The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-07-08

Mr.. c. S. Thomas, the National COM
mitteeman from Colorado, was then
introduced amid the plaudits of the
silver men. He declared that it was an
of proceeding for the National
committee to attempt to force upon the
convention a chairman in opposition to
the ascertained will OF the majority.
This was the reason no minority re-
port had ever been presented before at
convention. As he proceeded the sill
yer men cheered, and especially when
he openly declared that he and others
of the West had long become indiffer-
ent as to what the National commit
tee did. He made a strong point when
he told the convention that four wears
ago he had been here advocating Mr.
Hills nomination for President, and
he and others like him had been re-
fused a hearing. They had been cried
down; Senator Daniel had been cried
down because Mr.. Hills opponent
Mr.. Cleveland, had control of the con-
vention. The majority of the conveu-
ton had the right to name the tempo
rary presiding officer.
81 appeal to you," he concluded, "to
stand by the minority report. Let it
not be Said that at the first skirmish
our pickets have been driven in"
The silver men cried, vote" Then
Thomas finished, but chairman Har-
rity called for Charles i. Waller, of AL
ALBANIA. Mr.. Waller proved himself to
be fiery Southerner, and he showed
feeling when he told how he had been
made to swallow bitter medicine four
years ago when another New York
Democrat had been thrust over the
head of Senator Hill. This was the first
reference to President Cleyeland; it
was an unfriendly one, and it passed
without notice at the hands of the con-
ventiOn. Mr.. Waller had something to
say about the rule of maiorities. and
turning to Chairman Harrity, fiercely
demanded to be told how such a Gre
ature could be a master.
William F. Tarpie. of California, fol-
lowed, in favor of the minority report.
THE money question: he said. ''is the
only question in which the Democracy
OF the country has an interest in this
campaign. We want the temporary
chairman of this convention to sound
the keynote. of this convention to the
country as a declaration of our views y
He said he was determined that the
keynote should be a silver speech. in
harmony with this convention. A vol
ley Of cheers greeted this brief and
outspoken characterization of the is
sue on which the fight against Mr.. Hin
was made.
After the Californian, the galleries
rose to peer over into the pit to dis
cover the meaning of the cheers that
began sputtering like fire crackers.
They saw short round man with a
red chubby face and curly gray hair
pushing his way out from a group of
New York delegates in the corner
where Whitney. Hill, Tracey. Grant
and Shehan had their heads together.
He was John r. Fellows, the old Dem
ocratic war horse, whose customary
reception at conventions in the past
had been very friendly and not limited
to faction; a Southerner transplant
ed to New York, one-time soldier of
the South, whose old comrades now
stayed their accustomed cheers. a
former member of Congress, and an
unfailing fountain of the sort of ora
tory that brings a political convention
to its feet with waving hats.
RECEPTION OF COL. FELLOWS.
The reception Fellows was getting
was tame compared with the enthusi-
asm which he had stirred in the gold
meeting Saturday night and his first
sentences went uncheered. The cheers
were started when he flung at the ma
lority the taunt that it proposed to
begin the convention by adopting a
Republican precedent, "disowned, dis
honored, fouted by Democrats always
and everywhere"
The convention had a precedent, Mr..
Fellows said, and began ''four wears
ago, we came from the East and some
other sections of the United States to
oppose the candidacy of the present
President of the United States" but
he was interrupted by a shout at this
Indirect mention of the President.
Then he said that the New York men
doubted whether two-thirds of the
convention four years ago had been for
Grover Cleveland. This first direct
mention of the name of Cleveland
brought down an outbreak that SEEM
ed really enthusiastic, that proceeded
for two or three minutes, with many
people on their feet in the galleries,
waving their handkerchiefs and hats.
The enthusiasm was noticeably con-
fined to the galleries and there was
the usual spectacle of the audience a.
round four sides of the hall carrying
on an enthusiastic cheer while the
actors Of the convention ranged under
the State banners in the center of the
hall set nearly quiet. Three flags were
waved from the Michigan seats and
Minnesota and Massachusetts shouted
shrilly without rising from their seats.
but the New Workers never raised a
yell, and silence pervaded the greater
part of the delegates area.
Then with flash of his old fire Mr..
Fellows shouted, Colorado, Alabama.
let it ring like coronation
hymn that although you gave us the |
New York gave YOU the |
only Democratic President this coun-
try has had in 80 years.
'I make no threats" he concluded |
II shall make none. We |
are Democrats. We desire to march |
with our party and do what we can to |
make its perpetuation and ascendency