The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-08

The convention was 25 minutes be- hind the hour arranged for it's as- sembly, but when Chairman Hilles of the republican national committee brought down his gavel at 11:25 o'clock it moved quietly and with pre- cision until adjournment at 1:25. LEADER UNRECOGNIZED These of the old time leaders pres ent who used to march down the aisle to their seats to the tune of an uproar, walked in today almost unrecognized w. Murray Crane, Senator Lodge, Reed Shoot and a lot of others came 1 in practically unnoticed, probably be- cause a majority of the delegates did not even know them by sight.
 Chauncey Depew was surrounded by a small admiring group; Senator Pen | rose got reception from his own dele gation; Governor Whitman was recog- | nized by some. but on the whole the
  1 wondering what was going on in the auditorium, where the progressive party was in convention, than it was in the arrival of the men who hitherto
 have decided what the convention would do with itself.
 | The hour for assembling was set for 1 II o'clock, but there was no Aemblance | of order at that time and no one made any pretense of securing it. The dele 1 gates stood about the floor and talked, the spectators overflowed into the l spaces reserved for the delegates and hundreds of seats on the floor and in 1 the galleries were empty. Finally Chairman Hilles gave signs of calling | the convention to order and the uni- I formed police began moving about,
 urging the delegates into their places. 1 Finally at 11:2S o'clock Chairman Hilles brought down the gavel with
 three resounding whacks and quiet l settled down over the big hall.
 t'The hour of II o'clock having ar rived and quorum being present,
 said he, the convention will be in or
 der. Paraphlvsing a remark made by 1 the late President Mckinley, this is a
 year-whatever may have been true of past years--when politics is patriot 1 ism and patriotism is politics. There fore the audience will please rise and | sing two verses of America
 The band launched into the air and, led by male quartet, the floor and galleries joined in mighty chorus that swept through the big Coliseum. l There was a moment of confusion at the, end of the singing as the delegates found their seats again and then the Rev. John Timothy Stone of Chicago read a prayer The big audience re-
 mained seated at his request.
 CALL IS READ
 Secretary Reynolds then read the call for the convention, which was published last December It was only formality. None of tie delegates
 wanted to hear it, so they talked and moved about while MT. Reynolds kept on. That over. Chairman lsilles present ed Senator Harding of Ohio as tenn porary chairman and put the question l A rolling chorus of ayes" swept the hall and former Senator Crane, Sen ator Borah of Idaho and former Rep resentative W. B. Mckinley were ap- pointed committee to escort MT T Harding to the platform. The Idaho delegation announced that Senator l Borah was unavoidably absent. so MT \ Crane and Mr. Mckinley marched ur l with MT. Harding
 His appointment was the signal fol the first genuine outburst of applause
 but it was brief and he plunged int his prepared speech, appealing for har
 mcny, counselling the delegates that i
 was not tune for ''recrimination, bu ,I day of reconsecration."
 He spoke more than an hour. referring
 seldom to his manuscript, and was in }, terrupted Frequently by applause ant cheers as he scored the democratic ad
 minstration for inefficieney, incapacit,
 and extravagance. and declared tn
 partys allegiance to protective tariff am national defense.