Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1908-06-26
MANAGING 4 NATIONAL
POLITICAL CONVENTION
Slight Variation in the Procedure Between
Republicans and Democrats.
Great Power Welded Vigorously by the National Committee
Preliminary to the Gathering Handful of Leaders Control
Machinery, Nominations and Platform.
Pulling Wires in Committee.

| adjournment, usually until the next
| day.
Pulling Wires in Committee.
| At last the machinery is in motion
and the district delegate begins to
wonder what he is on hand for. A
big man at home, he Is lost in the
hurry burly and roar of the conven-
ton. He may be assigned to a commit
tee, but he had nothing to dc with
that. The State boss decided that So
and-so should be q member Of the Per-
mane1t Organization Committee that
Mr.. Brown, who is a political econo-
mist, should be honOred by a seat in
! the Resolutions Committee, and that
| the Boss himself or one of his most
! trusted lieutenants should be a mem
Der Of the Credentials Committee These
! bodies all meet separately. All the
contests that were handled by the Ma
| tional Committee the week previous go
to the Committee on Credentials unless
pressure has been brought to have the
contestants withdraw their fight The
| Credentials Committee wires are pulled
the same as was the National Commit
tee, and the result is usually nearly
the same.
Framing the Platform.
1t IS when the district delegate sits
in the Committee on Resolutions to
draft the platform that he begins to
realize that he is only a small "i'
| rvit
Mr.. Doe, who has been coming to the
national conventions since 1868, Is
elected chairman with a hurrah. He
assumes his position and draws from
his pocket a carefully prepared docu-
ment, which the secretary proceeds to
read. The district delegate might have
had an idea some time previously that
be would be consulted as to the plat
form. But the party leaders saved him
all the trouble and worriment. They
| had skilled men at work on the plat
| form weeks before, and it Is built ac-
cording to their Ideas The committee
usually adopts the platform with a
rush. Sometimes there is a fight on
particular topics. But party expedi-
ency usually rules.
Real Work Now Begins.
! The Credentials Committee fire.
quently sits for three days and the
| convention must wait until It's Iabors
are finished. The Committee on Per-
manent Organization is usually a cut
and dried affair. Finally the Crede1-
|
roll is made up. Then the Committee
/, on Permanent Organization makes its
| report, 1t recommends that the "Hon-
orable Senator or Mr.. So-and-So" be
called upon to preside. Cheers greet
the name, and the gentleman is escort
ed to the platform. After he has been
elected he makes profound speech, the
other officers are chosen and, like race
horses, the meet is on.
If the Committee on Platform is
| ready to report it reports after the
permanent chairman has made his
| speech. On the report there must be
| q roll call. There is always too, the
| possibility of a fight. Certain ''planks"
that please Maine may be abhorrent to
| Texas. When the matter of the plat
| form is disposed Of either by the COM
mittee reporting or by the announce
ment that it is not ready to report the
| permanent chairman announces another
recess; maybe until the next day, pos
| sibly until later in the same day.
Nomination of Candidate.
Frequently the time is taken up with
speeches placing the candidates for
| President in nomination. These adj
dresses are usually good in their way
Men noted for their eloquence, who
can portray the virtues Of the aspirant
in language that will thrill their hear
ers, are selected for this work. The
platform is usually accorded the speak
er and his Grafton is hailed with deaf
ening applause and cheers. Each can
didate is brought to the front and his
works painted IL glowing colors Then
comes the critical period. The district
delegate believes now is the moment
when he counts for something.
The roll call begins and proceeds
monOtonously. The chairmen of the
different delegations alone do the talk
ing. That is all there is to it. The
first ballot in the convention is usually
devoted to complimenting favorite sons.
After that the real work begins The
district delegate learns that he is not
to vote as he intended, but that ne will
vote for some one else on the second
ballot.
Suddenly there is a roar in the con-
yention. It is 4 mighty shout, louder
| than cannon. Somebody has been NOM
mated for President. Amidst great
disorder the rollcall is pushed to con-
clusiCn. The chairman tries to learn
how the tellers agree in their count
But the crowd knows all about it. The
chairman, powerless as Mrs. Parting
ton with a broom against the waves
of the ocean, tries to do his duty The
shouts and cheers keep up for ten or