The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1919-06-26

and she had shown q tender, sympa-
thetic interest In the story.
The senator had said to me one day,
with gentle smile:
Bart. you have business in Canton,
believe. with which trifiing matters
like the choice Of q president and the
Mexican question cannot be permitted
to interfere. You must take time to
spend a day or two at the convention
In Baltimore on your way. Re
port to our friend Fine. who will look
after your comfort there. The expert
ence ought to be useful to young man
who, l hope, will have work to do In
future conventions"
l took the stage to Baltimore next
day--the twenty-sixth Of May. The
convention thrilled me-the flags, the
great, crowd. the. bands, the songs. the
speeches, the cheering-I see and hear
1t all In my talk. The uproars lasted
for twenty minutes when Van Buren's
name was put In nomination.
Then the undercurrent The South
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-
slbly for Van Buren and stubbornly
casting their ballots for him, they had
voted for the two-thirds rule. which
had accomplished his defeat before the
balloting began. It continued for two
days without choice. The enemy
stood firm. After adjournment that
evening many OF the Van Buren, dele
gates were summoned to a conference.
attended 1t with Judge Fine.
The ex-presidenr had withdrawn and
requested his friends in the conven-
ton to vote for Sllas Wright. My emo
tions can be more readily imagined
than described when I heard the
shouts Of enthusiasm which greeted
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 q friend Of the
learned senator and as q resident Of
the county which Is the proud pos
SCISSOR Of his home. your enthusiasm
has welcome sound to me but hap
pen to know that Senator Wright will
not allow his name to 60 before the
convention"
He read the letter Of which knew.
Mr.. Benjamin +. 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. / have talked with the leading
delegates from Missouri and Virginia
today. They say that he can be nomi-
mated by reclamation. Is 1t possible
that he-a strong party man-can re.
sist this unanimous call of the party
with whose help he has won immortal
fomef No, 1t 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 q
frank statement Of the imperious de-
mand of this convention and q 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 mel was on
my way to Washington with the mes.
sage Of Judge Fine in my pocket. Yes.
I had two days to spare on my sched.
ule Of travel and reckoned that, by re-
turning to Baltimore next day should
reach Canton In good time.
It was the kind Of thing that only q
1.-THE, supple, strong-hearted lad such
as I was In the days Of my youth
could relish-speeding over a dark
road by the light Of the stars and q
half-moon, with q horse that loved to
kick up a wind. My brain was In q
fever. for the notion had come to me
that was making history.
The lure of fame and high place hur
ried me on. With the senator In the
presidential chair I should be vel
started in the highway of great sue
cess. Then Mr.. II. Dunkelberg nigh,
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, soor
after daybreak. was trembling witt
excitement when put my horse In the
stable and rang the bell ut our door. Il
seemed to me that l was crossing thu
divide between big and little things.
few steps more and should be look
ing down into the great valley Of thu
future. Yet. now that was there,
began to lose confidence.
The butler opened the door.
Yes, the senator was up and hat
just returned from a walk and was II
his study. found him there.
swell, Bart, how does this happenl'
he asked.
"It's important business" said. al
presented the letter.
Something In his look and. manne,