The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1916-06-20
TELLS OF REPUBLI-
CAN CONVENTION
ANDLIYINCISSUES
(By f. r. Harroun)

Naxson. the retiring Republican ma
tioual committeeman from Nevada,
was enabled to attend the Chicago
convention. Although / was supplied
with a season ticket owing to lack of
time / only attended the first session
on Thursday, June 8.
The immense Coliteum, situated on
wabash avenue, was filled to its ut
most capacity. the regular delegates
and alternates forming a compara-
lively small portion of the immense
throng In attendance. The auditorium
was handsomely decorated with the
national colors. while the acoustics
were nearly perfect, and with the pos
sible exception of the Mormon taber-
nacle at Salt Lake City, perhaps the
best of any large building in the
country. There were nine entrances
to the building, lettered from A to |,
the rows and seats numbered as in
an opera house. and with the large
force of sergeants-at-arms and special
ushers, there was no confusion in
seating the vast multitude
Following the long-established GUS
tome. the session was opened by
prayer, which was read by Monsignor
Francis c. Kelley. a high Chicago
Catholic dignitary. The entire audi
ence stood during the invocation. and
to Catholics it seemed strange that
the sign of the cross was omitted, due
probably to the fact that the great
majority of the audience were non
Catholics.
The prayer was followed by routine
committee reports, but when II came
TO the reading of the report of the
committee on resolutions (the plat
form), II was found that il was not
ready and to fill up the time Chair
man Harding appointed a committee
of two to escort Chauncey Depew of
New York to the platform. Walking
down the main aisle, Depew stood
erect as an Indian. towering head and
shoulders above his escort. wearing
his buttonhole bouquet debonair. a
seasoned man of the world. / had
not seen him since the Minneapolis
convention of 1892. but could not see
that he had perceptibly aged, despite
his SO years. He was in good voice
and could readily be heard by everv
person in the auditorium. except when
few words at the end Of a sentence
would be drowned ont bv the cheer
ing At the conelra'0n of his mag
nificent address Mr. Depew had dem
onstrated tha foot that he is still the
leading p"N'ia speaker of America.
He spoke for about thirty minutes
and while the entire speech was much
too long for reproduction here. the
salient points herewith published
make good campaign reading:
Ladies and gentlemen of the dele
cations and ladies and gentlemen in
the galleries" he said II had con-
versation with that great Ohioan.
Gen. Garfield after he had been nom
mated for President. in which he said
From my experience I want to give
you two pieces of advice. if YOU ex-
pect success in politics One is never
to make q speech when YOU are called
upon suddenly, and only when you
have had ample time for preparation
The other is. never crack a joke or
tell q story
81 have been preaching Republican.
ism more than fifty years. II is. in
deed, exactly siXtv years, and this is
the sixtieth anniversary.
Lives Through Great Crises
1T is a marvellous thing, in the ex-
periences of life, which, as a rule, are
not particularly inspiring, if on ac-
count of age or on account OF any
other reason, to have lived in the
great crises of this republic and been
an active participant in the affairs o.
the country for sixty years.
1T seems to me that there is re-
lation between the campaign of 1861
and the campaign upon which we are
now entering There was one great
issue in that campaign, and it was an
ethical issue and an issue of idealism
and an issue of Americanism.
There had been, since the forma-
ton of the republic, a lie in our poll
tics, in our political measures, in our
acts of Congress, as against the Dec
laration of independence, that all men
are created equal, with certain ina
lienable rights. among which are lie,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,
After that campaign, and what fol-
lowed, the Declaration of lndepend-
ence stood, and still stands today, for
liberty.
And so today, we have a great
world crisis, in which. happily, we
are not directly involved; crisis in
which civilization is at stake and
Christianity is doubted; a crisis in
which eight-tenths. at least. of the be-
lieving and protesting Christians OF
the world are cutting each others
throats. destroying each others prop
critics, burning each others cities and
villages. and they are using engines
of war which were regarded as the
ultimate end of cruelty 500 years ago
"And we thank God we are out of
It. We thank God that we cannot be
drawn into it.
1--WE are entering upon this period
either for the assertion of American
ism which shall keep us out of the
conflict or molly-coddle policy
which will put us into ii.
Wilson Changes His Mind
II received letter few days ago