The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-06-24
HARDING AND COOLIDGE ARE
The REPUBLICAN NOMINEES
Naming of Ticket Closes Five Days of Strenuous Po-
IiticaI Battling at the Party Convention in
the Coliseum at Chicago

tee, headed by Senator Watson of In
diana, fought back and forth. APP
pointed at the session of Tuesday, it
was expected to report at IL o'clock
Wednesday morning, and the Coliseum
was packed to capacity at that hour.
A few other formalities were COM
pleted, and an adjournment taken to
IL o'clock of Thursday. Again the
crowd came back. The convention
convened, Cardinal Gibbons offered an
invocation, and the convention ad-
journed to four o'clock. With a never
ending interest the crowd was again
back at four o'clock only to wait for
two long sweltering hours for the
fight on the platform which they were
anticipating, but which did not materi-
alize. The fight had all been made
behind the closed doors of the council
rooms, and with the exception of the
presentation of a minority report by
a member of the committee from Wis
consin, to which no particular atten-
ton was paid, there was no evidence
that there had ever been a disagree
ment, and the platform was adopted
with less than half a dozen dissenting
votes
A Day of Oratory.
Friday gave promise of being a red
letter day for the audience and the
fight for the coveted bits Of beautiful
~ engraved cardboard waxed hot and
heavy. At nine thirty in the morn
ing. when the session opened. every
seat was filed. every aisle was
damned with an expectant multitude.
1t was TO be a day Of oratory, and
it was. The first order of business
was the call Of the states for the
naming of candidates for the nomina-
ton for the presidency. Arizona yield
ed to Kansas and Governor Allen took
the platform to name General Wood.
The audience heard what Governor
Allen had to say, and attention was
given to the seconding speeches and
to the speech of Congressman Roden-
berg on behalf of Governor Lowden.
When Judge Wheeler of California,
started to present the name of Sena-
tor Johnson the audience had had
enough of Oratory. The distinguished
Californian referred to the League of
Nations plank as Senator Johnson's
plank, and both delegates and the au-
dience objected. He referred to the
campaign funds of other candidates
and there was a roar of diSapproval.
He fought back, and the audience and
the delegates fought with him. From
that time to the close of the long
| seven hours and more of nominating
speeches the orators might quite as
well have said nOthing,as the audience
heard nothing of what they said. De-
spite the efforts of Chairman Lodge the
commotion continued until the last
orator had named the last of the
| eleven candidates whose names were
| placed before the convention.
a feature of the nominating and
seconding speeches was introduced by
Mrs. Robinson Of New York, a sister
| OF the late Theodore Roosevelt. In
| seconding the nomination of General
| Wood she referred to him as a friend
OF her brother. and from that time
on practically each candidate was re-
ferred to as friend and heir of the
departed ex-president.
Battle Of Ballots.
The balloting began on Friday night
and four ballots were taken at that
time. On these ballots General Wood
was the leader, with Governor Lowden
fairly close second. After the first
ballot motion to adjourn was made
but was promptly voted down by a
combination OF the Wood and Lowdeu
delegates who felt that their oply
chance to win lay in preventing further
conferences on the part of the leaders
Another effort to adjourn was made
after the second ballot and q roll call
| Of the states demanded. It, too, was
| voted down by the same combination