The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-06-18
NO PACKING OF
CONVENTION To
BE TOLERATED
COL. JOHN l. MARTIN, SERGEANT
AT ARMS, ARRIVES AT BALTI-
MORE AND TELLS OF PLANS
FOR HOLDING CONVENTION.
Special to The Journal.

| Special to The Journal.
Baltimore, June 17.-No man or ma
chine can pack the Democratic ma
donal convention, and no man viii be
admitted to the convention hall with
out ticket or the personal consent
OF Col John L Martin, sergeant-at-
arms Of the national committee, who
for 20 years has been sergeant-at
arms Of the national convention.
This was the emphatic and abso-
lutte statement of Colonel Martin last
night at the Hotel Emerson. where he
had just arrived from ST Louis. He
was the first man "on the job" and
stated that he would be the last to
leave.
high or low in the Democratic party
until June "a, one day before the con-
vention opens. This is intended to
, prevent the counterfeiting OF the
tickets by spectators or political
schemers. The tickets are Htho-
graphed and II would take several
days to perfect a counterfeit that
could pass muster at the doors of the
convention hall. Counterfeits have
been made before in the history of
the convention.
On June "a each leader of each state
delegation will get the exact number
of tickets for his delegation, each ma
/. |
lotment, and Chairman Grain and
others will get their share fixed by
the national committee.
Plan of Distribution.
The only chance for any man or
; machine to get more than a proper
share OF tickets to further some ones
chances for Office will be through the
national committeeman themselves.
, Colonel Martin said that he had sur
rendered the right to distribute tickets
on his own authority and had instruct
ed all those asking for them to consult
|. the national committeeman from their
I. own states.
!. There is a possibility OF some com
!, mitteman from a far western state
who has small demand for these IA
: vors trading the tickets at his com
: mand for other things he desires. But
:. Colonel Martin vouches for every
' member of the committee that none
, will give his tickets to further any
;, scheme to pack the hall.
!, Between 1880 and $4,000 seats is
the estimate that Colonel Martin has
! of the capa city of the Fifth Regiment
4 Armory. Ii his 30 years of experience
he has learned that there Is usually
) hundred or two more chairs after the
. local architects have done their best
y. The only other scheme by which a
: hard working machine can get it's owI
men into the convention hall is
, through the doorkeepers and assist
ant sergeantS-at-arms or special Of
fcers. By maneuvering with the ma
tional committeeman from the distant
states, who have small demand fol
q their convention patronage, there was
g once a possibility of a political ma
chine getting a great number of its
men at the doors and other strategic
points.
Recalls Taft "Pae4."
Doorkeepers at other conventions, &C.
cording to Colonel Martin. have let IL
crowds at the orders of the men Wht
secured their appointment and allowed
the hall to be packed. He cited a!
the most notable example the last Re
publican national convention wher
President Taft was nominated H,
said the hall was so packed by ''stean
roller" men that hundreds of person.
y who properly held seats In the con
vention hall could not get within tn,
= doors for the crowds. Hundreds o
/. hall by order from those in authority
Doorkeepers to Guard.
Colonel Martin will have none O
this, and has brought his experience
with previous national conventions I,
z prevent it. First to deprive himself o
this power, he makes no appointment
= except upon the authority of the ma
1 COL1I0IIDS0II11n ITO1l the SIaU
OF the appointee, except in specia
cases, when he asks the approval O
the committee.
There are between 1900 and ZOO
\ men who are appointed nominally b.
'. Colonel Martin. They are assistan
II sergeants alarms, special officers
Is ushers, pages and doorkeepers
~ There will be four doorkeepers (
a each entrance. Not one of these fou
II at each door has probably ever me
8 the other. They are usually fror
l. widely separated parts of the countr
Il and conspiracies are not usually form
\ ed readily by strangers. And last G
10 all, Colonel Martin changes the door
keepers each day, not only taking ther
from the doors they guarded on tn
day before, Exchanging the groups.
The colonel 1rsonally has the powe
~ of admitting Dn he WILL but exer
cises it only OF ecial occasions whe
: expectedly arrives without a ticket.
~ Approves 1903 Platform.
After disposing of the packing ques
:. ton with only one reference to tn
- Baltimore city machine-in which h
'h said that this machine would have n
!. better chance at getting an undu
~ proportion of the tickets than Roose
- welt has-the veteran sergeant al
ie arms turned to the Democratic plat
- form.
ttss "The one we had in 1908 is goo
~ enough to stand on now" he sal,
90 The Republicans are going to patter
after that platform as closely as tn
situation will permit It will repudiat
. absolutely the 'standpat' principles
until ii is in power agan-
I'VE have the advantage of havin
carried out the pledges in our plat
form to the extent Of our power
y Taft and his party have violated ever
s pledge of theirs, and Roosevelt ha
done the same with former ones TIL
people know we mean ours, so the Re
publicans may copy it as closely q
possible in a despairing effort TO stes
- our thunder.
"a a Democratic President
Don't fear, the next president wi
be a Democrat Of course, 1 am net
trail when il comes TO Democrat
nominees. All are friends of min