Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1920-06-18
CHICAGO SIDELIGHTS
BY PRES. THOMAS
Continued from page one)
each of the four sides"

on each of the four sides"
The inside of the building accommo-
dates $1,000 people, and crowded as it
was with onlookers, the 1000 delegates
were almost lost in the throng, They
were seated in ordinary kitchen chairs
nailed together at a distance of only
two inches apart, and considering that
some of the delegates were OF VIDE
measure, it was not an altogether com
Portable arrangement, especially with
the thermometer registering 100 degrees
outside and poor ventilation inside,
The noise in the galleries DR..
Thomas regarded as great handicap
to the delegates in conducting their
business, and he declared that the
party would act more effectively If
it excluded spectators and admitted
only the press representatives.
He explained the present method OF
representation at the conventions,
there being four delegates at large
from each state and two from each
Congressional district This gave
Florida, a state where the party was
almost non existent, as many delegates
as Vermont where it was in full flower.
In fact, group of Democratic south
ern states, had total representation
of 81 delegates, whereas New England,
strongly Republican, had only 81, Yer
mont was seated at the convention
just in front of the South Carolina del
egation, said Dr. Thomas, and the lat
ter was made up largely of negroes
On one occasion DR.. Thomas overheard
a conversation. well, how are you
going to vote this time?" said one dele
gate to another of color "Pse going to
vote jest as yah think best, sab" was
the reply,
1t is gratifying that this matter OF
representation of states in the nation
al convention was later made the sub
ject of resolution, and that before
another quadrennial meeting it IS
probable a system will be worked out
for apportionment of delegates ac-
cording to the strength of the Repub-
lican party in the various states, based
on the vote at presidential elections.
The keynote address by Senator
Lodge as chairman of the convention
was unquestionably an able speech,
said DR.. Thomas, but it was disap-
pointing to many because the senator
seemed ver-infuenced by his per
sonal bitterness against Wilson, and
was unguarded in some of his remarks.
He seemed, said DR.. Thomas, less con-
cerned about methods of government,
or with the present ursupaton OF au-
thority by one man, than he was with
personal animus against Wilson The
senator, however, was an able presid-
ing officer, gentle, scholarly, and alert,
never hesitating in his conduct of the
business.
DR.. Thomas was chosen as Yer
mont's representative on the Platform
Committee, which was made up of one
delegate from each state, and in this
capacity he was busly occupied for
the first few days of the convention.
Hearings were held night and day, no
one being refused hearing on any
subject whatever The result was an
almost endless presentation OF ideas,
and some most fantastic. One woman
put forth the idea of the ArCadian Way
Association, whose objective was to
build a beautiful boulevard from Chi
cage to New Orleans, 1000 feet wide,
with auto highway, parks and other
embellishments including model farms
all along the way. "The only trouble
is" said DR.. Thomas, "our model farms
are at present tucked away where
everyone doesn't see them"
Dr. Thomas was not impressed with
some of the outlandsh schemes and
their awkward presentations. The
best arguments heard by the Commit
tee, he said, were put forward by the
spokeswomen for the League of Wom-
en- Voters, and by their opponents,
the anti-suffragists.
When the platform was finally as
sembled it was passed upon section by
section, some fifty sections being laid
aside. The League of Nations plank
was a total surprise, and it was an
nounced that it had been framed three
weeks ago by Elihu Root as the only
compromise on which the members OF
the general platform committee OF the
permanent national republican Organi-
cation could agree. In view OF this
situation and of the long delay which
had been caused the convention by
platform consideration, the committee
did not venture to offer any substi-
tute for Mr. Roots plank.
The nominating speeches DR. Thomas
found long and dreary, and lacking III
originality The best OF them was by
Mrs. Douglas Robinson, he thought
in seconding the nomination OF Gen
eral Wood. The public demonstrations
such as the shower OF feathers that was
mentioned, and other devices to Gre
ate excitement seemed artificial and
out OF place There was nothing
spontaneous about them, said Dr
Thomas, and it is only by tradition
that they are kept up year after year
The ballotting DR.. Thomas likened
to a college track meet-a running race