The Indianapolis journal., 1896-06-14

Washington, IL placed in the middle of the
carpet, would appear like toy house set
on a big rug. Four million dollars in gold
piled in a pyramid foer feet each way at
the base would be five feet high. Four mill
lion silver dollars would make pyramid
ten feet square at the base and fifteen feet
high. The cigars to be smoked by the 100,-
900 who will go to St. Louis (allowing five
cigars day, which is not too many, for
each man, there would be three and half
millions of them), would make a pile of
seventy thousand boxes of fifty cigars each,
and this pile would be about two and
half miles high. Arranged in a tier of five
boxes, side by side, the pile would be about
262 feet high or within twenty feet OF being
as high as the cap on the liberty statue
that stands on the top OF the Capitol's
dome. Placed end to end, 35O0,0Oo cigars
would reach 2iS nliles-almost as far as
from st. Louis to Chicago. At an average
of 1-3 cents (three for a quarter) these
cigars would cost 1921, ,6ss. The cigar dealers
of st. Louis. not to speak of men who sell
certain other creature comforts, ought to
be thankful their city has been chosen.
THE SERGEANT-AT-AR
OF course there is an immense amount of
work involved in holding a national con-
vention, and most of the hardest of it falls
upon the sergeant-at-arms. The Office is
one that is almost always largely sought
for. since, although it carries no direct
money compensation, the incumbent is sup
posed to be able to make an enormous per-
sonal acquaintance, sure to be of great val
ue in later political life. Undoubtedly this
supposition is a correct one, but it is not
on record that any man who has been SER
geant-at-arms of one national convention
has ever craved the place again. 1t is full
of tribulation, and the trouble begins
months before the date of the big gather
ing.
To do the executive work of the office
simply is no easy job, as the sergeant-at-
arms is the one to attend to the printing of
admission tickets, the providing of the
badges. the arranging of the programme,
and a thousand and one things that need
not be mentioned in detail But all these
things sink into insigni1cance compared
with the worry that comes from the fact
that the tickets must be assigned well
as provided. A great deal of space for spec
tators in addition to that reserved for the
delegates, is always provided at national
convention, but the demand always out
runs the supply, and the sergeant-at-arms
is dead sure to make enemies as well as
friends in the, dispensing of his favors.
There is trouble also in the appointing of
his assistants. These men get no pay and
are obliged to work hard in seating and
otherwise providing for the comfort of the
delegates and spectators at each session OF
the convention: but by reason of such free
service they enabled to be present at
the convention as insiders" where they
can become known to a large number of
men of their own party. Consequently. al
though the number of assistants is large
there always many more applicants
than there are places, and a large proper
ton of those who apply and fail are ever
afterwards at swords points with the man
who could not find places for all. Still, most
sergeants-at-arm get through their service
without suffering anything worse than wor-
ry of mind and weariness of flesh. 1t is rez
corded that one of them. however, who was
suspected of issuing admission tickets to
men who agreed to yell for his favorife
candidate, was hardly used by national
committeeman who had favorite candf-
date of his own. The sergeant-at-arms was
not only charged with letting in too many
of his own faith, but also of dishonoring
tickets issued by the national committee
man in question. At a meeting of one of
the subcommittee of the convention the
matter was talked out. and the sergeant
alarms, who was present, said that the
accusations made against him were lies.
At this the committeeman, who had made
the charges, fathered them. More than
that, he defended them with his umbrella.
| (which he wrecked, at the same time spoil
Ving the hat and marring the face of the
| offending officer The committeeman was
/ arrested the next day, but he was never
| fined or imprisoned. Mr.. T. E. Byrnes of
| Minneapolis. the present incumbent of the
| place. has no fear Of similar experience.
A CONVENTION "REMINISCENCES.
| So many stories of impressive scenes in
| national conventions have recently been
| printed that the "reminiscences of most old
| timers would hardly be in place her. Yet
| some Of the stories related within the last
| day or two have not lately been heard. One
| of the most interesting, perhaps, was told
| this morning by the Hon. Thomas L.
| James, ex-Postmaster-g general. 1t was the
story of the Democratic convention that
| nominated Martin Van Buren, in 1S4s. He
| had already served as President, but was
| defeated that year 1t was not national
| convention, but a convention of New York
| State Free SoiI' Democrats who had
bolted from the Baltimore convention that
nominated Lewis Cass. only to be defeated
| at the polls. Samuel Young presided and
| the convention was held in Methodis
church in Utica. Among those present were
James W. Nye, afterward United States
Senator from Nevada; James r. Doolittle
later United States Senator from Wiscon
sin; Samuel j. Tilden, John Van Buren,
prince johnson of Martin Van Buren
J. NJ Francis, afterward foreign minis
ter; Preston w. King, B. F. Butler-not the
General, but Attorney-general under Jack
son and Van Buren-and others who after
| wards rose to great prominence
ut was my first convention" said Gen
James in telling the story, land I wa'
greatly impressed by it, We did not expec
that the nominee would win. nor did he
indeed, he did not carry single State H,
was renominated at the national convention
held In Buffalo later the same year. an,
the detection caused by his running de
feated Cass and elected Zachary Taylor
the Wing candidate. When he had nomi
mated Van Buren, Mr.. Tilden proposes
three cheers, which were given with a will
They awoke a drunken man who had beel
sleeping in the gallery and he got up an
shouted Hur-hic-hurrah-hi
Hurrah,' $50 loudly and kept it up so lon
4 -, ~ 70 ho Tol,,