The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-04-06

ton with adyane ge to themselves
Next day the convention adopted a
vfshy-washy platform much like Bur
banks-if anything, weaker ! saw
Goodrich's blight upon II But the
victory cost him dear. That night the
delegates realized what blunder
they had made-or thought they real
ICED 1t after Merriweather and his
stan had circulated among them Few
OF them had been trusted by Beckett
with the secret that, with that plat
form and with Simpson as the nom
inee their party would have the inter
ests behind it. would almost certain
~ win. They only saw ahead a dull
campaign. and no real issue between
the parties, and their candidate, if he
was Simpson, much the less attrac-
tive personality of the two
The following morning the voting
began: and after seven ballots Simp-
son had 80 votes less than on the
first ballot ut was like A funeral"
was the verdict of my disappointed
guests that evening. 4 night of debate
and gloom among the politicians and
other delegates, and on the opening
ballot Merriweather sprung his trap.
The first big doubtful state in the
alphabetical list of states is Illinois
When the secretary of the conven-
ton called for Illinois vote. it was
cast solidly for Scarborough.
There was straightway pandemo-
MUM. 1t was half an hour before any
one could get q hearing. Then In
diana was called, and Pierson, attor-
ney general Of that state and chair
man OF its delegation, cast its vote as
in the other ballots, for Kitchens. its
governor. From my box | was watch
ing Scarborough and his Immediate
friends going from delegation to del
egation, and / knew what he was
about When Iowa was called and
cast it's vote solidly for him, l knew
he had failed
How white he is" said Mrs.
Sandys. who was looking at him
through opera-gIasses
gaze was fixed on box on the other
side of the huge auditorium. on
woman in that box--I had only to look
at her to see which woman She was
beautiful of that type of charm which
the French sum up in the phrase the
woman of 30" I have heard crowds
below too often to be moved by it
though the 10000 or 10000 gathered
under that roof were outdoing the
cannonade of any thunderstorm. But
that woman's look in response to Scar
borough 's-there was sympathy and
understanding 1t it, and more, inf
nitetiy more. He had been crushed for
the moment-and / understand enough
of his situation to understand what a
blow to all mis- plans this untimely
apparent triumph was. She was
showing that she, too, felt the blow,
but she was also sending message
OF courage to him-one of those mes
sages that transcend words, like music
like the perfumes of flowers and
fields, like that which fills us as we
look straight up into clear night
sky. I lowered the glasses and looked
away could not bear it. For the
moment / hated him-hated myself
for it.
I heard Carlotta asking a woman in
the box next ours the name of ..the
woman with the white plume in the
big black hat in the seventh box on
the other side"
Mrs. Scarborough" was the an
swer.
Saudys, almost snatching her glasses
from me in her eagerness. You
know who she was-John Dumcnt's
widov-you remember him? She
must have been an uncommon person
to have attracted two such men,"
But Scarborough was nominated
now. He waved aside those who
tried to take him up and bear him to
the platform. He walked down the
aisle alone and assembled amid tense
silence: he stood looking calmly out.
His face had lost its wilderness OF
few minutes before. AS he stood
there, big and still, sort OF embodi-
ment OF fsarlessness, / wondered
and ] fancy many others were won
dering-whether he was about to re-
fuse the nomination. But an IN
stant's thought drove the wild notion
from my mind. He could not strike
that deadly blow at his party.
Fellow delegates" said he-a clear.
ct. more uUS1Cal VOICE tHau MS
have never heard-"I thank you for
this honor. AS you know. I opposed
the platform you saw fit to adopt. /
have nothing to retraet. / do not like
1t. But after ALL a candidate must be
bis own platform And I bring my
public record as proof Of my pledge
that" he paused and the silence
was tremendous. He went on, each
word distinct and by itself-'if / am
eIected-a long pause-.I shall obey
the stitution"-another paus-"I
shall enforce the laws!"
He was descending the aisle be-
fore the silence was broken-a feeble,
ripping applause, significant OF disap-
pointment at what seemed an anti
climax He had merely repeated In
condensed form the oath OF Office
which a president takes at his in
auguration. But sonehow-no doubt,
1t was the magic OF his voice and his
manner and superb presence-those
simple words kept on ringing: and ali
At ouce-full half a minute must have
elapsed, a Long time in such ctrcum-