The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-05-22


day-the twenty-sixth of May. Tn,
convention thrilled meEthe flags. tn,
great crowd. the bands, the songs, tn,
speeches. the cheering-I see and heal
it all in my talk. The uproar LASTED
for twenty minutes when Van Buren,.
name was put in nomination.
Then the undercurrentI The SoutI
was against him as Wright had fore
seen. The deep current of its power
had undermined certain of the north
ern and western delegations. Osten
sibly for Van Buren, and stubbornIy
casting their ballots for him, they haC
voted for the two-thirds rule, which
had accomplished his defeat before the
balloting began. 1t continued for two
days without a choice. The enemy
stood firm. After adjournment thai
evening many of the Van Buren, dele
gates were summoned to a conference
L attended it with Judge Fine.
The ex-president had withdrawn and
requested his friends in the conven-
ton to vote for Silas Wright. My emo
lions can be more readily imagined
than described when 1 heard the
my friends name. Tears began to roll
down my cheeks. Judge Fine lifted
his hand. When order was at last re-
stored he began:
Gentlemen, as a friend of the
learned senator and as a resident of
the county which is the proud pos
SCISSOR OF his home, your enthusiasm
mas welcome sound to me; but hap
pen to know that Senator Wright will
not allow his name to go before the
convention"
He read the letter of which I knew.
Mr.. Benjamin F. Butler then said:
when that letter was written Sena-
tor Wright was not aware that Mr..
van Buren'S nomination could not be
accomplished, nor was he aware that
bis own nomination would be the al
most unanimous wish of this cOnven-
ton. I have talked with the leading
delegates from Missouri and Virginia
today. They say that he can be nomf-
mated by reclamation. Is it possible
that he-a strong party man-can re-
sfst this unanimous call of the party
with whose help he has won immortal
fame? No, it is not so. 1t cannot be
so. We must dispatch a messenger to
him by horse at once who shall take
to him from his friend Judge Fine a
frank statement of the imperious de-
mand of this convention and a request
that he telegraph a withdrawal of his
letter in the morning"
The suggestion was unanimously ap-
proved and within an hour, mounted
OF one of the best horses in Maryland
so his groom informed me- was on
my way to Washington with the mes
sage of Judge Fine in my pocket. Yes,
had two days to spare on my sched-
uie of travel and reckOned that, by re-
turning to Baltimore next day 1 should
reach Canton in good time.
1t was the kind of thing that only a
1.-THE, supple, strong-hearted lad such
as 1 was in the days of my youth,
could relish-speeding over a dark
road by the light of the stars and
half-mOOn, with a horse that loved to
kick up a wind. My brain was in
fever, for the notion had come to me
that I was making history.
The lure of fame and high place hur-
ried me on. With the senator in the
chair 1 should be well
started in the highway of great sue
cess. Then Mr.. II. Dunkelberg might
think me better than the legacy of
Benjamin Grimshaw, A relay awaited
me twenty-three miles down the road.
Well, I reached Washington very
sore, but otherwise in good form, soon
after daybreak. / was trembling with
excitement when I put my horse in the
stable and rang the bell at our door. It
seemed to me that 1 was crossing the
divide between big and little things. a
few steps more and 1 should be look
ing down into the great valley of the
future. Yet, now that 1 was there, 1
began to lose confidence.
The butler opened the door.
Yes, the senator was up and had
just returned from walk and was in
his study. 1 found him there.
''Well, Bart, how does this happen ?'
he asked.
Its important business" said, as
presented the letter.
Something in his look and manner
as he calmly adjusted his glasses and
read the letter of Judge Fine brought
the blood to my face 1t seemed to
puncture my balloon, so to speak, and