CHAPTER XXVII

THE BALTIMORE CONVENTION.

Its Composition-A Cut and Dried Affair-To Nominate or to Endorse :That is the Question-Organization-" Dixie" for Music-Greeley Swallowed-Likewise the Cincinnati Platform-Delaware, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Remonstrate in Vain-A Sudden Adjournment.

The Baltimore Convention is a short horse, soon curried. The delegates had, nearly all, been instructed to vote for Greeley and Brown, and there was nothing left for them to do but to meet and go through with the form. The only question was

what that form should be-whether to nominate formally or to simply endorse the Cincinnati nominations and platform, appoint an auxiliary committee, and adjourn. The latter policy was urged with great earnestness by the "Liberal" leaders present, but the Democrats proper would not listen to it for a moment. The "endorsing" policy obtained no show at all in the Convention, and the four-year-long efforts of Horace White and others to persuade the Democracy to go out of business were thus brought to naught. The Democrats reasoned that Greeley was a good enough Democrat for them-that recent converts usually proved more zealous in enforcing the party creed than

older members; and that the Democracy, whose platform now was anything to beat Grant, and reverse his policy—a platform to which Greeley heartily subscribed, could afford to hold up its head as high as ever.

THE LIBERAL PLAN SCORNED.

This course prevailed. The convention met at twelve o'clock on the 9th of June, in Ford's Opera House. It was called to order by August Belmont, Chairman of the National Executive Committee, who had been the chief manipulator of the party in Seymour and Blair days-in McClellan and Pendleton days, and so on back. The leaders generally were equally veterans in the service; though some effort had apparently been made to leave out from the published proceedings the names to which odious records are attached.

THE OLD, OLD STORY.

Mr. Belmont, in his opening speech, of course made pathetic allusions to the "Cæsarism and centralization," which, he said, “are undermining the very foundations of our federal system, and are sweeping away the constitutional bulwarks erected by the wisdom of the fathers of the republic. These abuses," said Belmont, "have become so glaring that the wisest and best men of the Republican party have severed themselves from the Radical wing, which is trying to fasten upon the country another four years' reign of corruption, usurpation and despotism, and whatever individual

opinion we may entertain as to the choice of the candidates," we must, etc., etc.

ORGANIZATION.

Mr. Belmont nominated a Mr. Randolph, of Virginia, said to be a grandson of Jefferson, as temporary Chairman. Afterwards the convention was permanently organized by the election of Hon. James R. Doolittle, of Wisconsin-the right hand man of Andrew Johnson during the administration of that worthy, as permanent Chairman, with E. O. Perrin, of New York, A. T. Whittlesey, of Indiana, Thos. H. Moore, of Maryland, and Jno C. Barr, of Pennsylvania, for Secretaries. The Vice-Presidents were as follows:

Alabama, Wm. M. Bird; Arkansas, D. W. Carroll; California, Hon. Eugene Casserly; Connecticut, D. A. Daniels; Delaware, J. H. Payne; Florida, Thos. Rundell; Georgia, H. L. Benning; Illinois, Wm. M. Gonard; Indiana, Bayless W. Hanna; Iowa, Jno. H. Peters; Kansas, Isaac Sharp; Kentucky, G. H. Dore; Louisiana, B. F. Taylor; Maine, Wm. H. McCrelles; Maryland, R. T. Banks; Massachusetts, D. D. Brodhead; Michigan, E. H. Lathrop; Minnesota, Wm. Lee; Mississippi, J. W. D. Watson; Missouri, Silas Woodson; Nebraska. Jno. Black; Nevada, N. B. Weyman; New Hampshire, G. M. W. Pitman; New Jersey, Albert H. S. Lape; New York, Thomas Kinsella; North Carolina, R. T. Armfield; Ohio, Alfred Gaither; Oregon, E. F. Colby; Pennsylvania, Wm. McMullen; Rhode Island, Lyman Pierce; South Carolina, Wm. Aiken; Tennessee, Neils Brown; Texas, J. W. Henderson; Vermont, W. T. Horiben; Virginia, Robt. Ould; West Virginia, Allen T. Caperton; Wisconsin, H. H. Gray; Dakota, Bartlett Thripp; District of Columbia, Richard T. Merrick; Idaho, B. F. Patterson; New Mexico, Chas. P. Chaveo.

After a half hour speech from the Chairman, a Committee on Resolutions was constituted, a great flood of independent resolutions presented, and the National Executive Committee appointed, after which an adjournment was had.

THE COMMITTEE.

The members of the National Committee are as follows:

Alabama, Thos. A. Walker, Jacksonville; Arkansas, S. R. Cockrell, Pine Bluffs; California, F. McCoppin, San Francisco; Connecticut, Wm. H. Barnum, Lime Rock; Delaware, Chas. Beasten, Odessa; Florida, Chas. E. Dyke, Talahessee; Georgia, A. R. Wright, Augusta; Illinois, Cyrus H. McCormick, Chicago; Indiana, Thos. Dowling, Terre Haute; Iowa, M. M. Hall, Dubuque; Kansas, Isaac Eaton, Leavenworth; Kentucky, H. D. McHenry, Hartford; Louisiana, H. D. Ogden, New Orleans; Maine, D. T. M. Sweet, Portland; Maryland, A. Leo Knott, Baltimore; Massachusetts, F. O. Priner, Boston; Michigan, Wm. A. Moore, Detroit; Minnesota, Wm. Lochren, Minneapolis; Mississippi, J. H. Sharp, Columbus; Missouri, John G. Priest, St. Louis; Nebraska, G. L. Miller, Omaha; Nevada, Thos. H. Williams, Virginia City; New Hampshire, M. V. B. Edgerly. Manchester; New Jersey, T. F. Randolph, Morristown; New York, A. Schell, New York; North Carolina, M. W. Ransom, Weldon; Ohio, J. G. Johnson, Columbus; Oregon, R. J. Ladd, Portland; Pennsylvania, Jas. D. Barr, Pittsburgh; Rhode Island, Gideon Bradford, Providence; South Carolina, Thos. G. Simmons, Charleston; Tennessee, Wm. R. Bales, Nashville; Texas. F. S. Stockdale, Indianola; Vermont, H. B. Smith, Milton; Virginia, Jno. Goode, Norfolk; West Virginia, J. B. Hoge, Martinsburg; Wisconsin, Geo. H. Paul, Milwaukee.

The displacement of Mr. Belmont from the committee and the substitution of Mr. Schell created some hard feelings among the New York delegation, but was smilingly acquiesced in by Mr. Belmont, who is doubtless glad to be relieved from the large pecuniary obligations which have hitherto reşted upon him as chairman and moneyed man of the committee, and also from the odium which so prominent an advocacy of Greeley would bring him in financial circles. Mr. Schell is a very wealthy man, having made millions of dollars in a government contract, under Andrew Johnson. Mr. Storey, of the Chicago Times, a former valuable member of

the committee, had chosen to forego that honor henceforth, rather than support the nomination of Greeley. The members of this committee, so far as known to the writer, are of Copperhead antecedents.

THE PLATFORM-AND TROUBLE.

In the evening the Committee on Resolutions met and voted to adopt the Cincinnati philippic as a platform. Only three States-Delaware, Mississippi and Georgia—voted against this. The programme thus agreed upon was ratified by the Convention on the following day; but not until Senator Bayard, of Delaware, a member of the Platform Committee, and speaking for the Delaware delegation, had made a very earnest speech against "the adoption of the language of a platform made by other men not of the same political faith with the convention." Other members rose to remonstrate in the same manner, but a call for the previous question had been made and carried; which shut off debate, and carried the second-hand platform through under the gag law. The vote by which the previous question was seconded was 573 to 159; and the platform was adopted by 662 to 70. The scene, pending the discussion and voting, was one of great turbulence.

A NOMINATION AND CLAP-TRAP.

. After the platform was swallowed, the next thing in order was to swallow the candidate which had