convention down. The burning question
was to fuse or not to fuse-and the air
was streaked with varied opinions.
Nathan Alexander, a Montgomery oar
ky, made a strong and spirited speech
in opposition to fusion, and for seVerai
long hours the convention listened TO ar
iaument pro and con on this question.
saw the convention listened. In gen.
eera1 sense this was true, but While ora
tors poured forth their Seloquence many
OF the dusky delegates slumbereo: oio
country darkies accustomed to going 10
bed at sunset cOulu not Stdllu thi5 thihS
Of sitting up in a closely crowded room
until the small hours of the morning, and
many of them proceeded to make them
selves as comfortable as possible. Some
leaned back in their chairs and slept;
Others stretched out on the benches In
the court house, while several stretched
themselves on the floor and slumbered
sweetly, II not peacefully, and the words
of the orators were accompanied py
shores delivered in every key. L left the
convention about 8, and then 1t was not
Yet decided whether 1t would be fusion
with the populists or q straight SOUND
money ticket headed by General Burke.
Pops Humjltation.
"The popultst convention reassembied
at 8 O'Clock Wednesday morning and
was on hand in time to hear ShugaTt ex-
press the humiliation he felt when he
thought that he had sat up4until after
O'CLOCK in the morning waiting for q ne
gro convention to tell him who to nom-
mate for the vacant places on his ticket.
This was a bitter thought for Shugart,
and he did not want 1t to get out on him,
but he told it himself in the conception.
In the populist convention the question
81 fusion was red hot; the delega{es heat
ed it up to blast furnace glaze before
they got through with 1t, and a half doz-
en- times during WedneGday'6 Session 10