Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-05
COLOR WILL BE LACKING
Artist John 6arIeyeorn VIII BE
Among Those Missing From
the Republican Con.
ventlon
BY GEORGE NOx MCCAIN
TNHE Republican national conyentio

BY GEORGE NOX MCCAIN
THE Republican national convention
l. Of 1920, from the spectacular point
of view, is going to make A mighty drab
appearance compared with some of its
predecessors.
Much that rendered national conven
tions distinctive, colorful. hilarious,
cacophonous and bizarre will be lack
ing. Notably, the booze.
A new generation in politics has
swept aside many of the old conditions
and traditions. The change will be
perceptible only to the veterans of cam
paigns where the dollar mark was not
the badge of popularity and the brass
band was an auxiliary useful only in
celebrating victory
Judging by pre- convention signs and
symbols, Cash and The Candidate will
go hand in hand to victory or defeat.
A 5 | look back over national conven
4 tions OF both parties covering a
period OF nearly forty years, I regret
to confess that this year Philadelphia
will not be in 1t for an instant as com
pared with other similar gatherings.
The glory Of her political clubs has
departed. They have gone their way
down the slopes Of oblivion with the
men for whom they were named.
Time was when no national Repub.
lican convention WAS complete, on the
spectacular side, without the appear
ance Of a Philadelphia campaign club
to add to the hilarity of the occasion
and the delight of the assembled multi.
tudes.
TTnW e,,rr,,,a,. Al.
4 Of the famous old Union Republi-
can Club that celebrated the nomina
tion Of Mckinley and Hobart In 1896 |?
1t was the finest marching club that St.
Louis had ever seen up to that moment
1t was the prototype of all clubs that
forsdecades after were to set the popu-
lace cheering with admiration and wide
eyed with wonder.
Headed by the famous Wellington
Band OF Iowa of seventy pieces, the
1S6 members of the club, who had trav
eed from Philadelphia in their own
special train, uniformed ID dark suits,
| white high hats, yellow spats and
canary gloves, made the finest appear
ance of any political club recall be-
| fore or since.
The late A, s. l.. Shields, IL I re :
call, was president and marshal.
Behind the band the colors, the club
banner and Marshal Shields. the front
line. or file, was composed of David
Martin, Frank Ritter and Sheriff Sam
uel NJ. Clement.
Frank Ritter and ex- Sheriff Clement
are the survivors Of the head of the
grand procession as it set the st. Louis
thoroughfares cheering on the mem
orabIe day twenty four years ago.
THAT hateful alphabetical triumvirate
ii. c. l.. has planted its heels on
the neck of patriotic enthusiasm lust
as it has on everything else under the
American sun.
There will be no Philadelphia cam
paign or tariff clubs at the Chicago con :
vention this year. The cost is pro-
hibitive.
An ordinary Philadelphia club garbed
as in days Of yore and travelling on its
own special train would have to be com :
posed of millionaires (or war profiteers)
at present day rates.
The efervescent enthusiasm of Phila =
delphia Republican clubdom will have
to bubble and sparkle beneath the red
fire and Roman candles Of a Broad
street parade.
That's as near as they can come to
Chicago.
A MOTHER feature of the old time
"A convention will be missing from the
hotel lobbies and convention galleries of
the Coliseum this year. refer to tlfe
nonpolitical club delegations that so
often exercised potent influence in
formulating tariff planks.
The convention of 1896 is brilliantly
illustrative of the point.
| Pennsylvania was vitally interested
She was always keyed up to the shout
ing point whenever the spatulated fin :
gers or free trade were stretched toward
the throat of her basic industries.
Notable members of the NIanufac-
turers Club were in attendance at the
national Republican convention that
year. They were big men behind a big
issue. Their names and the issue they
represented were potent.
| Rudolph BIankenburg. James Pol
. lock and Howard b. French were three
representatives of the club whose names
recall on the instant
HOWARD r. FRENCH is the sole
IL survivor today He is also one OF
the few survivors Of notable group OF
manufacturers in his own particular
business line who were active at that
time.
With mingled pride and regret he re-
called this fact to my attention not long
since as he pointed out the photographs
of a number Of his contemporaries o
! those days that adOrn the walls of his
! private office.
And what an experience this trio anC
their companions had in their pilgrim
age to the convention city!
: Before they reached Harrisburg 1
truck under their sleeper developed
I hot box and they were compelled I,
abandon it, No other sleeper was avail
able.
For the remainder of the memorabl
night they were forced to take da.
.. coach. and there, Curled up like snail
: on the Cramp"d seats, they got wha
= rest they could until they reached Pitts
burgh. where another Pullman wa
placed at their disposal.
Y The Pennsylvania Railroad then wa
r not what it is today
: A LEXANDER c"SANDY'O CROV
r n was then the proud possessor Of
club. The Fifteenth Ward Crow Asso