CHAPTER XX.

THE CINCINNATI CONVENTION.

(CONTINUED.)

"The Apple of Discord"-Struggle Over the Tariff-The Temporary President Demands a Free Fight-Reformers Beaten on Both Candidate and Platform-The Balloting for President-Blair's Game-Arrival of Gratz Brown-Greeley Forging Ahead-Schurz Denounces Him Before the Missouri Delegation-White Might Have Saved His Own Humiliation, but Did Not-Greeley Nominated and Blair Triumphant-Brown AlsoChagrin of the Reformers-Their Utterances-Carl Schurz Plays a Plaintive Air, and the Curtain Falls.

EVENING SESSION-SECOND DAY.

A recess was taken until half-past seven o'clock in the evening. At that hour the convention reassembled. A prolonged stay in Cincinnati was beginning to tell on the purses of delegates, and protracted sessions on their patience. A large portion were in no humor for longer delay.

The chairman stated that the Committee on Platform would not be ready to report until morning, and suggested that the time be pieced out with speeches such as are usually made when candidates are named.

General Cochrane, taking advantage of the situation, moved that members proceed to name their

candidates, and be allowed ten minutes in which to proclaim their virtues and demonstrate their availability. The motion prevailed by a scarcely perceptible majority. No one taking immediate advantage of the permission to nominate, Mr. Parks, of New York, presented a resolution recommending extension of civil rights to all, and universal amnesty. The resolution was referred. Mr. Allen followed with a resolution advising the appointment of executive committees in all the States.

TARIFF AND OTHER TROUBLES.

Gilbert H. Peck, of New Jersey, presented a resolution in favor of a reform in the manner of levying import duties, steadfast resistance to centralization, and many other generalities. An Indiana delegate, devoted to serious business, presented a resolution, which was adopted, declaring that the convention would not defeat the objects for which it was assembled by adjourning without a nomination of candidates for the position of President and Vice-President.

Mr. Groesbeck, of Virginia, offered a resolution against a restriction of the presidential office, and affirming that every American, with a true heart in his bosom, was eligible to the office.

A resolution presented by Mr. L. N. Peterson, of Richmond, Pa., favored an amendment to the constitution, providing for the election of a President, Vice-President and U. S. Senators, directly by the people.

Others were presented, all of which, with the exceptions named, were referred to the Committee on Platform. Among the rest was one referring the question of tariff to the Congressional districts.

It is uncertain how long this thing might have. continued, every member seeming to have a resolution in his pocket, had not Mr. Hickman, of Pennsylvania, called for the regular order of business, which was understood to be the presentation of candidates. But the undercurrent of feeling against a nomination at that time was very vigorous. A motion to adjourn was for the moment defeated.

A delegate from North Carolina suggested a call of States alphabetically, and an adjournment if no delegates were named. A slight gloom had overspread the convention, but this sally provoked laughter.

Colonel Hudson, of Terre Haute, Ind., gaining the attention of the Chair in spite of the confusion, said he had been informed by a member of the Committee on Platform that they were unable to agree. As it was apparent that the convention hesitated to nominate candidates, and the Committee on Platform seemed to be "stalled" on the tariff question, that question already having been decided, it would be quite proper for the committee to report at once, that being the only impediment. A delegate suggested that the tariff resolution presented was not adopted, only referred. Then, sir," said Colonel Hudson, "upon that question of the tariff and its presentation in the resolutions just re

ferred to the committee, I move you, sir, a suspension of the rules [laughter] that this convention, at this very moment, may take up that stumbling block which hangs in the way of the Committee on Resolutions, and remove it ourselves." Great applause followed, but a large proportion of the members seemed thrilled, and terrified by a sudden precipitation of the patent question upon them.

Infinite confusion succeeded, during which noises of all kinds were heard,-calls to order, for the regular order of business, and motions whose purport was undistinguishable in the immense volume of sound, but a vote was finally attained, and the suspension of the rules was ordered, 460 voting for and 229 against.

The States voting in the negative were Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. Delaware and Rhode Island did not vote when called upon.

The vote of Delaware was cast by George Alfred Townsend, Washington correspondent of the Chicago Tribune. Mr. Townsend is a native of Delaware, but has not lived there since his childhood. Pennsylvania voted as a unit against the resolution, but was thought secretly to favor its adoption.

The danger of committing some fatal error seemed at this moment to be imminent, but the intelligence was conveyed to the Chair that the Committee on Platform had adopted the tariff plank.

He rose hastily and imparted the information briefly to the assembly.

"Only two votes dissenting out of the whole committee," added David A. Wells, sotto voce.

"Let it be read," called out an impatient delegate. "Wait until to-morrow," exclaimed Judge Hoadley.

There were many and loud cries of "No, no; now!" during the prevalence of which J. H. Rhodes, of Cleveland, moved that the tariff resolution of the committee be referred back to them for consideration.

In response to an objection, the Chair stated that the rules had been suspended for all purposes. Mr. Rhodes moved that the resolution of Colonel Hudson be referred to the committee, with instructions to report it to the convention. There was renewed confusion, which fell into partial quiet when Cassius M. Clay appeared upon the platform.

Mr. Clay shook his gray locks, and launched boldly out upon a sea of oratory. He deprecated the debate on the tariff question, and deplored the condition of the South, "overrode" by military despotism. The latter point he thought of infinitely more importance. The former he characterized, with his usual felicity of eloquence and metaphor, as an "apple of discord."

The torrent of eloquence poured forth with such resistless energy was finally stopped by the ten minute barrier wisely erected at an early stage of the proceedings.