The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-07-02


ness places. The Coliseum, in which
the convention Of 1896 will be held. is
more than half an hours ride from the
center of the city and is reached by sew
eral lines Of street cars. 1t is huge
building, constructed with view to
Just such gatherings as the national con-
ventilms- II is 1877 feet long by 800 feet
wide. The outer walls are As feet high
and the roof rises in terraces to a height
of los feet. Twelve steel trusses, each
$50 feet wide, support the roof. Exclu-
sive of the vestibule, the interior Of the
building is 676 feet long.
Twenty five feet above the main floor
of the hall is balcony. 1t is 40 feet
wide and it runs around the four sides
Of tho building. Forty feet above the
main floor is another gallery. The SEQ
ond is 12 feet wide. The whole floor
space Of the building is 2S5, 900 square
feet It will accommodate 10, 900 people
during the convention, though the ca
pacity Of the building for show purposes
can be increased to 80, 600 people. The
exits are ON all sides and the facilities
for emptying the hall quickly are ample.
The Lighting of the hall will be done by
100 arc lights provided with powerful
| refectors.
The Democratic national committee
will meet in Chicago the week before
the convention assemblies, and its delib-
erations will be watched even more
closely than those Of the Republican ma
tional committee at st. Louis. Interest
In the contests was keyed up to high
point when Chairman Harrity was quot.
ed In New York paper as saying that
no man who announced in advance that
he would bolt the convention under GER
tain conditions should be admitted as q
delegate. Mr.. Harrity has denied since
that he had any idea the gold men
would attempt to control the convention
by shutting out on contests those who
had threatened to bolt in the interest OF
the free coinage of silver But the
friends of silver have their eyes on the
national committee and they will not
be satisfied until they know that their
friends are to be seated. They, too, have
hinted at an advantage to be gained in
the recognition Of contesting delega-
tions. They are said to btsonsidering
the possibility Of shutting out the Mich
igan state delegation on the ground that
the delegates and alternates to the state
convention did not vote according to
their instructions, which in u majority
Of cases were for the free coinage OF sill
yer. This question is not likely to figure
seriously before the national committee
and if it is raised at all, it will be in
the convention, where eX-Postmaster
General Dickinson will have q chance
to explain how he elected administration
delegates from what was claimed to be
an antiadministration state.
The Temporary Chairman.
The national committee, besides de
Gliding the contests of delegations to be
placed on the temporary roll of the con-
vention, will choose candidates for tenn
porary officers of the convention, but il
the national committee chooses II gold
man for temporary chairman and the
"silver" men are in the majority in
the convention, as Is now expected it /;
quite probable that the choice Of the
national committee will be ignored, and
that the temporary chairman of the
convention will be chosen from the list
of western or southern delegates. 1t il
not unlikely that the honor of the tenn
porary or permanent craftsmanship will
be conferred on the senator from Ken
lucky, Mr., Blackburn, who has routed
the administration forces in his state SC
recently, and who has been indorsed by
his stste convention as a candidate foi
the presidency. Vest Of Missouri may
be one of the officers Of the convention
if he is not engaged in preparing "sil
} yer Dollar" Bland for nomination. Pos
sibly Missouri's other presidential pos
sibihty, Governor Stone, or the MAJ
who has routed the administration army
, in Illinois, Governor Altgeld, will re
ceivo honors at the hands of the conven
tion.
Many seats will be vacant, as 1 have
saio, because tn opening proceeding
CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO.