The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-06-27
HOW TAFT WAS
NOMINATED
Scenes of Enthusiasm at the
Republican National
Convention.

CHICAGO, June 1s.-For President
of the United states. William H. Taft.
| of Ohio. Taft on the first ballot Taft
by zoe votes Taft " unanimous
choice of the convention.
Such is the record of the eulnsinat.
ing day of the Republican National
Convention of 1908, effected amid
scenes of tumultuous enthusiasm, and
after nerve-racking, continuous ses-
sion, lasting nearly eight hours. With
President named and platform enunci-
ated, there remains only the nominal
| ing of the Vice President to complete
| this momentous work.
Tonight the whole city is given over
to wild exultation in honor of the new
candidate, whose name goes echoing
| throughout the country.
| The picture within the walls of the
vast amphitheater as the Presidential
candidate was named today was one
truly grand in its magnitude. In front,
to the right and left below and above,
the billowing sea of humanity, restless
| after hours of waiting and stirred from
one emotion to another, was in
FEVER OF EXPECTANCY
| for the eliminating vote. The favorite
sons of other States had been named,
save Knox and La Toilette, and now on
! the roll-call came Ohio. AS the g Buck
eye State was reached, the tall, gaunt
| form of Theodore e. Burton, with
student-like race and severe, black,
| clerical garb, advanced to the platform
| to nominate Ohio's candidate. He
spoke with the droning voice Of an
evangelist, which went ringing through
the great building. The closing of his
speech for nomination was the signal
for loosing the long-pent-up feeling. In
stantly the Ohio delegates were on
, their feet, other Taft States following,
while the convention hosts, in gallery
and floor, broke into mad demonstra-
tion.
Taft Taft W.T.! Ti' came in a
roar from the Ohio delegates. Mega
phones seemed to spring from con-
cealed places, and swell the Taft tu-
multi into thunder A huge blue silk
banner, bearing the familiar features
of the tatesman-secretary, was swung
before the delegates, awakening fresh
whirlwind of enthusiasm. All SEM
blance of order had been abandoned,
and the delegates arena was mael-
strom of gestieulating men. The gui-
dons of the States We're snatched up
by the Taft enthusiasts or borne under
by the storm of disorder. The band
was inaudible-a mere whisper above
the deafening volume of sound. For
ten or fifteen minutes this uproar con-
tinued 1t was repetition of the
scene of yesterday when the name of
Roosevelt threw the convention into a
frenzy; repeated in intensity and al
most in duration, but there is limit
to the physical resources of throats and
lungs. Relays had not been establish
ed, and at last the tired voices died
down to a hoarse shout, and at last
subsidized. This Iuil now gave the OPP
portunity for the speech seconding Mr..
Taft's nomination by Mr.. George ii.
Knight of California, whose big round
face beamed forth on the sympathetic
multitude, whose splendid baritone
voice welled forth like the tones Of a
great church organ California s trib-
ute to Taft was brief and fervid.
Now there was another lull in the
Taft movement, while the remaining
candidates were placed in nomination.
1t was late in the afternoon before
the convention. now literally sweltering
from the extreme heat and weary after
nearly seven hours of continuous ses-
sion, reached the end of the flood of
eloquence, and the desks were at last
clear for the decisive act-the ballot
ing. But ne-just as the last swell of
oratory, the seconding speech for La
Toilette had died away. like a cyclone |
from a clear sky burst a La Toilette |
demonstration which swept the conven-
tion from its very bearings. 1t was the |
same deafening wave of sound that had |
greeted Roosevelt yesterday and Taft a |
little while before, intense and mad |
dening, and with the vital ring of en- |
thusiasm II seemed as though Wis /
consin had suddenly peopled every foot |
of the galleries The delegates sat
calm and waiting, except for frantic
Wisconsin, but the convention for the
time being was in the possession Of the
galleries Now a singular transforma-I
tion occurred-graduallv the whirl- |
wind veered from La Toilette to Roose-
welt. A banner bearing the Roosevelt
portrait and waved from the gallery
was the signal for the change, but, IN
the confused babel Of voices. theSe- was
no Distinguishing where those for La
Toilette ended and those for Roosevelt
began. Amid this pandemonium and
Continued on Page Two.)