Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-07-10

| Bundles of them were tossed upon the
seats and distributed. The scene was
magnificently inspiring and the great
audience was worked up to a fever
heat. On each flag was the sentence,
"The constitution and the flag are in
separable, now and forever; the flag
OF the republic forever; of empire.
never"
j While the demonstration was at its
! heighth, the band sent another thrill
thru the audience by playing Dixie"
and medley of patriotic airs.
Flag Incident.
Amid the billowing flags could be
seen tall standard bearing the in
scription:
''Forcible annexation would be Grim
inal oppression.-W Mckinley"
1t was at this puncture the climax
was sprung on the great assembly.
A huge flag had been flung across the
| roof between two trusses and as a sig
nal was given the cords were cut and
slowly it unrolled it's white and GRIM
son folds, fell gracefully and swung
over the platform. The banner was an
enormous affair, being fully fifty feet
long and about half as wide. Upon the
white strips We're printed the follow
ing sentences in letters of blue:
Constitutional governments derive
their just powers from the consent
\ of the governed"
| Constitution and flag, one and in
separable now and forever"
''The flag OF the republic forever, OF
the empire never"
Republics have no colonies"
To majority of those in the hall
the flag was an unexpected incident,
and it's appearance was 1he signal for
i a frantic roar which caused everything
that had gone before it TO sink into
| insignifcance. The chairman pounded
| the gavel and appealed tor order. But
the march of delegates, bearing their
standards and banners, ran on unin-
terrupted for twenty-five minutes.
4 AS Senator Tillman was about to re-
sumo, he remarked that the thread of
his discourse had been broken and that
down south they were in the habit OF
saying, Hell has broken loose in Geor-
gia, and' added the senator, yocifer-
ously, ''if Mark Hanna had been hera
a few minutes ago he would have
thought that hell had broken loose in
Missouri" There were cries of "Good,
good"
Imperialism Issue Cheered.
i Then the trust plank was read. When
the senator reached the reaffirmation
of the Chicago platform, with decla-
ration for free silver of coinage at 16
j to /, pandemonium again broke loose.
But the demonstration was faint in
comparison to what occurred when inn
perialism was announced as the par
amount ISSUE" The demonstration
lasted four and one-half minutes
i When the applause had subsidized,
Chairman Jones, of the platform com
mittee, moved that the platform be
adopted by the convention by acclama-
i ton. The motion was put and amid a
roar of cheers and applause the plat
form was adopted without word of
dissent.
i The announcement of Chairman
Richardson of the adoption of the plat
form was followed by stunning shout
which made the building ring from one
end TO the Other. \
The paragraph in the platform de.
nouncing England's policy towards the
Beers had called out immense applause
but when it was announced by Chair
man Richardson that the convention
would be addressed by Hon. Webster
4 Davis, former assistant secretary of the
interior, the crowd manifested enthu-
siasm by cheering for quite two min
utes as the former republican leader
assembled the platform.
Webster Davis, Addroas.
j The speech of Davis was arranged in
order to enable him to announce his
allegiance to the democratic platform
and to the ticket of the convention. In
dramatic style, with all the force and
magnetism of fine oratory, Davis began
his address. He denounced as a mali
cious lie" the statement that he had
been forced to leave his Office in the
present national administration. He
I; pictured in brilliant, flaming sentences
the "cruelties and aggressions" prac-
ticed by Great Britain upon the Beers
in South Africa. His account with the
republican party he regarded as fully
balanced. He owed it no further obi
: cations.
\. These sentiments met much applause.
Il In conclusion, in announcing his inten-
ton to support the democratic party
!; and it's ticket, Davis said with great
} emphasis:
4 Il stand upon this platform and shall
support William Jian Brennings.'
| 1t was curious and laughable con-
fusion of the syllables of Bryan's
names. But the crowd knew what he
meant and cheered him wildly.
As Davis concluded the band struck
up Hail to the Chief" Davis held an
impromptu reception on the platform
The band next played America" and
the gathering rose TO its feet and sung
until the band would play no more
Sergeant-at-Arms Martin waved des.
perately for silence and when a few de-
!. grees of the noise had been eliminated
he said:
"The next business before the con-
vention is the nomination of candi.
date for the presidency of the United
! States. The secretary will call the roll
of states"
:. Before doing so the secretary read
: the names of the men on the commit
tee appointed by the chairman to con-
fer with the silver republicans and pop.
ulists in accordance with the resolu.