The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-04
ONVENT7ON CROWDM AHUSH
BEFORE LIGHTNING PLAYS
Atmosphere Is So Surcharged With Heavy Uncertainty
That Pep" Is Lacking and Candidates Head
quarters Are Duller Than Mud.

CHICAGO. June 3.-Where IL the pep
that should Ivy every token appertain
to this sixteenth national convention Of
the q. o.. Pr Where is the fighting
the lurid argument. the hair trig-
ger temper, the general disposition TO
back the other fellow up in a corner
and tell him how ridiculously wrong
lie is In his Judgments?
Where is the whoop and the hooray
and the holler. the climbing cheers and
the echoing jeers that made the con-
vention Of 1912 a thing to wreck nervous
systems and drive good men to drink ?
Why is 1t that within four days of
the assembling Of the delegates in the
Coliseum. when important persons with
soft voices n persons not 81 i'm
portant but with great vocal attain
ments are already NJ the ground that
the preliminarics are almost depress-
ingly dull:
Well. all OF these questions may be
answered In a way but with no salts
factory result reached after all. The
reasons are psychological as well rs
material. Nobody Is really sure OF his
candidate. Of his own convictions. or
his own arguments. Men stand around
listlessly, as VI half asleep, either not
knowing how or not caring to start
an argument. Big men II little men
peer through the dark n see nothing.
Little Ginger Displayed.
Ii is truly a remarkable state of af-
fairs that there Ia so little enthusiasm.
so little ginger being displayed by dele
gates and visitors. 1t is not characters
tic OF Republican conventions, which while
having the habit OF settling %squabblcs
In private Except for the Teddy-Taft
Year, and then going into the conven-
ton to put over the appointed man In
a perfectly gentlemanly way. neverthe-
less have always kept time to the blair
ing Of bands. the swinging marches OF
delegates and the diapasonic chorus Of
the crowd.
Look back four years. In those en-
plosive days when the Colonel was bang
ing around Chicago followed by his roar
ing thousands, When the set partisans or
the mild hammered Taft were actually
raging up and down the streets m In
and out Of the hotel corridors, there was
excitement. barrels of IL. Thu visitor
from away Off vas getting a run for MS
money.
The greatest show on earth. a national
convention. was holding up TO specifca-
tons. Why. at any time night or day.
no matter where one turned up one could
bump into "A crowd OF disputants and
arguhers. hot at it. just such a crowd
In voice and temper as collects every
afternoon. rain or shine. In Park Row
around the patient figure OF Ben Frank
lin. Not this year.
One tries the Congress. now a perfect
rabbit warren OF politicians chock fuli
from basement to garrett with candidates
headquarters and leaders headquarters
and apartments occupied by important
pt ople the Congress which Is the very
centre Of the convention prelim'naries,
and the whole Is not as exciting and
hardly as interesting as the pro-Ally-
anti-pro.German meetings In Park Row.
Mid Conversations.
Bunches Of men aye lolling around the
corridor or draping over the bar. the
onma art ~ man that were showing Nsts