The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-19

VALLEY Illuminated,
MADE PLATFORM
CONTINUED from First pagc.)
and It believed, and probably with
some justification. In the fact that
Roosevelt did MT cure to have his
policies come into the convention by
tile way OF Wisconsin,.
yncuons Speeches,
SO 1t voted for the program
and went on to the next order.
and the next order was tile noinitiu-
tion OF tho President.
And that IS serious business. 1t is
curious to know just how form
and conventions and presidents
are worghlpped without sense ot
reason by apparently clear-headcd
| men, But there sat 1000 dele
gates and 10000 spectators. and listen !.
ed to five mortal hours OF utterly use
loss, entirely meaningless and abso-
lutely vacuous speeches. These speeches
were putting men III nomination
! for the presidency who had no
! more chance to be nominated then
they had Of picking out harp check
and Joining the heavenly choir. Bou-
| telle. OF Illinois. began 1t, naming
Cannon. The crowd stood for him
/ with some patience, though no one
| listened to him.
I Governor Hanley. OF Indiana, an un
| usually able Governor and an other
| wise sane man came o little afterwards
and got into a row with the convention.
because 1t laughed ut him and jeered
| him during the last half Of perfectly
/ unneCesSary speech, Es9te.
Government by Impulse.
| He assured the convention that UNI
der Fairbanks there would be no gov
eminent by impulse and the crowd
knew what he was driving at, and his
usefulness as an orator was ended.
Congressman Bookwalter followed
Hanley and took side swipe at Taft
by saying that Fairbanks was candi-
date whose record was such, that no
weak points in 1t had to be covered UP
by n special plank In the platform. and
then. His days work was done" and
| he sat down after lighting with the
hornets or the convention.
Crowd Kcstivc.
New York has sense of humor. and
when the delegation was called for
| New York the delegates arose, laugh
ing, and let General .woodford make
the shortest and most appropriate
| speech of the day. nominating Hughes.
| And when he said that only two men
beyond doubt could carry New York
---one being In the White House, and
the other in the governors office at
| Albany-he made the crowd. FESTIVE
and quit just before his credit gave
out. The only real clarion note of the
! convention was sounded by Knight of
California, seconding Taft's nomina
ton. For knight has voice. and Mr..
Burton. OF ohio, who put Taft's name
before the convention gracefully. was
not heard as well as such a speaker
should have been heard. Knox also
| was the next nominated. with proper
eclat, and without too much wind jam
| ming.
Chccred In Toilette,
And II the young football player.
Cochems, of Wisconsin. who gave the
convention La Follette's name, had cut
his speech In two. 1t would have made
the hit Of the afternoon. But he slid
past the crowds limit and the smiles
which captivated every one wore off
and he grew angry. and "the subse
quent proceedings interested him no
more.
1t was Mr.. .McGee-remember the
name--who seconding the nomination Of
La Toilette. started the whoop heard
around the world. There seems to be
iibesides Taft. La Toilette got the best
demonstration.
Effortx to Stampede.
! But after that complications OCCUR
red. Some one walked across the gall
lery back of the speakers platform
with flag containing Roosevelts pic
ture, and the applause for La Toilette
merged into the futile, stupid attempt
to stampede the convention to Roose-
Welt. and for quarter OF an hour the
yelling cort.&ued. 1t was quieted as
the roll-call on President began, and
continued down to Iowa.
There silence fell, and continued
until Taft was nominated.
Now, written down here In a thou
sand words. this seems like story of
a stirring episode. Yet 1t covers events
that lasted from 10 o'clock until half
past 5.
Allies Fizzled Out
| There was some cheering-a beauti-
full spontaneous ovation of half an
hour, more or less-for Taft and some
formal cheering of something like two
| and siX-elevenths seconds, each of the
two allies, and this is the best part
of it all: those who had sought the
nomination the hardest-Cannon, Knox
| and Fairbanks-got no more than For
aker, who took what he could pick up.
There was no difference between the
ls75 picture fireworks and the 10 cent
Roman candls-they all flzzled and
went out in gloom.
The Valley Nominated.
| And the meaning of 1t all is this:
That the Republican party has taken a
step forward-but not a stride. A
party is curiously like fleet.
It can go only rs fast as It's slowest
vessel, and in this parade OF the Re-
publican fleet. the rapid Wisconsin, a
trim and seaworthy boat, has to slow
| up for Vermont and New York. The
general average sped of the Repub-
lican fleet is found In the Mississippi
Valley States. They nominated Taft.
They made the platform. It will be
regarded as q long step in New Eng
land, but 1t will be regarded as crow
jump In Nebraska. But speaking as
a Republican, one is forced to admit
that If any Of the fast boats or any
Of the slow boats takes notion that
she can go 1t alone, the Democratic
enemy will catch her and capture her.
| The fleet now has an admiral and a
| rear-ndmfral TO-norrou IT will eet