Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-06-18

under way and Chicago is beginning
| TO throb with the confusion and ex-
element Of arriving throngs, some
with banners and bands, and gaily
uniformed marchers, others made up
of state delegations with their con-
| spicuous leaders and their cohorts of
| strong-lunged followers and shouters,
| others with friends and admirers of
| the various presidential candidates,
and still others and again others of
| curious onlookers drawn from every
| section Of the country, including many
representatives of foreign govern
ments, who have come to witness the
national spectacle.
! All day special and regular trains
| emptied thousands of strangers into
| this political Mecca. The effect of
this influx was seen Saturday night
| in surging street crowds, growing
! animation of choked and smoky hotel
| Hobbies, strains of music and the
swell of oratOry from some of the
| headquarters Of candidates, and boun-
| teous hospitality which these head
! quarters are beginning to dispense.
! And yet this forgathering of the Chi
| cago convention of 1908 has already
established a record for unusual calm
and tranquility, for measured by din
and turmoil, scenes of deirious ex-
| element and spirit of die-in-the-last-
! ditch which has marked some his
/ toric gatherings of the past, this in
vading army of delegates and spec
| tators is a most staid and International
body. But it is none the less an army,
with new columns coming to the FROM
| hourly, and with the pros 1ect Of
plenty OF hurrah and fireworks 2head
to animate the leaders and stir the
blood Of the onIookers.
Notable Figures Arrive.
The centers of interest Saturday
were the arriving delegations, with
many leaders Of conspicuous national
prominence, and the headquarters Of
the various presidential candidates.
Among the notable convention figures
to arrive were Don Cameron, former
United States senator from Pannsyl-
vania, who has not attended a ma
uonaI convention since 1880, when
he stood with Roscoe Conkling and
John A. Logan as leaders of the third
term movement in the interest of
General Grant; and Henry Taft,
| brother of the secretary of war;
Senator Chauncey Depew, who eight
years ago electrified the Philadelphia
convention with his speech secOndinR.
the nomination of Roosevelt for vice
| president; Representative Serene
/ Payne of New York, chairman of the
ways and means committee of the
| house Of representatives, who bears
on his ample shoulders a good deal
of the burden of future tariff revis-
ion; United States Senator Long of
! Kansas, who is reputed to have the
DOlliver vice presidential boom in
| cold storage; James S. Sherman and
| Timothy L. Woodruff of New York,
both receptive vice presidential pos
| sluIIities; Ex-Governor Yates Ct ILL.,
nois with his clean shaver, actor-like
! face and willingness to consider his
return to the governOral chair, and
a host of others notable in the polIt
! ical world.
Delegations Come Late.
| The rank and file of state delega-
| lions are late in arriving and organ
! izing compared with previous 'onven-
tions. But most Of the states have
| their advance guards here. New
York's delegation arrived by special
train Saturday noon; a considerable
/ Pennsylvania delegation was added
to that already here, and other state
contingents struggled in during the
afternoon and evening. The .Ameri-
Gus club of Pittsburg, Knox organ.
ization, with handsome uniforms and
gay oolored umbrellas, marched
through the streets and gave a fore
| taste of scenes to come.
Brilliant Headquarters.
The storm center of Taft activity
is at the Auditorium Annex. Here
several parlors have been made gor-
geous with banners and bunting and
electric lights, while the genial face
of the secretary of war smiles down
from every wall.
The Hughes headquarters took on
an added brilIiancy at the Auditorium
after the New York delegation ar
rived. A huge portrait of the gov
ernor was mounted aloft in the hotel
lobby, topped by a sunburst OF red,
white and blue, with Hughes" III
electric letters two feet high lust be
low
The Cannon men were somewhat
envious of those two-feet letters and
Saturday night Joe Cannon" biazed
forth from the front of the AUDITOR
UNI in letters 10 feet high. The Can
non headquarters presented picture
Of genuine convention enth Isiasm.
AS the doors were thrown open for
the formal reception OF the public,
the music of a brass band and patri-
otto glee club, echoed through the cor
ridor, orators were expounding the
virtues Of Uncle Joe, and sumItu-
Gus good cheer was passed around to
al who would partake.
The Knox and Fairbanks head
quarters are also centers OF attention,
each Respondent with color and cleo
tricity.
AS to the presidential nomination,
the figures presented By the Taft men,
and to some extent conceded BY
other elements, give the secretar..'
such a commanding lead that the
usual spirit of close contest IS
wanting.
Second Place Only Doubtful Thing
The presidential nomination having