The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-07-24
A DO-NoTHING SESSION.
Long Wait, During Which the Dele
gates Amused Themselves


tremely oppressive. The delegates with
their coats thrown over their arms stood
about discussing the situation, the adyis-
ability OF indorsing Bryan. the planks of
the platform and kindred topics. Middle
of-the-road fellows could be heard vocifer-
ating everywhere. The noise they made
could be heard above the muelc that foated
out from the gallery. ]. j. Crandan. of
Camden, n. j., was about distributing cir
culars In farvor OF the ratification OF the
platform of the newborn Democrats
lately christened at Chicago. 1.-The trouble
will soon begin" he shouted I'VE don't
want harmony"
Shortly before 10 o'clock Senators Stew
art, of Nevada, and Kyle, of North Dakota
joined Senator Allen and General Field, of
Virginia. on the platform. The tail form
of Cyclone Davis, of Texas, could be seen
everywhere on the floor towering above the
delegates. stump Ashley, of the Lone
Star State, who distinguished himself last
night by making dozen more speeches
while the convention was in darkness, held
forth from the rostrum of a chair. The
Texas delegation contains some of the most
uncompromising men in the convention
and they were mad TO the bone at the
prospect of being balked in their middle-of-
the-road policy.
At 1905 Senator Butler, the handsome
temporary chairman, appeared on the plat
form. simultaneously, the band struck up
"Dixie" and the delegates uncorked some
of their pent-up enthusiasm. The attend
ance in the galleries, as on yesterday. was
very thin. Not more than five hundred
people were in the balconies Five minutes
later Chairman Butler called the conven-
tion TO order and the Rev. Mr. Smith off,
cred the invocation for blessings upon the
common country.
After an unheard and unnoticed an
nouncement by an Illinois delegate, the re-
port of the committee on credentials was
called for. but no one responded and the
States were called for members of the COM
mittees on permanent organization and
resolutions. The delegates sat in the swell
tering heat while the announcements were
being made. Almost every one in the hall
had supplied himself with a palmleaf fan
convulsingiy in the pit like the wings of
myriads OF yellow butterflies lowering
above n clover patch. Big sunfiowers
adorned the fans or the Kansas delegates.
The delegates soon grew perceptibly i'm
patient. The le-of-the-roaders were
extremely suspicious; They intimated that
1t was part Of the plot to defeat them.
FAILED TO DEMONSTRATES.
After the announcement of the COM
mittee on permanent organization the
ments were being made middle-of-the-
road man attempted a demonstration. 1t
was dramatically arranged. but it only
served to demonstrate the hopeless minor
ity of the straightouts. 4 squad of mid
dle-of-the-roaders. headed by delegate
Branch. of Georgia, suddenly plunged
into the hall through the main entrance
and came whooping down the center aisle.
Mr.. Branch bore aloft a big white BAN
ner with the inscription: Middle of the
road-a straight ticket" At sight of il the
Texas. Georgia, Maine, Missouri and Mis-
sissippi delegations mounted their chairs
and yelled ct the top of their voices. At
the same time, a middle-of- -the-road dele
gate, stationed in the gallery over the
platform. hurled out through the air about
a peck of small green tickets, which broke
and fell like cloud of stage snow over
the pit The four delegations gave cheer
after cheer, but the others sat stolidly in
their seats. About a sixth of the delegates
Joined in the demonstration The green
tickets. when examined. contained the fol-
lowing:
issued by the general government, reeeiv,
able for all public dues. and full legal
tender In payment Of ali debts. public and
private. loaned direct to the people through
postal and other governmental banks at
cost, for the benefit Of the people; and the
purchase and coinage Of such amount of
gold and silver bullion. at the rates of l6
TO as may be necessary to pay the debts
of the government which are made pay
able in coin. We demand that the volume
OF money shall speedily increase TO an
amount necessary TO transact the business
of the country on a cash basis.
The above was respectfully submitted
for the consideration of the Populist con on
Dollfson. Isaac McCracker. Arkansas.
There was ripple of applause and
few shouts when the name OF Jacob S.
Coxey was announced as member of the
committee platform from Ohio. There
were also demonstrations for Governor
a INV
ernor Lewellyn when their names were
shouted. Conspicuous on the floor was
lady, who sat with the Kentucky delega-
ton. She was dressed in virgin white and
above her dark tresses floated several long
white piumes. She proved to be the newly
of the Paducah KY, Herald.
The announcements OF the committees
were completed at 11i5 Delegate Dixon.
after adjurng the delegates to be quiet
and not interrupt. introduced Clarence f.
Comley. of Oklahoma. who regaled the
convention with some campaign songs. he
was small of stature. but he had good
baritone voice. The words OF his songs
ticl<ed the delegates immensely, and they
deprecating gestures The words of the
song dealt with the wonders of the X rays
They made several ailusions TO MT: Cieve,
lands fishing and duck hunting trips and
concluded with a prediction of defeat of
the gold bugs in November.
A SWEET SINGER
An Alabama delegate then INTRODUCED
Mistress Pennington. the sweet cam
pairn singer of Arkansas" She sang in
pleasant soprano a parody on Yankee
Doodle Dandy" each verse of which con-
cluded:
Yankee Doodle get your gun,
Shoot the gold bugs every one,
Yankee Doodle DANDY.
Delegate Crawford, of Kansas. moved
that the delegates OF the silver convention
be admitted on exhibition OF their badges
There were many cries or mo, no, from
the middle Of -the-roaders, who evidently
thought they saw In THIS move TO pack
the galleries with Bryan shouters. Ser
yeant-at-arns Mcdowell got on the plat
form and said IL was impossible to carry
out such instructions. Thereupon Jerry
Simpson mounted chair and said IL was
no more than common courtesy TO extend
to the other convention which was here
In common cause the same privilege
which it mad EXTENDED 10 the ueiesates -
this convention. After some wrangling
Chairman Butler. amid howls of delight
from the straight-outs, ruled that the mo-
ton was out Of order.
Mr. Washburn, OF Massachusetts, from
the stage announced that he had an i'm
portant resolution TO offer. 1t proved to be
one deprecating the talk of split in the
convention II was intended to bind the
convention and was as follows:
Whereas, We are all Populists and dep
recate the talk which has appeared in
some of the newspapers that there is
disposition on the part OF any portion of
this convention TO refuse to abide by the
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