Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-07-08
THE CONVENTION DID RIGHT.

OF course II will be said that the con-
vention in turning Mr.. Hill down for
Senator Daniel as temporary chairman
at Chicago yesterday, after the former
had been agreed upon and recommended
to the convention by the national execu-
tive committee, was radical departure
from custom and party precedent. Some
will argue that 1t was reckless use of
power on the part of the silver men, who
compose large majority of the conven-
ton. That 1t was a departure from the
long established custom Of the party no
one will deny, but every fair-minded man
will agree that 1t was entirely in order
and perfectly justifiable The fact that
there has not been before in the history
of the party such a contest as the one
which eliminated in the action of the
convention yesterday should not be lost
sight of. While 1t is true that the ma
tional democratic convention never before
in the history of the party turned down
a man recommended by the national COM
mittee for the position of temporary
chairman, it is also true that there was
never a time before in the history of the
party when the national committee de-
liberately sought to force upon a con-
vention a man known to be Objectionable
to two thirds of the delegates comprising
the body.
If there was any wrong committed by
the convention in turning Senator Hill
down and seating Senator Daniel as tenn
porary chairman of the convention at
Chicago the entire responsibility rests
upon small partisan majority of the
national committee. 1t cannot be said
hat ha 90 q Of what
the democratic party, which created it,
wanted. The democratic party of this
union demanded at the primary elections
that a democrat favorable to the free
coinage of gold and silver at 16 to l be
chosen as temporary chairman or the
Chicago convention. That is one of the
duties the two-thirds majority owed the
party that selected them. The demand
was made in no uncertain tones. 1t was
in the proportion of three to one, and OF
all this the national committee was fully
cognizant. The committee was Appealed
to by able, loyal, leading democrats-men
who are in touch with the people; men
who are on the ground and are the recog-
nzed leaders of the large majority OF the
convention-not to attempt to put upon
the convention as it's temporary presiding
officer, man who was not acceptable
to or in sympathy with the large majority
of that body, whose duty it is to organ
ize and control the convention.
The committee was notified that IL the
attempt was made it would be set upon,
and in face of all this the effort to foist
upon the convention man who was OBJ
jectonable to two-thrds of the delegates
of the convention was deliberately made
by the committee.
While we don't think any harm can
come from the action of the convention
in turning Senator Hill and the commit
tee down, we do know that for the action
the committee is entirely responsible.
The committee did wrong in attempting
to put a gold man in as temporary chair
man to organize q convention composed
two-thirds of silver men, and the silver
men did the proper thing in turning him
down. If after selecting 600 out of 300
delegates the people are not to be heard
we would like to know when their time
would come. Had the thing been reversed
and the gold men had ten-yea, even
one--majority, they would not have per-
mitted a free silverloon, as they are
pleased to call the advocates of bimetal-
ism, to have warmed the seat prepared
for the temporary chairman.