About Political Conventions, State and National--"Old Ben Butler"-- His Appearance as a Trouble-Maker in the Democratic National Convention of 1892--Tarifa and the Tariff--Spain as a Frightful Example I I have had a liberal education in party convocations, State and national.

In those of 1860 I served as an all-around newspaper reporter.
A member of each National Democratic Convention from 1876 to 1892, presiding over the first, and in those of 1880 and 1888 chosen chairman of the Resolutions Committee, I wrote many of the platforms and had a decisive voice in all of them.
In 1880 I had stood for the renomination of "the Old Ticket," that is, Tilden and Hendricks, making the eight-to-seven action of the Electoral Tribunal of 1877 in favor of Hayes and Wheeler the paramount issue.

It seems strange now that any one should have contested this.

Yet it was stoutly contested.

Mr.Tilden settled all dispute by sending a letter to the convention declining to be a candidate.