The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-07-17
CLOSE OF THE CONVENTION.
BRYAN AND sEwELL THE TICKET.

Bryan's Speech on the Platform was
What captured the COnventiOn-The
Most Remarkable i'm all the History of
Conventions 49, Exciting scenes - How
the Senatorial Combine W Used Its
Plans Complicated Work Over the
Second Place.
The Reformer went to press last week
Thursday night. and its latest edition
therefore only contained the proceed
ings up to the adjournment at : O'Clock
Thy our time) after the nominating
speeches had been made, of which the
story was graphically told up to the last
moment by special dispatches from the
convention hall, which were received by
the Refo.mer within 1 minutes after the
occurrences they narrated.
The adjournment was carried at this
polnt by the senatorial combine for the
purpose of preventing If possible
the nomination of VIM Jennings
Bryan. the ''boy orator of the
Platte. which would have gone
through with rush if the vote could
have been taken in the afternoon. and
which was probable in the evening.
The combine which was really bent on
nominating Teller according to Il plan
formed more than "A year ago. succeeded
by its management in killing off Bland
and BOies, but it could not hold the con-
vention away from Bryan.
What nominated the latter was his
speech in the afternoon on the platform.
Considering everything. it was the great
est convention speech ever heard and in
its winning quality,i its adaptation to the
minds of the multitude and the Won
drous responsiveness of its candor.
kindliness and rich and forceful Illus
tration is surpassed in all American
oratorv only by some of Lincoln's ar
guments, while in grace and magnetic
power Bryan is far ahead of Lincoln,
Senator Hill had just made mastery
speech of his kind, on the ground of ex-
pediepcy, against the adoption of the
platform, and he received the greatest
ovation up to that time of the conven-
ton. But it was only a fraction of
what greeted Bryan. whose almost
every sentence was wildly applauded
and who at its conclusion was seized and
horn in triumph about the hall on the
shoulders of TIE delirious silver men.
Handkerchiefs, hats and umbrellas,
movable were waved. Some
were like men demented, Invested
of their coats and flung them
high in the air. A delegate uprooted
the purple standard of his state and
bore il frantlcally to the place where
rose the standard of Nebraska. In a
twinkle others followed the example.
rwo-thirds of the state standards were
torn from their sockets and carried as
trophies to Nebraska, where they were
held in mid-air Louder and louder
the thousands until the volume
of sound broke like a gigantic wave and
fell only to rise and break again. For |
almost II minutes this maddened Gumult |
continued, while delegates with the
state standards paraded the inclosure. |
Old political generals were stupetied and |
realized that only Il long cooling spell |
if anything would prevent Brysn's NOM
nation.
After the nominating speeches Thurs
day night the adjournment was taken
till 10 a. M. Friday, but it was after
II O'Clock before the convention as
Then the names of Pattison
IF Pennsylvania, Tillman of South Car
Dina and Pennoyer of Oregon we're
briefly presented and the balloting be-
gan, Patterson getting the votes of such
men as participated.
Chairman White ruled, after some
lebate. in the ease of Wisconsin, that
when the majority refused to vote, the
,thers of the delegation could have their
totes recorded though they would not cast
he whole vote of the delegation. In
his way the silver men in the gold del
cation made themselves count. while
he gold men in the silver delegations
we're also voted. and in abrogation of
he rule adopted in ls60 it was held
hat two-thirds of the number voting
instead of the whole convention was
to nominate. The result of 1
he ballot was:
First Ballot.