Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1912-06-18
FROM NEW MEXICO

(By Special Leased Wire to New Mexlcan)
Convention Hall, Chicago, June is.
stormy scenes, acrimlnous
and personal debates, Kisses, jeers,
cat calls and frequent cheers, the Taft
forces Won first blood in memorable
fight today when they elected as tenn
porary chairman, Elihu Root, thereby
placing in their hands the temporary
organization of the Republican nation
al convention. The New Mexico dele
cation cast six votes for Mr.. Root and
votes for MI. McGovern, the Roose-
welt candidate for the craftsmanship.
The vote stood Root 55S; McGovern
5O2; 1 vote for Mr.. Houser of Wis
consin: Wisconsin not voting. Root
sc majority.
Convention Hall, June 1S.-Police-
men at every corner, and in every
aisle were the distinguishing feature
of the scene at the Coliseum in the
early hours before the doors were op-
ened to ticket holders,
The nervous tension due to general
expectation of tumultous scenes from
the drop Of the hat at the opening
of the Republican national convention
was very apparent on all sides. The
police were as nervous as anybody
else.
At 1915 a. m, the band in the
Coliseum began to play MY Country,
It's of Thee" and the people began to
stream into the Coliseum.
1t hardly seemed possible that the
hall, huge as it looked could hold
Inearly 14,000 people Yet that is only
a few more than the total 1870 per
sons This total includes 11,270 in
the body of the hall, 1890 on the plat
form, $50 sergeants-at-aTms, 800 police
men, and 400 messengers, ushers and
pages.
At 11:25 Chairman RoseWater sent
for William Barnes. Jr., of New York
who was seated with the New York
delegation. Barnes hurried to the
platform for a conference with Rose
water and the other Darliamentarians
First Gun.
! The bang" OF the flashlights fol
the convention photograph, the first
gun of the battle was followed by
The Star Spangled Banner" Every
body stood. The convention was call
ed to order at exactly 1902 p. m. The
call of the convention was read by the
secretary.
| Colonel New and Mr.. Fairbanks i'm
mediately got together in conference
on the floor.
The California delegation came il
at 1872. The two women in the dele
cation were roundly cheered.
Along the front row, between th'
body of delegate seats and the platform
a solid row of uniformed police, a.
early as $50 a. m. sat waiting for
nobody knew what.
i Last touches by the carpenters min
gled with an obligato of hammers ant
Ia buzz of conversation, forerunners o
the heavier hammering promised Whel
the convention began.
Every ticket holder passed music
three times. At the last he surreno
cred his days coupon and no mean
remained to help friend or to cor
vince a doorkeeper of the importanc
If the ticketless ones outside.
A big mahogany gavel. and sounC
ing board of the same material wer
placed for Chairman Rosewater to b
; resigned presently to Senator Root o
) Governor McGovern, or Whomeve
else the convention might choose a
temporary chairman.
Telling the Story.
: E. J. Lampson, of Ohio, the vetera
: reading clerk, of the National Hous
I OF Representatives and associate pa
D liamentarian, was at his place by th
/ speakers table long before the tin
/ for opening.
S A few minutes later a thin proce
/ sion of men in plain clothes came
J. at one of the entrances. Assistal
t sergeants-at-arms they were, but tt
n police pounced upon them as if the
were a hostile army. The soft clio
/ of the secret saunders" of the new
|, paper telegraph operators began to
c audible near the platform about
i O'clock. The convention hall ''stor.
=. Of the momentous Republican conve
tion of 1912 was streaming out to Il
newspapers of the civilized world.
. America.
=, At exactly TO-: 16 the band broke
=. with America" A few people hea
- :. the tune and stood up with hea
=. barred. A bit later when the musicia
= struck up the Star Spangled Banne
:. many more people caught the air a
=, stood up.
:. Roosevelt in Command.
< Scarcely had the convention be
4 called to order when Colonel Roo
< Welt went to room in his hotel whe
< private telephone line to the G.
\ scum had been installed, and by t
4 method, took personal command of
e forces on the convention floor.
<I The two official stenographt
8 were in front of the platform fan