The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-07-16

tend trying to get votes and majorities.
1t is not popular to abuse the popular
chief executive. They do not like to
be reminded of Roosevelts imperial
ways or of his co-labors with Harri-
man to raise campaign funds or of
Parker's charges against the President,
just before the election Of 1904. What
ever truth there may be in those mat
ters the Western people are willing to
forget all about it and to remember
other things to which the President
has given his attention.
As Mr.. Clayton had much about those
charges in his speech, the Westerners
did not like it. Some protests were
made accordingly by delegates who Wis
tied Bryan at Fairview on their way
home.
The popular ALBANIAN held the
gavel when the big Thursday night ses-
sion convened. The work ahead was
the adoption of the platform and the
nomination of candidates. AS Mr..
Clayton faced the tremendous audience
of that evening hush fell over the
delegates and the spectators 1t was
impressive indeed to behold so many
thousand human beings interested in
one proceeding and waiting to be fired
by the battery of orators which the
Democratic leadership could bring
tice.
The session of the platform commit
tee had been prolonged and there had
been great Impotence because their
report was not ready earlier. The con-
vention had been told. the platform
would be complete by o'clock that
evening, but later that it would be mid
night. That was the limit. There
was nothing to do but go on with the
of Democrats executed the program al
ways and they brought about the mo-
ton, by which the nominating speeches
were to be made prior to the adoption
of the platform, but with an UNDER
standing that the ballot should not be
taken till after the platform was in
and voted upon.
Nominating Bryan.
Then the call of the roll of States
was started and the excitement was at
the highest pitch. Alabama yields
to Nebraska, knowing that States del
egates can make no mistake" shouted
the chairman of that Southern delega-
tiop and the convention broke into
spirited cheer. as a slender man, known
personally to but few of the delegates,
threaded his way up the steps to the
gayly bedecked platform and was in
troduced. 1t was the unknown Dunn
-Ignatius ]. Dunn, of Omaha, Ne
braska, the Democrat Bryan had
designated to put his name before the
convention.
1t was one of the thrilling speeches
of the week, as thrilling political
speeches go. Dunn had good voice,
good delivery, had committed his
speech to memory, and was able to
fire his hearers by his well cadenced
phrases. There was no disorder as he
IAI ,iv,r 80
speech that will read quite as well as
it sounded. he proceeded to the eli
max, which every nominating orator
must reach-the name of his candi-
date.
And altho the previous day Bryan
had been given wonderful demonstra-
ton after an oratorical climax by "the
greatest blind man in the world" it
would never do to have the winning
candidate nominated without a great
demonstration when he was formally
presented. And so the convention was
off in a hurrah the moment Dunn
eloquently concluded.-a hurrah that
lasted for the best part of an hour
and gave every man and woman
the amplest opportunity for lung and
throat exercise. There were regiments
of cracked voices before that demon
stration was over and the Alamosa cow
boy band had again exhausted its roper
toire.
The scene was inspiring, whatever the
beholder's politics might have been.
While the demonstration was more in
tense than the Bryan demonstration of
the previous day, it had similar feat
ures. There was the same frantic pa
rade of standards around the hall, the
same waving of Bryan banners. al
though in greater profusion. the same
band tunes always half muffied by the
t,rnt 1ntYo tfvNYtf nj
lection always followed by an added
volume of cheering.
Several States suIk.
At both demonstrations several States
refused to participate. They, were New
York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Mime
sofa, Delaware and Georgia. In each
demonstration the cowboy band played
again and again "Tammany," the popu-
lar operate song as an appeal for the
New Workers to join in the political ex-
ultation for the Peerless One. But MUIR
ply sat like sphinx by the New York
standard and no one dared try to pull it
to bulge the ,ew Workers the band
struck up, pleadingly, "Auld Lang
Syne." How the waves Of applause
swept over that undulating mass of hui
mainly from the floor of the auditori-
UNI to its very top as the appeal of old
meated that bedlam of noise. But it
was ineffective on the cold, stolid New
Workers.
There was much hilarity when
Marching Through Georgia" was rem
dered by the band for the benefit of the
recalcitrant Georgians. Out West, here,
they do not stop to think that that is
hardly a popular tune with the South.
But the West was in the saddle, and it
occurred to the West, as it had occurred
to the cowboy band, that the rendering
IF Marching Thru Georgia" was a
happy thought. The multitudes took it
up at the second demonstration, as they
had at the first demonstration, and they
sang it with embattled power.
The singing of favorite airs of a pa
triotic character was distinctly feat
ure of the Denver Convention. The
cheering would, by no means, subside
during the singing. but the vocal notes
would surge forth with tremendous
volume.
The second Bryan demonstration
that of Thursday evening-had to be
choked off. The convention was not
proceeding rapidly with its work and
before morning it was essential that the
platform should be completed and the
standard bearer placed upon it. More
effective than all. the gestures Of the
deputy sergeant-at-arms and all the
the gradual turning off of the lights in
the convention. One great cluster of
electric lamps after another was eX-
tinguished, the brilliant bulbs in front
of the two tiers of galleries likewise.
When the convention was in semi-dark-
ness-the Examinations being under
perfect control from switchboard