The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-22
DEMOCRATIC FIELD DAYS
MAI. w. w. ARMSTRONG TELLS OF
SOME FAMOUS NATIONAL
CONVENTIONS
JULY 4 IN TAMMANY HALL
wild scenes at Cincinnati When
Hancock Was Nominated-Man-
ming Saved Cleveland From
Stampede.

Maj W. w. Armstrong, formerly editor
of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the leading
Democratic paper of Northern Ohio. was
moved during the recent Kansas City
convention to talk entertainingly of some
Of the old time conventions he was IA
miliar with, much of which is of par
ticuiar interest to New Workers.
"Thirty-two years ago." he said, 'the
first Democratic national convention ever
held on the Fourth Of July, and the first
that ever met in New York city, con-
vened in Tammany Hall, then newly
constructed and dedicated, and the pride
Of the Tammany boys. The great Civil
war had been over about three years,
and the Democratic people, who had been
rent into fragments, assembled to reor-
ganize the party of Jefferson and jack
son, which had almost been destroyed
by the struggle between the sections.
There were on the floor victorious
champions of the North and vanquished
chieftains of the South. Both now recog-
nized the same flag, and renewed their
allegiance to the Union. 1 remember
August Belmont, the great financier and
banker, a chubby little man, who walked
with limp caused by duel in which
he defended the reputation of lady
of New York, stepping forward as chair
man of the Democratic national conven-
ton, and calling 1t to order.
THE giants of the party were there
and the convention was doubly interest
ing from the fact that leading ex-Con-
k<..1 gjof,0 foor
Ohio Thurman and Vallandigham were
present, and one of the notable occur
rences of the day was the bitter quarrel
between these two at the rooms of the
Ohio delegation at the Fifth Avenue no.
tel. Hcratio Seymour, who had been gov
ernor of New York, was made permanent
chairman, and the speech he made that
day was one of consummate ability,
showing his mental characteristics. At
ter the adoption of the platform, the
names of George H Pendleton, of Ohio;
Thomas a. Hendricks, of Indiana; An
drew Johnson, Of Tennessee; Asa Packer,
w. s. Hancock, and several favorite
sons were suggested.
"Pendleton had large crowd of friends
from Ohio shouting for him, and the an
tagonism between Ohio and Indiana in
each presenting a candidate brought
about a strained feeling between them.
Z
Hendricks, on the eighteenth ballot, led.
New York was playing a game to force
Salmon p. Chase on the party, and Ohio,
resentful toward Indiana, was equally so
against New York. On the twenty-tirst
ballot Chase's name was presented, but
he only received five votes, much to the
modification of Mrs Kate Chase
Sprague, his daughter, who was in the
hall.
.sObfo +bro,,,yb Clement 7 Uanapdio
ham, sprung surprise on the New York
ers by nominating Horatio Seymour. The
chairman, with deprecating looks, deter
mined expression and pale face, said to
the convention: Your candidate I can
not be- but the delegates, wearied with
their efforts to nominate their favorites,
began to change their votes. To Mr.. Sey-
mour's declination the Ohio delegation
paid no attention, and a stampede follow
ed, giving to Seymour the unanimous
vote of the convention, and by one of
the vice presidents he was declared the
nominee for president amid Che huzZas
and shouts of the convention.
THE East received the nomination over
the heads of two of the leading Western
Democrats, and Vallandigham's speech
defeated the conspiracy of the New York
ers who, with the aid of Andy Johnson's
followers, expected to nominate Salmon
P. Chase. Following Immediately after,
Gen. Francis P. Blair, of Missouri, was
nominated for vice president, which was
an unfortunate nomination. Although
Seymour carried New York, the ticket
went down to defeat This was the first
national Democratic convention in which
Samuel J. Tiiden figured, yet eight years
afterwards he was nominated at st.
Louis
HOW BRECKENRIDGE WAS CHIC
SEN.
THE nomination of Theodore Roosevelt
at Philadelphia, who was a delegate-at-
large from New York, recalls the fact
that at the Democratic national conven-
ton held at Cincinnati in 1856, when
James Buchanan was nominated for
president, John c. Breckenridge rose in
his place as a delegate and placed in
nomination for vice president a Kentuck-
ian who was not satisfactory to the other
states
Breckenridge was a tall, handsome
young man, with a sallow complexion,
and raven black hair Black, of Penn
sylvania, a captivating orator, at once
named John c. Breckenridge, of Ken
lucky" for vice president and before
the young kentuckan could decline II.
the nomination was given him by accla-
nation. and he was forced to accept it.
Hence Buck and Brock led the Demo-
cratic party of 1856 to victory-the last
national victory of that party until
Grover Cleveland was chosen in 1884.
Breckenridge went into the rebel army,
became one of its most distinguished
generals, but shortly after the establish
ment of peace, died in his native state
JOHN KELLY AND TILDEN.
1.-The convention of 1876 was held at
st. Louis. John Kelly and his party of
Tammanyites were there fighting Tilten,
who had as one of his champions John
Morrisey, the noted pugilist. After the
settlement of the New York difficulty, by
refusal of l<elly's claims, the convention
was rather tame. Dorsheimer, of New
York, was chairman of the resolution
committee, and nearly every paragraph
Of the platform began with the words,
Reform is necessary ard upon the re-
form idea, the opening of the books, ETC.,
etc. the great governor of New York,
who had splendid genius for political ma
nipulation, carried the country by an I'M
mense popular majority.
THE convention of 1850 assembled in
Cincinnati There was dissension, as
usual, among the Democrats. Thurman