The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-10
CLEVELAND SHOUTS
How Mike Padden of the
Bowery Caused a Fight
ing Rumpus.
(James Creelman, N. Y. World.)

OF lno ILfSl udy pIoNed tll1'I eAiS 49,
Of Democracy were again upon the
safe middle path, for if Bryan and
Hill and Tammany were ignored, SO,
too. the name of Grover cleveland
failed to stir the soul of the conVen-
ton. and Mr.. Williams was able to
refer to the sacrosanct quantitatlVe
theory of money without provoking
the slightest sound of applause or dis
sent.
Presently Chairman Jones whacked
the table with his mallet, announced
John Sharp Williams as temporary
chairman. and the multitude waited
breathleSsly to hear the Democratic
leader of the House of representatives
voice the new thought of Democracy.
Mr.. Williams is small, angular and
ungraceful. But he is earnest. He
has a small, bony face, curly brown
hair, and bristling thin mustache. He
ways his right arm as he talks, throws
his head back to look at his audience,
after the fashion of all specialized
men. and drones his words in a pic
turesque, sing-song, Mississippi ac-
cent.
Faint and SpasmOdic.
He had only been talking few mo-
ments when he mentioned the name of
Grover Cleveland. There was a faint
cheer in one part of the hall, followed
by scattering applause from all the
delegations. The noise died down,
only to be family and spasmodically
revived. Mr. Cleveland had friends
here and there in the hall. They
worked hard to create enthusiasm.
Several stood up and waved their hats
and handkerchiefs.
Mr.. Williams stopped his speech to
allow the Cleveland men to do their
100 .N,4 i
tive to study the scene. The applause
would start up here, only to die down
at once, and start up somewhere else.
Several young men in the main aisle
walked up and down waving their
arms and calling on the delegates to
cheer.
The result was discouraging. There
was no heart and no coherency in the
applause. And now Sergeant-at-Arms
Martin short, fat, smooth faced, and
irate, dashed into the aisle. Mr.. Mar
tin is from Kansas, and he does not
like Mr.. Cleveland. Selling one of
the young men by the throat he forced
him out of the aisle. The young men
resisted and there was Il struggle
which stirred the crowd. The fat
sergeant-at-arms made one final
mighty rush and his opponent went
down against the railing. The young
man then explained that he was q
Tammany assistant Sergeant-at-arms.
and that he was not trying to create
Cleveland stampede; not he-his eff
forts had really been directed TO the
suppression of applause. Mr.. Martin
glared, wiped the perspiration from his
brow, and abided his wrath.
The Bowery Started 1t.
A special to the New York Herald
has the following account of how it
all happened 1t says in a Wednes-
dav special from st. Louis:
Michael G. Padden, of New York,
Secretary" for Representative limo
thy d. Sullivan and political favorte
of the Bowery, is the idol of Tam
many Hall tonight Mr.. Padden has
the honor of having fought for Grover
Cleveland on the floor of the Conven-
ton today and of having by force of
arms defeated the Democratic party
as represented in Colonel John | Mar
tin sergeant at arms of the National
Committee.
When the Tammany leaders learned
that it was the intention of Senator
Hill to exclude the braves from the
floor of the Convention by not dis
tributing tickets, they took steps to
see that Tammany men got on the
floor. Their avowed purpose was to
make as much trouble as they could.
Tammany tried to have several of its
most able bodied members appointed
assistant dOor-keepers and assistant
sergeaEts at arms. They failed in this
because David Il Hill, suspecting a
Tammany ticket, had given orders to
prevent any such move.
Thomas F. Smith, secretary of
Tammany Hall, however, was able to
purchase for $40 the badge of an as
sistant sergeant at arms of the Con-
Vention. He pinned it on the proud
bosom of Michael c. Padden and in
PRODUCED him to the sergeant at arms
and head door-keeper as Tim Luce,
of Brooklyn, a safe McCarren man.
Knew His Business.
Mr.. Padden knew his business and
had been fully instructed as to what
was expected of him. He moved
around among the door-keepers at
the various entrances and told them
that while it had been decided to keep.
men out who did not have tickets, as a
general thing, still it was wise to let
all men having Tammany badges in,
if they looked respectable looking
Tammany men were really hard and
fast supporters of Judge Parker for
President.
Mr. Paddens instructions to the
door-keepers had the effect of letting
several hundred Tammany men into
the hall. Some of them kept near
Mr.. Padden and others took their
places in the galleries and closely
watched the favorite from the Bow
cry for their cue. This came as John
Sharp Williams referred to Grover
Cleveland in his speech.
Standing half way down the centre
aisle Mr.. Padden began the applause.
He had a fan in one hand and hand
kerchef in the other. He kept WaV-
ing his handkerchief and fan violently
upward signalling to everybody to rise
on his feet and cheer. All the while
he yelled like a Comanche Indian.
Every Tammany Hall man in the
building also stood up and yelled. This
is how the applause started. Mr.. Pad
den kept it going for a while, and
Sergeant at Arms Martin. having
banged away with the Speakers gavel
started down the aisle to suppress Mr..
Padden.
Padden's Own Story.
Mr.. Padden's own story of what
happened after that will be appre-
ciated by his thousands of admirers in
New York city.
THE sergeant at arms came at me
fast" said Mr.. Padden. "He said,
Man, you are making aisdisturbance
here. You must quit it.