The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-05-06

fiery face Of his questioner. sur
mounted by its bright red covering of
locks and responded easily, gracefully
and most urbanely: Il don't like the
color Of your hair" And the delegate
remained "unseated." Men were let
out Of their delegations for any or no
reasons. The only question was 70
have the majority, OF at least the loud
ost and most pugnacious minority.
This latter. with the able aid OF the
chairman and the secretary. viii ena.
BILE any combination to jam through
the nomination Of their candidates.
supposing. for instance, that Smith
Is the candidate the bosses" want.
and Jones the opposition candidate.
The Seventh ward, we will say, is
called on and the chairman Of the del
egation roars out Fourteen votes for
Jones and one for Smith An assist
ant secretary repeats to the main sec.
retary. Fourteen votes for Smith and
one for Jones, and it Is so recorded
The chairman from the Seventh ward
may think the vote Of his delegation
has been recorded properly. Some
times. when things appear to be run
ming too close. they will not even give
the opposition candidate any votes
until the bosses candidate is safe.
Any motion for a roll-caIl is "gaveled
down" by the chairman. and the ser
geants-atarms, always chosen by the
bosses" are eager to eject any OBJ
streperous patriot who begins any
iargon about his rights"
To "gayel down" a motion IS simply
to hammer on the table With the gavel
and proclaim that a motion has been
carried" OF defeated. just as you
want It to go. In this way. no matter
what the majority is, the bosses and
the chairman and secretaries can
lhwart the will Of any convention, un.
less the convention splits and "a bolt"
is started. To bolt Is to leave the
hall. organize a separate convention
and proceed as though the other con-
yention was not In existence.
This Is a last resort. and Is seldom
done. Delegates are timid and they
rarely have any independent action.
They may fume in private. but they
take the gan in public. Party fealty.
party cohesion. party this. that and
the other weighs on them and makes
them towards. For the most part the
delegates hope to get some crumbs
from the party table and they fear to
revolt, knowing we'll they will be
marked men with THE organization.
Oh! potent phrase, "the organization.
There is the ward organization the
county organization, the state or
ganizatlon, the national organiza-
ton" all inextricably linked and
welded together. and the national com.
mitteeman can put his finger on a
garbage wagon driver In q remote
ward and separate him from his job
II the driver doesn't do exactly as he
is told. It's beautiful system Don't
imagine that It Is not perfected SO far
as It can be.
Occasionally some fossil Of respecta
bility. galvanized into spasmodic ac
ton by something particularly brazen
on the part OF the powers that run the
convention. will get up from the plat
form, where he is supposed to be ac
quiescent to the program. and STAR
the animals by a fiery diatrlbe against
the bare.faced robbery going on under
MS very nose. At such time It Il
really delightful 70 see the perfect re
spect IN which his remarks are lis
tened to by the chairman and The
bosses" His remarks may be pune