Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-06-08
First Session at Chicago Lasts
Just Two Hours and Lacks
Demonstrations or Outbursts
of Any Kind.
DELEGATES SING "AMER|CA'
Senator Harding, Temporary
Chairman, Scores the Admin
istratiOn and Declares Repub-
leans Allegiance to PrOtec-
tive Tariff.

Chicago, June The republican ma
tional convention assembled in tho
Coliseum to-day heard n keynote speech
by Senator Warren G. Harding Of Ohio
perfected an orpanzation and adjourned
until eleven O'Clock tomorrow morning
1t all took Just two hours and in its
lack of demonstration or outhursts Of
any kind and its strict attention to the
business in hand. was reminiscent of the
Philadelphia convention of 1870 that
nominated Mckinley and Roosevelt.
For one hour and twenty minutes Sena-
tor Harding, the temporary chairman, de-
| lvered a carefully prepared speech,
punctuated in the telling points with
brief periods of hand capping and ap-
plause, but at no time did demonstra-
tion occupy more than half minute
/ by the watch.
| The convention was twonty~hve minutes
| behind the hour arranged for its assembly
when Chairman Illes of the republic
can national committee brought down his
gavel at les O'Clock. 1t moved quietly
and without precision until adjournment
at :25.
Those of the old time leaders present
who used to march down the aislcs to
| their seats to the tune Of an uproar
| walked in to-day almost unrccoGnized
! w Murray Crane, Senator Lodge, Reed
| SIncot and a lot of the others came in
| practically unnoticed, probably because
! majority of tho delegates did not even
| know them by sight 'hauncey Depew
was surrounded by a small admring
| from his own delegation. Governor Whit
man was recognized by some, but on thu
! whole the convention was more interested
! in wondering what was going on in the
| auditorium than it was in the arrival Of
the men who hitherto have decided what
the convention should do with itself
TIL" hour for assembling was set for
eleven o'clock but there was no semblancs
Of order at that time and no one made
any pretensc of obtaining It. The dele.
gates stood about the floor and talked.
The spectators overnowed into the
spaces reserved for the delegates and
hundreds Of seats on the floor and in tho
galleries We're empty. Finally Chairman
Hilles gave signs of calling the conven.
tion to order and the uniformed police he
gan moving about urging the delegates
into their places
Finally at les o'clock Chairman Hille:
brought down the gave with three re
sounding whaCks and quiet settled dowr
over the big hall.
The hour of eleven o'clock having ar
rived and quorum being present h
said, "the convention will be in order
Paraphasng remark made by the lat
President Mckinley, this is a year-what
ever may have been true of past years
when politics is patriotism and patriotism
is politics, Therefore the audience WI
please rise and sing two verses Of Amer
: lea"
The band launched into the air and
led by n male quartette, the floor and gal
=. leries Joined In a mighty chorus tina
swept through the big Coliseum. Their
was n moment of confusion at the end @
u the singing as the delegates found thei
seats again and then the Rev. John TIM
othy Stone of Chicago read a prayer
Secretary Reynolds then read the ca
% for the convention which was publishe
last December. 1t was a formalty. Non
of the delegates wanted to hear It so the
talked and moved about while Mr.. Rey
e nolds kept on That over. Chairma
Hllles presented Senator Harding of OH
as temporary chairman and put the que
- tion. a rolling chorus of ayes" swel
" the hall and former Senator Crane, Sci
IL ator Borah of Idaho and former Repr
u sentative W. y. Mckinley We're appoints
80 a committee to escort Mr.. Harding to Il
y platform. The Idaho delegation N
= nounced that Senator Borah was unavoi
'e ably absent. so Mr., Crane and Mr.. NJ
IL Kinley marched up with Mr.. Harding II
IL appointment was the sigma! for the fir
70 genuine outburst of applause, but it WI
u brief. and he plunged into his prepare
speech, appealing for harmony, counse
ing the delegates that it was not tin
for "recrimination but day OF recons
Grafton"
mr. He spoke more than an hour. referr
seldom to his manuscript and interrupt
frequently by applause and cheers as
ct criticised the democratic admnistrati
lie Cor inefficienCy. incapacity and exit
ne vagance. and declared the Republic
ne pawy's allegiance to protective tar
ne and national defense, He closed with
ed reroration on Americansm and reput
canism which was marked with applat
lasting less than minute. The delegat
II, rose TO their feet, some cheered, sol
,rs hats were thrown in the air and Tho
zee was some waving of handkerchiefs /
to they settled down quickly and the tie
ty porary chairman recognized in RAJ
ist succession speakers from the floor W
'ed offered the customary resolutions for p
ro- fccting the temporary organization.
les lSenator Harding's speech in fun m
be found on page l3).
ME That was quickly over with, the me
mt, ing places Of the committees were
ma nounced and at - O'Clock the convent
he was declared adjourned until ole,
,th o'clock tomorrow morning The delega
ne piled out into the driving rain, VIII