Sentence:  Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,nb.... Even such a boat as the "Mount Vernon" offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and <WSD>democratic</WSD> assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Exhibiting social equality, egalitarian (see [http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/democratic online Oxford]).