New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-21
BY SAMUEL G. BLYTHE
Downright. 1912 by Samuel C. Blytheo


Chicago. June 20-Half the politicians
in Chicago for the convention carried
plots about with them yesterday ana
the other half toted counter plots
vrough po,iticaI throats were cut TO
make the Congress Hotel resemble q
sbambles had anything but hot air Issued
from the wounds. So far from being
content with the beauties OF the political
double cross. there were numerous eA'
perts who evolved fancy line or WORK
and triple and even ouadruple crossed
friends, and enemies with equal impair
TALLY.
And strategy-one bumped into strate-
gists at every turn. That is, il is potter 10
call them strategists. In other than con
vention times they would he called
lunatics, and long before the day was
done would have had the net thrown
over them. Here. however, 80 great was
the excitement that any sort Of lunacy
passed for inside information, and most
inside information was lunatic. Every
story had believers, and there was
fresh story every minute.
The day began with a political tenn
perature Of 1O4, and worked up to 166
before the leaders had had their coffee
and by nightfall there was an immense
accumulation Of prophets, seers, prog
nosticators and ordinary corticular fools
spouting transformation until they re-
ssnbled g collection Of old faithful
esysers, but were OF even less unitarian
value.
II was great Denials Of absolute air
tight information came so rapidly that
it became the custom to put out the de-
NAL in advance Of the story, like this;
THE Roosevelt headquarters, at 8'2I
.. m, herewith denies the story that Will
oe put out at 4 o'clock by some ardent
partisan Of the colonel"
Parties Born on the Hour.
New parties were born on the hour
, and new politicians gasped and fell IN
ithroes Of depreciation and disgust each
latteen minutes. Every man was a lead
ier No man had followers; the whole
reeking, roaring raucous mass resem-
bled the Haytian army, which consists
of 2.784 generals and one private.
!. They had Roosevelt leading bolt and
boiling lead. They had the Taft men
% putting shot at the feet Of an obese
d" President end dropping him silently into
the lake. They had every available man.
and a dozen so unavailable they couldn't
be elected poundmasters, as the sure So
luton Of the pressing problem, and when
Il was all over the whole aggregation OF
depesters, tipsters, insiders, outsiders,
seers and students Of political science
wiped their fevered brows and asked
each other what It was all about, any
how
u wasn't necessary for story 70 be
true: a fact in a circumstantial narrative
deprecated the worth Of It about 80 per
cent All that was necessary was that
= story should be told. and instantly it
was fying up and down the corridors
and through the Hobbies and hither and
Won on the streets, embroidered and
frilled by each person who handled 4
and impaired each time as the real stuff.
The batting averages Of these players in
the fub-dub league was a thousand
each. They made hit every time they
came to bat and they were constantly
at bat.
Meantime thunderstorm happened
along late in the afternoon, but nobody
noticed II. They thought the thunder
was the deep bass roar of the California
delegation, which makes the terrifying
threat If 7. Roosevelt is not dominates
California will secede from the Union
and take the fair out to some beautiful
isle of the sea, just to get even.
It wasn't good day for Colonel Roose-
welt. Early in the morning indeed, late
the night before, II had been announced
ne was about TO bolt, and he occupied
that imminent and interesting position
in the yarns told all day long. The
crowds seemed to think his boltNSg would
teke the form of a high dive from his
window on the corner of the Boulevard
and Congress street into the seething
mass Of people below. and waited pa
tieutly and expectantly 10 observe his
daring descent. Others thought II was
his intention to go up in balloon and.
do a parachute act, defying the national
committee as he came down. but il was
pointed out that the Roosevelt folks were
all up in the air. anyhow, and not more
than seven out of ten believed this.
Just a Situation.
There were no net results of the day.
All results were gross, 10 say nothing
Of Grass. and when the last highball was
drunk and the last rumor stilled the
situation, which had been inflated and
debated nine million times was still a
situation. and that is all that can be
said Of It,
The favorite line Of talk was com
promise IL seemed to those present that
Il r~xyH ~NyT " TNTAEr> To CrzE