Omaha daily bee., 1916-06-15
MARTIN GLYNN IS
KEYNOTER OF THE
WILSON CAMPAIGN
Former Governor of New York
Sounds Blast Loud and Long in
Starting Off the Demo-
Gratis.
PLENTY OF FLAGS IN SIGHT
Coliseum Makes Pretty Show When
Multitude Waves Old Glory
in Its Applause.
PRESIDENTS PICTURE LACKING
BY E, c, SNYDER.

II Es' ~. DIV LEN.
St. Louis, Mo-, June l4.-(Special
Telegram.)- keynote speech of
1916, so far as democracy is con-
cerned, has been delivered Former
Governor Martin Glynn of New York
is some keynoter, you can take it
from me. There was one thing about
the speech that impressed me pro-
foundly and that was that at least
President Wilson would be nomin-
ated. That one thing stood out pre-
dominantly and commanded the en-
tire situation.
Of course, there were other features
in Governor Glynn's address, particu-
larly with reference to the glory that
was big enough to go around. In
fact, there was glory enough to go
around several times, to go around
the nation, or the world, for that
matter. Campaigners in the country
districts will be able to carve out
whole sections of the keynote and
spread several layers of it over the
surrounding country and then go back
again and find an inexhaustible sup
ply of good carboniferous fuel left.
Measured in Long Tons.
If the coal supply of this continent
was as deep and broad and wide and
long as Governor Glynn's keynote,
the geologists would hasten to cast
their estimates that the Pennsylvania
coal fields are good for million cars
year.
No one imagined that Mr. Glynn,
who is slightly built, could sound a
keynote that would last most of the
afternoon. The keynote showed that
this campaign is going to be fought
out with an inexhaustible supply of
words; and that after the keynote,
when the diapason of the full-toned
political organs of the country begin
to rumble, the dome of reason will
begin to totter.
Don't forget, however, that there
will be forty-eight speeches to second
the nomination of President Wilson.
Flags in Evidence.
OF course the conventions opening
was a great joyfest for democracy,
and .whooping big time for the demo-
Gratis who have come here undivided
for their president and glad to be
given chance to let loose.
The city of St. Louis, or the con-
vention managers, or some one saw
to it that the American flag should
be in evidence. Boy Scouts with great
sheaves of flags went through the
convention, early, giving a flag to ev-
cry man and woman there, so that
when a cheer started, there would be
a sea of waving flags, and it was a
most beautiful sight indeed OR our
flags natal day. There were flags in
the galleries and bunting hung from
every niche and corner and projec-
ton, and the inevitable convention
band, seated in sort of bird cage
high up at one end, played merrily on
all kinds OF wind instruments capable
of producing martial airs.
No Portrait of Wilson.
There is but one thing missing in
convention hall, and that oddly
enough is a picture of the president.
Nowhere is there portrait of democ-
racy's leader There are several fine
plaster medallions OF Grover Cleve
land, George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, but
none of Woodrow Wilson. A round
of the various headquarters fails to
disclose a single Wilson portrait, with
one notable exception, and that is,
strangely enough, the Tammany
headquarters. This is quite possibly
due to the fact that in many instances
portraits, dodgers, buttons and badges
are brought to the convention by the
manufacturers of the commodities.
At this convention, there being no
contest for anything except the vice
presidency, there is no great neces-
sity for buttons, badges and pictures
of the leader.
In the national committee head
quarters there is large box full Of
Wilson buttons with the slogan,
America First" A man on the out
side of the hotel is selling buttons
marked Safety First Take your
choice.
O'Keefe True to Traditions.
While the clans were assembling
in the hall, and a mighty fine hall
it is, too, a fine old Irish gentleman,
whose name is Patrick O'Kcefe, and
whose long residence in the state Of
Texas has not taken away from him
any OF the Gaelic attributes which he
brought with him from the Emerald
Isle, amused the crowd with an elabo-
rate Irish reel. As the band played,
Mr.. O'Keefe, who admits to at least
65, astonished everyone by leaping
over a four-foot barrier and dancing
like a l6-year-old. He spun around
on one foot and then jumped up and
cracked his heels together and shout
ed He did this three separate times.
His enthusiasm could not be con-
tanned. He endeavored to keep it
within himself, but while Bishop
James w. Lee of the Methodist Epis-
copal church, South, was reciting the
words of an opening prayer, the spirit
within Patrick O'Keefe burst forth,
and he yelled at the top of his lungs;
Go to it, old boy, you said something
then"
Had it not been in the midst of a
prayer it is likely that the Coliseum
would have exploded with laughter,
for everyone was in an explosive
mood.