Williams news., 1916-06-15
NATIONAL GATHERING OPENED
 FORMALLY IN CHICAGO.
CROWD FILLS COLISEUM
Senator Harding of Ohio Is Elected Temporary Chairman and Deliv- CTS the Keynote Speech
 Committees Are Named.
Western Newspaper Union News Service

ShlSdSO, C. hS IeOpuuliSoA party opened it's great quadrennia1 show-the national convention-to- day before a capacity house. Despite the fact that the proceedings of the first session were to be only prelim- mary formalities, the people flocked to the Coliseum by the thousand and poured through the many entrances in solid streams for hours. When Charles D. Hilles, chairman of the na- tional committee, arose at Il 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 inn portant event. The Coliseum was dec orated 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 MT. Hilles and his working force of thirty-five men were | grouped many members of the diplo- matic corps who had come on from Washington, and the distinguished guests of the convention, among them all living ex-chairman of Republican national conventions. To the right and left of these were placed the members of the national committee and their guests.
 In the body of the hall, directly in | front of tha Sfond Wara fha 991 delegates gathered about their state standards, and back of them 991 alternates. Just below the rostrum and on both sides of it were the 425 working newspaper men, and in the galleries all around the hall were the thousands of spectators who had been fortunate to obtain admission tickets.
 Convention Begins Business.
 MT. Hilles was heartily applauded when he stood before the throng, gavel in hand. He spoke but briefly in calling the great gathering to or der, and called on Rev. John Timothy Stone, pastor of the Fourth Presby- terian church of Chicago, to deliver the invocation. Dr. Stones eloquent and impressive prayer was followed by the reading of the call for the convention by James B. Reynolds of Massachusetts, secretary of the na- tional committee.
 MT. Hilles then called for nomina- tions for temporary chairman. Of course the selection of United States Senator Charles Warren Harding of Ohio for that position had been all l cnff1o1 nnd hic o1opfiny, fHvy unanimous vote was only formality. Senator Harding is an imposing fig. ure, and as he accepted the gavel from the hands of MT. Hilles he was enthusiastically cheered.
 Chairman Harding's Address.
 Chairman Harding launched at once into his keynote speech, and did not belle his reputation for eloquence and 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 sentences 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 to 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, MT. 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- vealed. The foreign policy of the Democratic administration, both in re lation to Europe and in the matter of Mexico, was dealt with in few caus tic sentences, and the plan to turn lose" the Philippines also was scored.
 The speaker devoted some attention to the need, from Republican point of view, for a protective tariff, and then turned to the topic of American ism. Here he once more let his elo for loyalty, devotion and love for the United States on the part of every one of it's citizens was answered by a roar of cheers.
 ''Werily, it is good to be an Ameri can. And we may rejoice to be Re publicans," he concluded.
 Routine Business Transacted. 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 elected, and the chairmen of the vari ous state delegations were called or to send up the names of the mer selected by the delegations to repre- sent them op the committees