The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-16

| US proceed with business and stop all
this nonsense. The gentleman who
was speaking will please sit down
| The clerk will call the roll
Everybody nodded approval of this
remark, but there was no applause.
Everything became strangely quiet
Mr.. Bryan sat down and the clerk be-
| gan to read the names of the delegates
in alphabetical order, each replying
| Here" as his name was called. The
first name, 1 remember, was Mr..
Ahasuerus of Arizona. While Mr..
Bryan was writing, l observed Theo-
| dore Roosevelt enter the place and
quietly seat himself beside Mr.. Bryan.
Many of the delegates frowned when
they saw him but most of them paid
| no heed to him. Mr.. Roosevelt
nudged Mr. Bryan and said:
! Hello, Bill!'' But Mr.. Bryan only
Wait till / get through writing my
speech he said.
Hang the speech Mr. Roosevelt
said.
II am going to wait until they get
| through with all this monkey business
and then I'm going to nominate YOU
| Mr.. Bryan contemptuously waved
! him away.
Everything Fixed.
| You're too Late he said. i've got
everything fixed for the first ball ot
and if you butt in you'll only queer
| things
The clerk was calling the name of
Mr.. Calamazan of Colorado, when Mr..
| Roosevelt suddenly jumped to his feet
and cried:
Shut up, sit down! Gentlemen of
the convention, I have come all the
way from Panama to address you. I
am an American citizen
Everybody applauded but the mo-
ment Mr.. Bryan held up his hands,
they all became quiet. 1t was Won
derful to see how he controlled them.
Gentlemen he said, II don't want
to hear any more speeches. l am
| busy with writing. am perfectly
Roosevelt tomorrow afternoon, bu: not
today. You will please continue call
| ing the roll. l am an American citizen
Where is the Republican candidate 81
Il left him up in the gallery said
| Mr.. Roosevelt.
Mr.. Roosevelt left Mr.. Hughes up
in the gallery continued Mr.. Bryan.
| DO we need any other proof of his
unfitness for the high office to which
you are going to nominate me?'
| NO" Numbered thousand voices.
1T is well, let the roll call proceed -
Sing the Rosary.
Mr.. Bryan aud Mr.. Roosevelt both
sat down, the former to resume his
| writing, the latter to read a book that
| he had in his pocket. I was surprised
| to see how good naturally Mr.. RooSe-
Welt took his defeat The clerk called
| the name of Mr.. Jerusalem of Georgia,
and the band began to play THE
Rosary" Suddenly from the gallery
there rose a magnificent tenor voice
singing the words of the song.
| Who is the singer" asked Mr..
Roosevelt
That's Hughes replied Mr.. Brya n,
| without looking up.
| Amt ne got sweet voice ?''
No one seemed to pay any atten-
ton to the singing, however, and the
clerk kept droning off the names of
the roll One name that struck me as
being very funny was Mr.. Mabel Ma
zooza of Missouri. And just as
heard his name, 1 became aware that
Mr.. Hughes was standing beside Mr..
Roosevelt, who was looking up at him
in surprise. The singing in the gall
lery could still be heard.
How can you sing in the gallery
and stand here at the same time %
asked Mr.. Roosevelt.
1T m not singing, said Mr.. Hughes,
81 only began the song. That's my
brother singing now Can't you fell
lows move over and make room for
me?''
Mr.. Roosevelt leaned toward Mr..
Bryan and whispered in his ear:
Lend me your crown of thorns for
a moment, will you, Bi1l?'
| What do you want it for?
For Him to Sit On.
| Hughes wants to sit down and
want to put it on his seat!''
Mr.. Roosevelt laughed heartily at
his own joke but Mr.. Bryan did not
seem to like it. He rose to his feet.
The clerk was calling the name of MI.
Misticker of Mississippi.
This has gone far enough" said
Mr.. Bryan. Il am now ready to be
nominated, but first I want these two
men thrown out. They are hyphe-
mated Americans
In an instant the convention was in
an uproar. Every little delegate
jumped to his feet and a throng
pressed forward and gathered men
acingly around the intruders. The
crowd threshed around me and 1 be-
gan to feel suffocated. Someone
seized me by the shoulder and began
to shake me violently. Then J heard
a voice roar in my ear:
I'm sorry to disturb you, old man,
but I'm from the Omaha Bee and
you're sitting in my seat
stood up, dazed and looked
around me. The speaker was still
talking about Americanism and the
flag and everything was quiet. Mr..
Roosevelt and Mr.. Hughes had sud-
denly vanished. But Mr.. Bryan still
sat there and the fly was still circling
around his bald spot. 1 thought it all
very strange, but as there was no