The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1908-05-07
COLLHLlY IT CHNL4GO WZZRE The REPLzR.HC4W az
NAZ1OYAL CONTENTION Will RE HID FL

fiery face of his questioner. sur
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 TO
have the majority, or at least the loud
est and most pugnacious minority.
This latter. with the able aid of the
chairman and the secretary. will ena-
bic any combination to jam through
the nomination of their candidates.
Surprising. for instance, chat 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
rotary, 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 roll-call is 'gaveled
down. by the chairman, and the SER
geants-at-arms, always chosen by the
bosses" are eager to eject any OBJ
streperous patriot who begins any
in rypp n p,tt hic srjphtS'
To ''gavel down" a motion is simply
to hammer on the table with the gavel
and proclaim that motion has been
carried" or defeated" just as you
want 1t to go. In this way, no matter
what the majority is, the "bosses" and
the chairman and secretaries can
thwart the will of any convention. I'M
less the convention splits and "a bolt"
is started. To bolt" is to leave the
hall. organize separate convention
and proceed as though the other con-
vention was not in existence.
This is 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 gaff'' 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 1.-The organization"
oh! potent phrase. "the organization"
There is the ward organization" the
county organization" the state or
ganization," 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 remote
ward and separate him from his job
If 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 1t can be.
Occasionally some fossil OF respecta-
bility. galvanized into spasmodic &C.
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 start
the animals by fiery diatrlbe against
the bare-faced robbery going on under
his very nose. At such a time 1t is
really delightful to see the perfect re-
spect In which his remarks are lis
tened to by the chairman and the |
bosses" His remarks may be pune