Omaha daily bee., 1912-06-19
ca. RoseneH and Nrs.
Alexander < T. ReueH
ON kheir way 70 church
CM1fNvAns<A. ~xss sessses
SCENES WITHIN COLISEUM
Election of Temporary Chairman
Preeipitates Fight.
MANY, ,ALTERNATES IN EVIDENCE
Decided that In selection of Tenn
porary Chairmaa to Use Roll
Call of Delegates Instead of
That of the States.

CONVENTION HALL. Chicago. June
1S.-At 1915 a. m. the band in the
Coliseum began to play My Country Tis
Of Thee" and the people began to stream
into the Coliseum.
The band was in its place by $3.50. far
up in its aerie above the gallery at the
north end of the hall opposite the plat
form. The first notes Of its music echoed
among the steel girders in the great hall.
BY the time the doors were opened at
10 O'clock two. hours before the conven-
side had become pretty dense, but the
police kept the people moving. No kind
Of eloquence, no argument, no plausible
story of imperative business on that side
Of the street was Of any avail. Every
policeman had to be "shoWn'-a ticket,
the right kind of ticket at the right
door. There were Chicago politicians who
had not been able. to get tickets. but who
thought they had pull" No sort OF
pull--no sort of local pull. at any rate
was Of any use.
Policemen at Every Corner.
door and in every aisle were the distin-
gushing features of the scene at the
Coliseum in the early hours before the
doors were opened to ticket holders.
The nervous tension due to general ex-
pectation Of tumultuous scenes from the
drop of the hat" at the opening of the
republican rational convention was very
apparent ON all sides. The police were as
nervous as anybody else. 1t was dif'i-
cult even for people with proper tickets,
including newspaper men, to get into tie
hall. Assistant sergeants- alarms, door
keepers, ushers and other subordinate
officials were SO keenly alive to the pos
sibilities that their hands tremblld as
they took tickets and ushers showed
people to their seats with furtive glances
about them, as il there were something
explosive just under their feet
Along the front rows between the body
of delegates seats and the platform a
$3.50 a. m. sat waiting for--nobody knows
what
Last touches by the carpenters, mingled
with an obligate of hammers and buzz
Of conversation, forerunners of the hea2-
Ter hammering promised when the con-
vention began.
Seats for Fourteen Thousand.
1t hardly seemed possible that the nai!
huge as 1t looked. could hold nearly 140C0
people. Yet that Is only a Jew more than
the total other published figures TO the
contrary notwithstandlnstha the Coli
scum will hold as arranged for this COIL
vention. Seats, platforms, press benches,
aisles, rtlnways, etc, are figured to hold
a total of 1870 persons. This total N
cludes for 1870 in the body of the hall.
1890 on the platform, $50 sergeants-at
arms. 800 policemen and 400 messens y ;,
ushers and pages.
Five minutes later thin procession of
men in plain clothes came in at one of
the enterances. Assistant sergeants at
arms they were. but the police pounced
on them as IL they were hostile army.
Colone w. F. Stone. sergeant at arms
Of the convention, who was on tip toe all
morning with solicitude for the mainten-
ance of peace and smooth fulfillment Of
orders, had his assistants quickly ordered
out of the aisles and seats.
The soft click of the secret saunders
Of the newspaper telegraph operators be-
gan to be audible near the platform about
10 O'Clock; the press section with its up
wards Of 100 seats was filling up; the
convention hall story OF the republican
Continued on Sixth Page.)