The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-28
WAS A @svERlTABLE MOB.
BOIsTERoUsI SCENES so FIRE.
aUENT AS TO BECOME MO-
NOTONOUs.
cHorsH
SOME
INCIDENTS.
The HOotfng Down of Senator Stew
art-Weayer'sss speech the Best
Delivered.
Special to the Globe.

! Black Spirits and White Spirits,
! Blue Spirits and Grey
Mingle, mingle mingle
Those who mingle may.
| That is the crowd with which I have
spent the past week. ST. Louis was the
| scene Of two national conventions,
meeting simultaneously, and between
them there was about as varied a con-
| g1omeration as can be conceived. The
! silver convention was not a large body,
! being composed of perhaps 500 dele
| gates actually present, though 700 or
! 500 were counted on the rolls. They
| were an intelligent, apparently well
| to-do body of professional and bust
ness men. They stopped at first-claSs
hotels, conducted themselves in a seem
| ~ and orderly manner and their con-
Ventlon was as courteous and circum-
| spect as a session of the United States
| senate. They were all of one mind,
| both on platform and ticket, and there
was not the usual chance for awaken
/ ing interest which comes from a diff
ference of opinion in a political con-
vent1on. AS a consequence, their au-
! dlenceS were small and their love feast
was chiefly for their own benefit.
While their convention lasted three
days, If they had been aware of the
contempt with which they would be
treated by the Populists, they might
have concluded 1t in three hours The
first day of their session they made
two advance steps towards the Popu-
/ lists, both of which were spurned
First, they passed resolution to ad-
NIT Populist delegates to their con-
vention galleries upon showing their
badges. Second, on the same day,
which was Wednesday, the first Of
their session, they appointed confer
ence committee of from each state
| and territory to meet a similar COM
mlttee from the Populists to outline
some plan Of working in harmony.
The next day Thursday a motion
was made in the Populist convention
to admit the silverites on showing their
badges. 1t was no sooner made than
1t was greeted with a storm of yells
of mo, No. which augured Ill for It's
| passage. The original motion was
rather stupidity made, because 1t did
not specify where they Were to be To-
Gated and at first some supposed the
motion would give them authority to
mingle on the floor with the PopuIist
delegates. Before vote was reached,
this was explained, and Sorry Simp-
son, the ''Sockless'' statesman Of Kan
sas, made an especial appeal to admit
/ the silver men to their galleries as
return courtesy. The galleries, which
would accommodate 10000 or $4,000
people, did, not have more. than 300 in
! them when this matter was considered.
but the Populists did not propose to
lose their identity and voted down the
motion almost unanimously
The conference proposition did not
receive much greater courtesy The
silver men appointed their committee
on Wednesday and whiled away Thurs
! day with speeches, waiting for the
! PopunSts to act. 1t was not until Fri
| day morning that they condescended
to consider the proposition and appoint
committee. Texas set the pace for
the action Of the committee by refus-
! ing to name a member, belligerently
/ announcing that they did not propose
! to confer with anyone. The result
was that when the conference commit
| tees came together Friday afternoon.
agreement was utterly hopeless and
nothing was left for the snubbed sill
! Ver1tes but to return to their hall and
take Independent action. They had de-
layed three days, and Inundated them
! selves before the Populists, only to be
| spllrned, and they returned from the
conference to their own bailiwick much
chagrined. 1t only required a couple of
hcurs to adapt their platform, nomi-
nate their ticket and adjourn
A peculiar incident In the silver con-
| vention was the offering of resolu-
ton just before adjournment thanking
Mr. Harvey, the author of COINS
Financial School, =. for his efforts in ad-
vancing the silver cause. Someone else
| wanted to amend by adding another
name, Whereupon delegate arose and
| with much vehenence moved to lay
the whole matter on the table, motion
which unanimously prevailed. The ex-
cuse given foFn this summary action
was that they could not thank every
| body and SO they would not thank any
| body, but 1t was not very respectful
! treatment to extend their foremost
| champion. Having been snubbed by
the Pops they evidently wanted to
! practice on some one.
| 1t Is worthy of note in passing that
the silver convention was composed al
most entirely of Republicans. It was
| in view of this fact that Dr. Frank
| Powell, of La Crosse and st. Paul. pro-
| posed to give the organization the dis
! tinctive name of National BimetaIlic
Party" so that the wanderers from the
Republican fold could feel that they
were in an organization of their own
1
Democrats. With the comforting feel
| ing thus secured that they were a ma
/ tional organization by themselves. and
/ with national committee to represent
| them In the campaign, the silver men
| drifted out and their convention be-
came a has been.
WHY 1T WAS A MOB.
| The Populists' convention was a.
| veritable mob. 7 do not use the term
mob" in the sense of a personal re-
| Election upon the individuals composing
! the convention but as the only word
/ which accurately describes the body
as an aggregate. Evidently on the
theory that being the Peoples party
1t is necessary to have all the people
attend, in order to hold convention,
the superintendent for delegates was
| so made as to, bring nearly fourteen
hundred together. This was nearly
five hundred m6resthan the delegations
to either the Republican or Democratic
conventions, and 1t was too large
| for the satisfactory conduct of business.
II the politicai parties would make
their conventions, composed of the
exact number ia the senate and house
of epresentativesAand elect their dele
gates by a party rvote, polled as at a
regular election. they would have a
representation of their party and a con-
yention of size which could act with
elaboration and properly record the
will Of the party.
| Meeting in the convention hall built
| for the Republican convention, the
speakers stand stood in the center and
| facing the seats arranged for nine
- H. it, -.