The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-18
The Evolu.
ton ofd
Statesman
Walter Barr
AChLE
COPYRIGHT 1901 BIT ID. APPLETON q Co.

little changed from the old days when he
saw so much of it, he chose a seat almost
out of sight, TO the left of the speakers
chair, now occupied by the chairman Of
the state central committee.
The scene before him did not look like a
session of the House. yet she two had GER
tain similarities. He looked out upon a
crater lined with men from the bottom of
the cup in the center of the floor up the
sides to the top of the gallery seats. Men
sat in the seats on the floor. and other men
stood in the space all around the plane of
desks, carrying the human lining of the
crater almost up to the front row IN the
rising gallery. II was intensely human,
and under the faces were volcanic fires
burning briskly. In several places there
were light spots, where the big placard on
] a staff told were the seats Of a county
which was out in caucus. and in the Cook
county seats. on the right side In front,
were several dark faces of delegates of the
race freed not so many years beforehand
the only negro delegates in the convention
came from the cosmopolitan metropolis of
the State. The aisles were filled with men
slowly walking from one place TO another,
nobody seeming Hurried in the least, unless
~ "OAt eAC WOiAlC III NIc a
in the rear gallery, who had a plank on
temperance that they intended to urge upon
the committee on resolutions, to the worri-
ment of that body of platform makers.
The gavel pounded the desk as the chair
man of the state central committee called
the convention to order. without a speech
he introduced the temporary chairman,
whose special province it was to make an
1 olIroee ,,0o- -otT1-o -
of the party, without referring to the mat
tiers that were uppermost in every mind.
Then came the appointment of the commit
tee on permanent organization, which re-
ported in a few minutes; then the escorting
Of the permanent chairman to his seat in
the speakers chair; then another speech
that made the whole convention cheer at
the places where "(applause)" was already
marked in the advance proof slips held by
the newspaper men; Their the appointment
of the committee on rules, which reported
Immediately, the most important rule being
that all resolutions be referred to the COM
mittee on resolutions without debate. This
last prevented much annoyance, for with
that rule the opposition, the tempevance
women and the other irregular sections
could not make much of a showing, and
lnc COfnInlllee On resolutions acted as one
man, moved, as they were, by the same in
tangible force. There was no time now
for movement by indirection, and the or
ganization became almost tangible again
as it controlled things with a hand of steel
and a brain surcharged. Somebody moved
that nominating speeches be limited to ten
minutes, and while the whole convention
howled approval, that the men to make
nominating speeches might know it's mind,
the motion was not noticed by the chair
because the delegate making it had not
been recognized. The committee on resolu-
tions sent in word that 1t would not be
ready TO report for some time. Somebody
moved to adjourn, but the powers that
were there touched a wire. and up Jumped
a delegate. who moved that the Hon. Rob
ert Ramsey be invited to address the con-
vention. There was a great roar as the
Governor of the State, master machinist
of the organization, idol of the dominant
portion of the party, and hated despot of
the opposition, came forward to the side
of the chairman.
Every man there wanted to know what
Ramsey wished done-or, rather, was des-
perate to know what Ramsey was going to
will to be done. When he began to speak
there was a hush; delegates listened ex-
pectantly for the cue that did not come.
as he talked of loyalty to party and the
success that had perched upon the banners
carried by them all, and emphasized the
unity of action inherent in the party. The
managers of the campaigns of the three
candidates watched his face for a sign let
slip without intention, and were disappoint-
ed. When Ramsey had ceased speaking
the roar went up again, and one would
have thought that the volcanic forces un-
der that crater would now cause an explo-
sion did not one know that, like lions i'm
leash, they were under absolute control
Instead of an eruption there was a motion
from the center of the crater of cheering
humanity, and in half A minute the gavel
fell upon the desk and the convention had
adjourned until 2 O'Clock in the afternoon.
Shacklett had not paid much attention to
the proceedings or speeches. The proceed
ings were routine, and he did not expect
anything of Importance to be CLEANED from
the speeches by even the most careful
searcher for wheat among the straw. He
did watch the floor from his excellent point
Of observation, and he was the only one
who noticed the delegation from a central
county come in from its caucus while the
convention was In one of it's cheering
moods, with half the delegates from that
county looking surlily at the other half as
they filed into their seats. 1t happened
that this county was the home of one of
the candidates for the nomination for Gov
ernor. Shacklett saw exactly the same
thing happen when the delegation from the
county of another candidate came into the
hall, except in that case three-fourths of
the delegates from that county were evil
IDENTIFY in i'll humor with the other fourth.
Shacklett had smiled a little to himself
at the first incident, and at the second in
cident the smile broadened. His ewes
lighted up. He put down his head on his
cane and laughed without anybody notic-
ing him. But almost instantly his body
ceased to shake, the muscles i'm his bent
back stiffened, his head came up and was
held high, and the smile on his face took
on a quality that erased all the humor
previously in 1t, and put in its place the
quintessence of earnestness-it was Rich
ardson who wrote once for his paper that
Shacklett was the only man who ever lived
who expressed the most intense earnest
ness by a smile, and then he went on TO
describe the smile in terms of Euclid.
1t happened that at that instant Gov
ernor Ramsey finished his rounded periods,
and the convention was Selling the oppor-
tunitv tn lessen the pressure of renression