The advocate., 1897-08-18
POLITICAL JAUNDICE.

an dIJlCle OF peculiar TENOR uuQ6f Lne
heading, Hanna Plays Coxey as a
Trump" The editor set out with this:
"There is nothing new in Hanna's
tactics. He will renew the same old
tricks in Ohio that he employed in the
Presidential campaign last year. A
piece of his familiar strategy was
shown at Columbus Wednesday, when
a mob Of his agents, masquerading as
POpulists, turned what should have
been an orderly and seemly convention
OF a respectable and influential political
organization into mob of bowling
rioters, whose rowdy behavior would
have put to shame the carousals of
band of drunken Piutes on ration day.
The dle-of-the-roaders, as these
purchased political hirelings of Hanna
called themselves, forced their way
into the convention hall, employed
physical violence, and ran rOugh-shod
over the protests Of the decent Popu-
lists present. In defiance of all pro-
priety, justice and parliamentary usage,
these laW-bTeakers took possession of
the meeting and railroaded through
ticket and platform acceptable to Mr..
Hanna"
The day before this article appeared
in the Times, that paper with all the
rest that publish Associated Press dis
patches, contained a report Of the con-
vention, and we quote from the Times
that portion which covers the features
that provoked the editor to say what
he did. Here is it's own report
Turbulent scenes marked the open
ing of the convention this morning.
The anti-fusionists had swept every
thing before them, capturing the tenn
porary and permanent organizations
and all the committees, and they were
on their mettle. Nor was the policy
adopted by the fusiOnists calculated
to temper the feeling which had been
aroused among the middle-Of-the-rOad
delegates. The threat of the fusiOnists
to explode a bomb in the convention
was like Haunting red flag, and when
the convention assembled the delegates
were ready for any surprise that might
be sprung.
"The report OF the committee on
rules and order Of business brought
out the promised sensation. The re-
port provided that no speech should
exceed five minutes, regardless Of the
subject discussed Several delegates
Immediately joined in a protest against
this provision, claiming that it was
contrary to the fundamental principles
Of the Peoples party, and an amend
ment was offered to strike out of the
report the obnoxious section. Finally
Peter Witt, Of Cleveland, secured rec
ognition from Chairman Seitz, and,
mounting a chair, proceeded to de-
nOunce the committee making the re-
port, and asserting that the convention
had been bought out by Mark Hanna.
He claimed that he had proof that dele
gates had been bribed by the Repub-
licans, and he had the proof, providing
he was given an opportunity to pro
duce it,.
"The matter could not be presented
in five minutes, nor discussed In that
time, and he charged that the COM
report was aimed to prevent
it. AS Witt waved aloft in his hand
piece Of paper, which he claimed was
check that had been given one Of the
delegates by an agent of Mark Hanna,
he launched into bitter invective
against the anti-fusionists, charging
that all of them had been corrupted
by Hanna money. A score Of delegates
were on their feet in an instant, crowd
ing around the chair on which Witt
stood. When one Of the delegates at
tempted to put Witt off the chair the
latter struck at the delegate, and
general melee ensued, in which several
blows were exchanged and chairs
raised aloft in threatening manner.