The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-18

tuilleTcnceS between ldDOr ana Capita
 must be referred to fair and intelll- l gent governmental board.
 THE BIG FEATURES | Other than the races for the nomina- I tion, the big features of the two con ventions were contributed by the "trou- 1 hle makers Johnson and Bryan. John- son, initiating the late Colonel Roose-
 welt, threatened revolt, and after re- peatedly demonstrating his hold on the | people, caused the republican bosses to l tremble in their boots. They realized l the fact that the strongest republican in the country before the people was John- i son, and that Johnson on an independ-
 ent ticket would defeat the regular G. | O.. F. nominee as badly as Roosevelt in l 1912 defeated Taft.
 So they resorted to strategy. As stated
 above. they tied Johnsons hands by yielding on the League of Nations plank, fand then deliberately and joyousy, it | seemed. ran the steam roller over him.
 MT. Bryan, in San Francisco, was ap- parently glad that he had lost his figh. | in committee. He received his defeat humbly and smilingly. T expected such
 action, he said. and will rely on thA l delegates themselves. He then very carefully prepared. His floor manager was Charles Bryan. his brother, who | sat in the Nebraska delegation, just to 1 the front of the Alabama, and within lhand reach of the Georgia delegation. i. Brother" Charles arranged the clique. ! Tn addition. he employed a young &C., tress performing at one of the local the atres. She was dressed to resemble Miss l Columbia, and then destroyed the illu- sion by strapping a snare drum about her neck. Thus prepared, she waited throughout the long hours the coming of the psychological moment The word, hours before had been passed out to the I Sf nf E,rap | they had secured choice seats in the gallery. And then Bryan performed He was as nimble as a ballet dancer, and as bold a tiger. He spoke in
 wonderful periods, and in wonderful voice. His every word rang the bells 1 in the remotest sections of the spacious convention hall. And then he concluded
 with that peroration to the effect that
 the hosts of temperance would soon be ucreased by 20,0O0,000 women and chil-- dren soon to be enfranchised."
 THE BRYAN DEMONSTRATION The galleries started it. The applause was deafening. And then delegation after delegation joined in the. chorus. l In the meantime Richmond Pearson Hobson of California, former Alabamian and hero of the Merrimac, publicly enl-
 braced Bryan on the platform-just as if
 Bryan had won a fight against overpow-
 ering odds, which had not as yet had its real beginning The two "dry" takers did what resembled a toe dance, and Bryan waltzed up to the footlights, and
 bowed in three given directions The cheering and parading of delegates was
 then at it's height, and the galleries maintained their deafening applause l About the big arena the delegations 1 tramped with their banners carried high. Practically all were in the parade-but Alabama, Indiana, Ohio. Illinois, New Jersey and New York were not. In one Of the delegations, Alabama's. an effort
 was made to join the delirious tnrong. Governor Kilby, not a member Of the delegation, grabbed the standard and started forth. But various delegates checknated his plan, and recovered the standard, but not before the governor, lin the struggle, had been twisted to l what appeared to be kneehng position- 1 After thirty minutes peace was re- stored Senator Glass, Secretary Colby | and others proceeded to preach against any reference to prohibition. They dealt with Bryan, not with the delightful blarneye and delicate sarcasm of Burke l Cochran, the New York orator. who had | offered a beer and wine plank, but bru- tally. Colby referred to Bryan's Ia mentable impractcability." Glass scoffed at Bryan's effuSive declaration that he would be willing to mount the scaffold ! in defense of the League Of Nalons, and referred to the Nebraskan as one who had joined the republicans Tn nam mering at the sick chamber of the man who had given his hearts blood for the sake of mankind"
 l With the result, Bryan was crushed 1 He had not received more than half as many votes as Cochran with damp l plank had received. He staggered from
 the platform, and made no other pubic l appearance Two days later he wrote g | piece in which he contended that the 1 delegeates had eyaded the issue inas- much as less than half the delegates had supported either the Bryan or the l Cochran plank.
 ADMINISTRATIONS CONTROL This was a feature of the platform 1 fight. In that fight, as previously point | ed out the administration was in con troll The understanding Of each deiega | ton, instructed by it's member who had served on the platform committee. was l that the platform was to be adopted as 1 prepared.
 The bulk of delegates, as a result. voted for1 the platform irrespective of their ideas regarding prohibition. Some l of the very dry aided in voting Bryan l into oblivion And many of those who believed that Cochrans idea was fun 1 damentally correct voted against it. l Less than half broke away from the administration Of that minority two thirds voted wet and one-third dry ] This may or may not have been an in- dex into the personal inclination of the convention
 l On the Irish question both democrats and republicans declined to give what was requested. The republicans evaded ' the topic. The democrats were re- | spectful to the extent of expressing sym pathy. This concession considerably peeved several members of southern del- egations, who pretended to see in the Irish movement another effort of the
 Catholic Church ito dominate the world''
 THE CONVENTION HALLS l The convention auditoriums. the con vention cities. were as the conventions themselves. Chicago was hot. and the convention was stifling. Little could be seen and nothing heard. There was pack and jamb everywhere, perspiring, swearing, toe-treading and showing. h | the hotels and cafes Chicago practiced profteering to the nth degree The l lambs were feeced to their bare skins, I and the bosses were in control of the markets just as they were in control of the convention.
 l San Francisco. delightfully."- cool. was an admirable host. The hotels were very req sonable The cafes served at prices which no eastern~or southern city would attempt to duplicate even in normal times And unlike the barbers Of Chi capo- the barbers of San Francisco tr;,nmed their customers for costs not