The Irish standard., 1900-07-28
FROST OF FROsTS
Is the Republican National CAMPAIGN
Opening.
Reform Press Bureau,
ST Parl INV "a 1000

OF all spiritless, uninteresting, tame
and improbable affairs OF national pro-
portions, the State and National Re-
publican League convention holds the
record. The most striking comparison
to it was the grand fzzle ratification
meeting at the Minneapolis Exposition
building, following the Mckinley Mons
nation in 1896, which was presided
over by Pine Lumber Magnate T. B.
Walker, and which, held in the heat of
July, was so chilly that Mr.. Walker has
never presided over another such meet
ing, and in fact has been in California
almost ever since.
The State League convention was an
absolute hzzle, with the slimmest of
audiences in attendance This might
have been laid to the weather, but not
SO the slim attendance OF national dele
gates to Tuesday and Wednesdays con-
vention, for that had been advertised
throughout the country for the past
year as the great refreshing time, when
the good weather of the Northwest in
vited the outing The delegates came
not and all the hotels, which for weeks
had made ready for the immense dele
cations, had their trouble and empty
rooms for their plans. Indeed, the con-
vention wound up Wednesday,, cutting
off whole day.
The sessions were tame and feature
less, not even relieved by Senator Nell
sons voluminous address, read in his
schoolboy style Ito use the expression
OF one OF the Republican editors OF the
state who fdgetted through the sena-
tors plattudes), and only momentarily
relieved by the brief presence OF the ex-
pected great star Of the occasion, Gov
ernor Roosevelt. He spoke but a mo-
ment to the convention, in gingerly,
grabbed way, as if fearing to give away
the points he had prepared for his main
speech, the campaign Opener The
Rough Riders" impression upon the
convention was plainly OF little effect.
Delegates openly expressed their dis
appointment.
The evening Auditorium meeting was
success, both in attendance and en-
thusiasm from the portion of the au-
dience in full sympathy (for there was
large portion OF it that did not touch
Off at each suggestion OF the manage
ment, composed Of people there to lis
ten and to Judge for themselves). The
meeting was as large as the building
could hold, just about the equal of, and
no greater than the recent proBoer
reception But there were no outside
thousands, no impossible streets as on
Bryan occasions, and the overflow meet
ings announced for each inviting cor
ncr, did not occur. In fact the coming
of something like 1000 from Minneap-
oils saved the meeting from the chill Of
unoccupied seats A few were shut out
by closing the doors, mostly swearing
Republicans who had been excluded be-
cause not having secured tickets, apro-
pos OF which the fact that Leaguers were
obliged to pay 50 cents before they
could have the necessary pasteboards
made much bad feeling. There is scam
dial about the ticket management, Re-
publicans themselves making very I'M
savory charges.
Some Republicans explain the tame
ness of the event by the bad odor that
has ever surrounded the league in this
state, which goes back to the Goodnow
regime, when scandals regarding the
finances of the league were frequent
from the time that Goodnow got con-
troll down to the time he got his reward
from the Mckinley administration for
the dirty work done by him in the cam
paign in the name OF the league. The
talk that league officials sold tickets to
the Roosevelt affair, and put the money
in their pockets, is quite like the pre-
vious scandals of the league. Other
talk is that the affair would have been
of greater interest had different men
locally handled it and had charge OF the
person of Roosevelt That he was dined
by that great warrior of the Pioneer
Press, who served in New Brunswick
during the Civil War, dampened the
military spirit. Others kicked because
Lumber Truster Tom Shevlin, as ma
tional committeeman, was high push to
go and bring the star here.
The whole affair, Judged from the
standpoint of national event, fully
justifes the view presented by our car
toonist, that Roosevelt commended with
Minnesota blizzard in starting the Nc
Kinley campaign. Says the Globe: "In
point of numbers the convention was
frost. Not more than 400 delegates
from distance were in attendance,
when it was expected that the conven-
ton would bring several thousand reo-
pie to the city"
The most doleful reports we're circu-
lated among leaguers about the pros
pect OF having much of campaign
fund this year. That Hanna was falling
down with the corporations that he
MIXED four years ago was conceded,
and that the gigantic trusts organized
since 90 must be relied on was admitted.
And that was given as one of the rea-