The San Francisco call., 1896-06-28
MCKINLEY HONORED AT HOME

quarters here and will make strong effort
| to secure the Endorsement of Teller by the
| Democratic convention. He realizes that
the Democrats will adopt silver platform,
ana is anxious to have it a silver conven-
| ton. In case the gold men should bolt
| the convention, he would be much better
! pleased, as it would then be a battle
between the old parties upon the lines
| which the people of his kidney most
desire-that of gold and silver.
| Colonel John l. Martin, sergeant-at-arms
of the Democratic National Convention, is
picturesque character. He comes from
Missouri, and it is an old story that the
man from Missouri is different from other
| people. The colonel was born in st. Louis
May "a, 1848. He attended the public
| schools of that city in his youth, but only
had gathered the crumbs of an education
when his father, who was boss teamster,
drafted the boy into his service as dray
man; but young Martin was ambitious;
| he was brainy, too, and so while he drove
dray about the city of st. Louis during
the daytime he studied at night. Finally
| he became clerk, later a saleman and
then a merchant. But being of philo-
! sophical turn of mind he read law and in
| 1878 was admitted to the bar, and as he
| passes down the streets of his native city
his admirers point him out as one of the
most capable lawyers of his day. He
has been a prosecuting attorney and
Judge of the Court of Grim
| inal Correction. This is the man who
will marshal the forces at the great Coli
scum in Jackson Park on Tuesday week.
| The Coliseum is splendidly equipped
for convention purposes. This is espe-
cially true as regards the facilities for the
correspondents. Secretary Sheerin, who
| has charge of press accommodations, has
| already received some hundred applica-
| tions for seats in the press circle. The
| space underneath the platform has been
allotted to the telegraph companies, and
bulletins and news matter can be rushed
through rapidly. There will be 906 dele
gates in the convention. The hall proper
| is $50 feet wide by 335 feet long. The seats
will be arranged in rectangular instead of
in semi-circular form, as was at first
planned. The speakers stand will be
at the north end of the hall. Below and
Immediately in front of this will be 1000
seats for the delegates and alternates.
The press seats will flank the platform
anu DSnIlu II Will DC I1C oCOI1OA AOoCANCo
for the members of the National Commit
tee and for distinguished guests. In pro-
viding for all these something like 5000
seats in all are taken up. Twelve thou
sand chairs will remain for the spectators.
These seats will rise in tiers on three sides
of the building-the north, south and
west-to height of forty feet. A gallery
thirly-five feet wide will encircle the entire
building. The seating arrangements on
the three sides mentioned will be carried
up into this gallery. There is still another
gallery ten feet wide, higher up, for the
use OF which no plans have been made.
The acoustic properties gre perfect.
The Bland headquarters will be opened
up next Monday at the Auditorium annex,
The Missourians will occupy a row of
rooms within earshot of the apartments
reserved for w. G. Whitney, the leader of
the gold element.
Colonel Nicholas M. Bell, Colonel Joseph
]. Liekey, Colonel George w. Allen and
several other colonies who will manage
the Bland boom will reach Chicago on
Monday morning and open up the cam
paign for Silver Dick, who is now quietly
cutting hay and saving wood on his Mis-
souri, farm and saying nothing.
The Matthews headquarters will be
opened up at the Palmer House on Mon
day.
With the Bland, Boies and Matthews
''roosters'' in the field, the Democratic
powwow OF 1896 may virtually be consid-
cred on. E. E. Wall. National Committee
man from Wisconsin, and John G. Pra-
| ther, National Committeeman from Mis-
iYf fc z Hor
rity, chairman of the National Committee,
will arrive on July 1.
There are persons in Chicago bold
enough to predict that the convention
will eclipse Donnybrook in every respect.
Certainly the elements are not lacking to
make it intensely spectacular There are
gold Democrats, silver Democrats, free
trade Democrats, Cleveland and anti
Cleveland Democrats Democrats who are
| Populists and Populists who are Demo-
crats-all chasing phantoms and worship
| ing strange gods. There is talk of bolt
among some of the gold men, should they
| fail in drafting the platform and thus di-
rectlng the destiny of the party for the
next four years. Others again favor
compromise measure, while not few
would be willing to straddle the issue; but
the silver forces, with determined and un-
compromi ising men in command, de-
clare they will win their spurs upon
| the battlefield on lines OF action orig
| inally mapped out. They will accept
no halfway treaty. It will be the free
and unlimited coinage of silver at ratio
of 16 to 1 or nothing, and this independ-
emily OF all the other nations of the world.
Already they claim 642 delegates. and
laugh with derision at the efforts of the
gold men to curb their sway. On the
other hand, the gold men are equally
confident.
National Committeeman Sherley of
Kentucky-and like the other delegates
from the Blue Grass State, "a colonel,
/ sir"-sends THE CALL this statement:
81 have heard a great deal of talk and
have given the Rational situation consid-
erable study, and have come to the con-
clusion, personally, that gold platform