Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1916-06-08
REPUBLICANS IN
BIG CONVENTION
GREAT NATIONAL GATHERING
10 FORMALLY OPENED IN
CHICAGO.
CROWD FILLS THE COLISEUM
Senator Harding Of Ohio ls Elected
Temporary Chairman and oellv'
ers the Keynote Speech

Chicago, June THE Republican
party opened its great .quadrennia
show-the national convention-to
day before a capacity house. Despite
the fact that the proceedings OF ths
first session were to be only prelim
mary formalitiss, the people fiockeo
| to the Coliseum by the thousand ano
poured through the many entrances
in solid streams for hours. When
| Charles D. Hilles, chairman of the ma
aitonal committee, arose at eleven
o'clock and took up the gavel to call
the convention to order there was not
one vacant seat In the immense struc
ture.
It was a fine setting for an I'M
portant event. The Coliseum was dec
Grated as never before, with flags and
bunting draping the girders and gal
leries and covering all bare spots on
the end walls. Up in gallery at the
south end Of the hall brass band
was pouring forth patriotic and popu
lar airs. Back of the speakers ros'
trum, where sat Mr.. Hilles and his
working force of 35 men, were group
ed many members Of the diplomatic
CORDS who had come on from WASH,
ington, and the distinguished guests
of the convention, among them all
living exchairmen of Republican ma
tional conventions.
In the body of the hall, directly In
front Of the speakers stand, were the
9s1 delegates gathered about tnelr
state standards, and back of them SSl
alternates. Just below the rostrum
and on both sides Of 1t were the 42o
working newspaper men, and In the
galleries all around the hall were the
thousands of spectators who had been
fortunate to obtain admission .tickst&
Convention Begins Business.
Mr.. Hilles was heartily applaudeo
when he stood before the throns'
eayel in hand. He spoke but brleny
IN calling the great gathering 10 or
der. and called on Rev. John Timothy
Stone pastor of the Fourth Presbyter'
ian church of Chicago. to deliver the
invocation. DR.. Stones eloquent ana
impressive prayer was followed oy
the reading of the call for the con-
yention by James B. Reynolds OF mas,
sachuetts. secretary of the nationai
committee.
Mr. Hilles then called for nomina'
tions for temporary chairman. VI
course the selection OF United States
Senator Charles Warren Harding OF
Ohio for that position had been all set
tied long ago and his election by unan'
,mous vote was only rormality. Sem
ator Harding Is an imposing ngure'
and as he accepted the gavel from the
hands of Mr. Hilles he was enthusias'
tically cheered.
Chairman Hardlng's Address.
Chairman Harding launched at once
into his keynote" speech, and did not
belle his reputation for eloquence ana
deftness of phrase, He began with a
warm plea for harmony in the party
ranks. coupled with the confident as
sertion that such harmony already was
an assured fact. With unctuous SEN
fences he skillfully oiled the way for
the smooth return Of those who left
the party four years ago to follow the
Bull Moose standard, and he declared
IN them and to the world that he did
not believe there was a really reac-
tionary Republican among the dele
gates.
As might have been expected, MIR.
Harding early in his address took up
the subject Of national defense. His
utterances on this topic were reason
ably emphatic and in line with the
preparedness sentiment that has been
spreading over the land. Our national
unselfishness has been proved since
| the great war broke out, he said, and
our national weakness in defense re-
| yealed. The foreign policy OF the
| Democratic administration. both in re-
lation to Europe and in the matter of
| Mexico, was dealth with In few caus-
| tic sentences, and the plan to turn
loose" the Philippines also was scored.
Thes peaker devoted some attention
| to the need, from a Republican point
OF view. for protective tariff, and
then turned to the topic Of American,
ism. Here he once more let his elo,
Quence have full play, and his call for
loyalty. devotion and love for the
United States on the part Of every one
of it's citizens was answered by roar
Of cheers.
Verify, it Is good to be an Ameri.
can. And we may rejoice to be Re.
publicans." he concludeded.
When the band music that burst
forth at the end of Senator Harding's
speech was over and the assemblage
quieted down again, the other tempo.
rary officers were nominated and elec.
ted, and the chairmen Of the various
state delegations were called on to
send up the names Of the men selected
by the delegations to represent them
on the committees on credentials, per.
manent organization, rules and order
of business and resolutions. In most
cases the names were all ready and
were soon in possession Of the secre.
taries.