The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1920-06-18

br1ef talks by Rlcnard DOnerty OF new
Jersey, Charles p. O'Neil Of Michigan
and Mrs. Katherine Phillips Edison Of
California.
Now began the parade Of dark
horses. They were led forth as fol-
lows: Calvin Coolidge, by Speaker
Gillette Of the house of representatives
and Mrs. Alexander PeIffer; Butler. by
Ogden Mills OF New York; Pritchard,
by Marion Butler Of North Carolina;
Hoover by Judge Nathan L. Miller Of
New York: Harding, by Frank Willis
of Ohio; Sproul. by william 1. Schaf-
fer; Poindexter, by George H. Walker,
and Sutherland, by Joseph M. Sanders.
When Wisconsin was reached on the.
roll call the clerk paused expectant-
ly, but no one appeared to nominate
La Toilette, and the crowd seemed
grateful.
6aiIotinq 10 Begun.
The powers that were decreed that
several ballots should be taken that
day before adjournment, and in an ex-
cited hush the call of the states was
begun. The hush did not last, how
ever, for every considerable vote for
any one aspirant was greeted with the
cheers of his friends.
AS had been foretold, Wood led
on the first ballot with 287h votes,
Lowden was second with 211h, and
Johnson gathered in 1884,. The 9TH.
ers in general wereaccorded the votes
of their home states and few more.
OF the Wisconsin delegation "a voted
for La Toilette; and it may as well
be recorded here that those "a dele
gates kept voting for La Toilette.
to the bitter end. And every time the
announcement was greeted with groans
and Kisses from the galleries.
In the following three ballots Wood
climbed to 314h, which the wise ones
said was about his maximum strength.
Lowden also increased his vote. going
up to 2S9, while Johnson reached
1401s. The votes for the dark
horses did not vary to any great ex-
tent though Butler lost steadily and
Pritchard soon dropped out entirely.
By this time everyone was ready for
a rest and the convention adjourned
to Saturday morning.
The Break to Harding.
The crowd filed the Coliseum to-
suffocation on what was destined to
be the final day of the convention, for
1t was felt that the conferences Of
the preceding night would be fruitful.
The senatorial coterie had been in ses-
sion many hours and the word was
passed around that they had picked
on Harding as the nominee. In the
early ballots of Saturday theOhioan
did not gain rapidly, and all were
waiting for the moment when the big
delegations from New York, Pennsyl-
vania and Massachusetts would find,
the time ripe for break. The men
from the Keystone state had been
voting almost solidly for Sproul, for
the bosses were not decided between.
him and Harding. And the New
Yorkers really did not know to whom,
to throw their strength.
Johnson's vote dwindled gradually,
and then the Lowden column suddenly
began to go TO pieces He was really
the victim of the shift, for the Wood
delegations stood by the general almost
to the last moment. On the ninth
ballot 1t was seen that Harding
could be put across" so the uncer-
tain ones climbed into the band wag-
on on the tenth and gave the Ohio
senator grand total of 6741a, which
was 1914 more than necessary to nom-
mate.
The hubbub was deafening and after
Pennsylvania put 60 votes In the Hard
ing column the clerks could scarcely
complete the roll call. At its finish
the usual motion to make the choice
unanimous was made, but those "a
La Toilette men from Wisconsin voted
in the negative and marred the love
feast.
Coolidge Gets Second Place.
There still remained the task Of
selecting vice presidential candi-
date. Senator Lenroot of Wisconsin,
Governor Allen of Kansas, Governor
Coolidge of Massachusetts and Col.
Harry Anderson of Virginia were
placed in nomination and the roll Of
the states was called. Lenroot re-
ceived a good vote, but Coolidge was
the evident favorite and long before
the roll was completed his nomination
was assured. The "a La Toilette men
voted for Senator Gronna.
With some difficulty Chairman Lodge,
whose voice was gone, managed to hold
the delegates together long enough to
pass the usual resolutions of thanks
to the officials of the convention and
to the city of Chicago, and then the
republican convention Of 1920 came
to an end.
Convention Well Handled.
The management of the convention
hall really deserved thanks, for the
seating, the policing and the other
arrangements were the best ever seen
in such gatherings. The Coliseum was
handsomely decorated and well lighted
and the comfort of the delegates and