It was said there
were fifteen thousand persons in the galleries, which came
down very near the level of the floor. The scene was of indescribable
sublimity. The fate of the country, certainly the fate of
a great political party, was at stake, and, more than that,
the selection of the ruler of a nation of fifty millions of
people--a question which in other countries could not have
been determined, under like circumstances, without bloodshed
or civil war. I do not think I shall be charged with exaggeration
when I speak of it in this way. I can only compare it in
its grandeur and impressiveness to the mighty torrent of Niagara.
Perhaps I cannot give a satisfactory reason for so distinguishing
it from other like assemblies that have gathered in this country.
But I have since seen a great number of persons from all parts
of the country who were present as members or spectators,
and they all speak of it in the same way. A vast portion
of the persons present in the hall sympathized deeply with
the supporters of Grant. Conkling's speech, as he stood
almost in the centre of that great assembly on a platform
just above the heads of the convention, was a masterpiece
of splendid oratory.
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