Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-19
Announcement Greeted With Ap-
plause From Thousands of Threats.
LARGE FEMININE CONTINGENT
Occupants of Paradise Aigrette Row
Look on While Shouters
Hold Sway.
BY EDNA FERBER.

there Not the 1900 only. but few
who hadn't been invited to the republican
national love feast and grand guessins
contest. Dainty refreshments were served
For the first time in the history of the
country they were introduced into poll.
tics. Hot coffee was handed around. ur
| in paradise aigrette row. which is the
section back Of the speakers platform
corresponding to the diamond horseshoe
at a grand opera opening night There
sat the wives of delegates, plumed. aig-
retted. white kid loved and cheering in
all the wrong places. In the front row
sat Mrs. Victor Rosewater. Later she
wished she hadn't.
When the 1900 were seated the beholder
searched his soul for new smile. From
the nest near the roof. where the band
played. to the hole in the wall near the
door, where messenger boys crawled in
and out, the great dome-shaped auditori-
UNI was q sight to make the ordinary
\ French sardine can with trufHes) appear
bleak, barren and depopulated.
Might Have Been Omitted.
Two numbers there were on the pro-
gram which might have been dispensed
W1Iu. on6 was Tie ptSiiO, liIC othCA " as
Chairman Victor Rosewater Both were
seen at intervals during the days pro-
ceedings, but neither could be heard, as
the band played valiantly in spite OF the
/ fact that no one was paying any atten-
| ton to it. But when the crowd yelled,
| Speak up little boy" to Victor Rose
water. that gentleman turned bewll-
dered white, and helplessly faced to right
/ and left pounded feebly with his gavel.
i nd another QffAnnf to call the con-
vention to order.
| He looked futile and most minute be-
| hind that gavel, and from that moment
| through the long hours that followed, and
down to the time when he relinquished
his seat with a sigh of relief, the fifteen
| thousand just naturally picked on Victor
| Rosewater.
| But then, it picked on every one else.
| It was a crowd thirsty for gore. One
minute after the convention began II
looked as though they were going to be
allowed to swallow it.
| If this republican national convention
is to occupy a unique place In TIVE coun,
| try's drama, Tuesdays convention crowd
should have the credit for having fur-
nished the scenery, mob and interpolated
| numbers, not to speak of that Intangible
| and necessary thing called atmosphere
i 1t was the most unmannerly ana the
| quickest-witted that ever pestered plat.
| form full of distinguished statesmen. II
| ST. Peter had stood on that platform, and
| some one in the crowd had chanced to
! object to the way he wore his heard or
/ the cut of his robe. they would nave
| booed and Kissed, howled him down as
| they did Gov. Johnson. Francis ]. Heney,
| Senator Bradley and Victor Rosewater,
and anybody else who happened to strike
| them as being ridiculous. or bore, or
too fat. or too lean, or too anything.
Dignity at a Discount.
It had no respect for white waistcoats.
that crowd. It snapped its fingers at
Prince Alberts, 1t didn't care a whoop
| for dignity nor grace. But when man
who had something to say. said 1t. and In
that way pleased the autocrats, they lis
tened to him respectfully and apprecia-
lively. They held their breath when
Iyoung Ed Cochems Of Milwaukee said his
say for Gov. McGovern, and Cochems Is
! q youngster whose Wisconsin foot ball
record is still remembered. But when
gray haired Senator Bradley Of Kentucky
tried to do his --latest. some rye-balled
spirit rose to shout: You voted Tor Lori
| mer, Lorimer, Lorimer." and the sena-
tor forgot his white waistcoat and his
hoary head and his apopletic build, and
| livened the already lively scene by roar
I ing Liar, liar, liar"
| 1t was that kind OF convention. the
| fifteen thousand had been reading the
newspapers, and they possessed a hor-
rible uncanny knowledge of history OF
| every man who rose to speak. An earn
est speaker would, in spirit mild, ask
the delegates assembled what relation
the national committee bore to the ma
tional convention. Whereupon some one
| in the crowd would yell, Robbers" and
mess up the whole speech.
After that the speaker might as well
have been reciting "Curfew Shall not
Ring Tonight" for all that audience
| knew 1t was plain that the gallery was
with Taft. for the excellent reason that
the Taft national committee had the gal
| lery delegates In Chicago. This section
| had to wait until 2:3O o'clock before
| President Taft's name was mentioned;
| then unfortunately, something else was
| attracting it's attention in the three-r1ng
circus and the slip passed by unnoticed.
Two Fortunate Ones.
In all that long and glittering galaxy
of plain and fancy speakers. speakers sill
yer tongued. german silver tongued. and
| just silver plated. there were just two
men to whom the $1,000 listened willing
ly One was the boy orator. Ed Cochems.
OF Milwaukee, the other was Henry ].
| Allen Of the Wichita, Kan, Beacon. and
when Henry ]. gets back to Wichita
| they ought to give him bonfire and corn
roast, with red lights and bunting, for
| the reason that he made a Roosevelt
4
ing, hooting thousands to their feet In a
| five-minute roar of wild approval. De-
mosthenes in his palmiest days. never
accomplished more telling feat of spell
1 binding than that.
| When Herbert Hadley. Governor Of
| Missouri, and Jim Watson Of Indiana had
brought the subject Of temporary chair
| manshtp to the point where It was neces-
sary to call the roll of every delegate
from every state. a proceeding which was
to occupy hours, the crowd only settled
itself more comfortably in its seat, sent
out scouts for ham sandwiches and
oranges and prepared to stay until the
lights went out. Some of the ginger and
acidity went out as hours wore on. But
none of the points went by unnoticed.
Woman Delegates Applauded.
Among the hundreds Of big bass voices
that doomed for McGovern or declared
for Root. in the long roll made necessary
for the selection of temporary chairman.
there were two sopranos, that rang out
just as clear and true as the basses The
| voices belonged to Mrs. Isabelle w.
Bianey of Pasadena and Ms. Florence
Porter of Los Angeles. and they both
that. the sensation loving mob roared
again, just to keep its hand In.
At 2:3O 1t was announced by a hoarse
gentleman with a megaphOne that unless
the speakers were treated with more re.
spect, the disorderly persons would be
put out OF the convention hall But there
were only 80 policemen, and they could
not eject 1000 persons. which was the
number engaged in the disorder. 1t wen,
right on being typical American au.
dience. its sense of humor uppermos'
when the frenzied voice Of John N j