The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-06-17
THE CONVENTION OPENS
I GOLD FININCIILPLAN FINALLY
 IGREED UPON.

Confusion in the Hall to start With Soon
 Righted-Rabbi Salc Opens the Proceod-
 ings With Prayer--Talll About the RNoo
 for the Vice Presidential Nominatlon-A
 Telling Speech by Temporary Chairman
 Fairbnnks-Brilliant Comparison of the
 Records of the Two Great Parties-Con
 Ventlon Adiourns Until This Forenoon.
 Convention Hall St. Louis, June l6.- At lO;2o the band began to play and score of men were hard at work put ting In seats, while the distribution of badges to employees had just begun, The hall was decorated with profu- sion of American flags the colors of all nations, and the coats-of-arms of all the states. In @ big square well in mont of the chairlnan's desk are the seats for the delegates and alternates, while double galleries on all four sides provide seats for some 15,00O specta- tors The building is well lighted, but the ventilation is bad, and it is so finn sy and topheavy in appearance that many visitors looked in alarm at the slender supports of the big galleries and heavy roof.
 In the seating of the delegations to New York was allotted the post of honor in the middle section, directly in front of the platform. Maine and Massachusetts in order named, had the front seats in the section on the right, while Ohio had the front of the left mic ri icrbt behind.
 Silver and gold were placed side by side in the seating of the Colorado dele gates by the side of those from Massachusetts. When the dele gates and visitors began to arrive in steady streams at Il o'clock the door keepers, assistant sergeant-at-arms and ushers were still unorganized and here was an immense amount of con- fusion
 In this rush the distinguished politt- clans who came in early escaped recog- milton and got no applause.
 At Il o'clock the big force of employees suddenly began to change the location of the various delegations. Indiana was sandwiched in between Ohio and Pennsylvania, while Maine and Massa- chusetts were moved into the middle section in front of New York.
 First Cheer Was for Platt,
 The first cheer in the convention hall was for Thomas c. Platt of New York. When he joined the other delegates one of them waved aloft a picture of Mor- ton, which drew the attention of the crowd to the Tioga chieftain, and he got a good round of applause,
 In the confusion of the opening hour General Powell Clayton of Arkansas and General Lew Wallace of Indiana both popular heroes of the party, enter ed the hall and attracted no more at tention than if they had been messen- ger boys. There were only two ban ner with notices used in the decora- tions. One with "Republicanism is Prosperity" the other ITO the Polls Go, Sons of Freedom"
 At 11:25 Chairman Carter of the na- tional committee took his seat on the platform. At the time there were not more than 200 delegates and 1000 spec tators in the hall. A picture of the late James c. Blaine was hung above the main entrance but in such shaded place that it could scarcely be distinguished 100 feet away, and therefore escaped notice. The delegates from the silver states are hustling in everything. They were the first to take their seats in the hall, Idaho and Montana leading, Warner Miller C. N. Bliss and the other leaders in the New York delega- ton received no applause. Genera Russell Alger of Michigan got faint | hand-clasp and that was all. The Michigan delegates sit right behinG 1 those from the Empire state. | At 12 o'clock, the hour fixed for the opening of the convention, One-third oi the delegates and alternates were stil unseated and less than one-half tho seats in the galleries were occupied | The band in the stay left played all the popular airs, which had no other effect | than to add to the noise and the con- | fusion.
 1 At 1920 Chairman Carter began tc l rap for order He had to pound away 1 for some minutes before anything lik@ 1 quiet was secured. At 1924 Rabbi SalC of St. Louis opened the convention witt | prayer.
 MIR. FAIRBANKS SPEECH. c. w. Fairbanks was elected tempo rary chairman. In opening he spoke ot the great duty devolving upon the con vention, and then said:
 Three years of democratic admins | tratiOn have been three years of panic of wasted energy of anxiety and loss tC | the American people, without paralle in our history. To-day the people turr
 to the republican party hopefully, con l fidently; and it is for us to meet those candidates upon whom their hearts
 have been centered, and to give then
 clear, straightforward, emphatic eX pression of our political faith.
 "The republican party is a party O
 conviction; and it has written it's con
 victions in the history of the republic
 with the pen and the sword; with it the
 supreme question has always been no
 what is merely polite, but what i
 everlastingly right The great mel
 we have given to the nation and to his
 tory, the mighty dead and the illustri
 ous living, are our inspiration and tow
 CT of strength. If we are but true t'
 their exalted example we cannot b | false to our countrymen.
 For a third of a century prior tt l the advent of the present demOcrati | administration we operated under law | enacted by the republican party. Al
 great measures concerning the tarif | and the currency originated with il | Tariff laws were formed upon line
 which protected our labOrers and pro l 11H ct