The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-09
SMVER,s SIDE
Presented to the Convention by Mr
Taylor.


/ According to my Judgment, as a
! member of the committee on creden-
| tialS of this great national Democratic
/ convention, sitting on the trial Of this
controversy as juror, intending to do
| and vote as I believe for the right, I
| derived from the testimony in this case
that in the state Of Michigan one of
| the greatest wrongs was perpetuated
| by the seating Of the delegation recog-
nized by the national committee. Great
applausee) The defense has interposed
to the prosecution, set on foot by the
| contestant, if 1t amounted to anything,
/ nothing more than a plea of confession
/ and avoidance.
| THE gentleman who has Just taken
| his seat said that what you wanted
was facts. You have received no facts
| This case was left in the hands Of the
committee and we have been in earnest,
| solemn session over this question, and
we have been battling all night long
with the testimony. Statement after
statement that was made by the contest
ants was deliberately denounced as be-
ing untrue by the contestants present
| and supported by the solemn affidavits.
1t is question for you to decide
whether Democrats in the great state
of Michigan. who are honestly and fair
ly here representing the majority of
the Democracy of that state, shall be
stlf1ed and throttled and driven from
this convention, or whether you will
recognize them as the legal and lawful
representatives of that constituency.
(Applause)
I'VE want no wrong done; we want
that done here which will be just and
which will be right. AS representative
of one view of the financial question,
representing the majority report, we
have voted to seat and retain only two
delegates from the Fourth district; two
frcm the Ninth, the others to remain
seated as they are recommended to the
national convention That shows, gen
tlemen of the convention, that we in
tend to be fair and intend to do what
is right and what is just and what was
necessary for the Democracy Of that
state. 1 have not desired to. take up
your time; but I only say if you had
heard the sworn testimony, as we had
it, and the undisputed facts on many
points, you would come to the same
conclusion that the majority has come
to, and that the majority report should
be adopted by this convention.
MORE DEFENSE.
Governor McLaurin, of Mississippi,
also came to the defense of the commit
tee. He made a careful review of the
facts to show that the will Of the Dem
ocrats of Michigan did not prevail in
the state convention. He described the
alleged methods pursued by the adj
ministration'S agents to override this
expressed will of the people and de-
| clared that they were under instruc-
lions to carry Michigan for gold and
the administration"
Some sympathetic auditor in the gal
lery shouted, "Shut up and sit down."
Whereat there seemed to be an attempt
to howl down the speaker. This
aroused the ire of the silver delegates
and one of the indignant Louisiana
delegates arose and shouted that If
these Interruptions were continued he
should move to clear the galleries.
1.-THE galleries are packed by the
gold men," he shouted. But the cries
of the crowd continued. At last Col
Marti, the sergeant-at-arms, inter
posed from the platform, and instructed
the assistant Sergeant-at-arms and the
police to at once eject any one who in
terrupted the proceedings.
Senator McLaurin then drifted into
a discussion Of the issue before the
Democrats of Michigan, whereupon
Delegate McDermott, of New Jersey,
arose to a point of order.
What happened twenty years ago."
he shouted, 'has nothing to do with
the merits of this controversy" The
galleries cheered and waved their
handkerchiefs at the protest from the
floor.
John F. Salisbury, member of the
famous old Salisbury family, of Del
aware, whose ancestry runs through
all American history, pushed his way
to the platform to protest against the
majority report. He was elected as a
free silver delegate, he said, but he
believed the sitting delegates from
Michigan were entitled to their seats
II protest" he shouted emphatically,
that this is not the place to wash the
dirty linen of state factions