Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-07-02
KEEPING nELE:GATES
 AMUSED TASK OF
 CONVENTION HEADS
While They Wait on Platform Songs Hold Big
 Crowd
B0DYGUARD FOR BRYAN
 TO PROTECT PERSON
Friends Feared Personal Danger to Defender of DryS Who Was Expected to be Center of
 sNarm Battle

Auditorium, San Franciso, Jnly l. At $ o'clock the hour set for the re assembling of the democratic national convention the platform committee was not ready to report and the pros poets were that the convention woul I not get under way for some time.
 In anticipation of the prohibition fight the convention hall was packed at the appointed hour The delegates were ready and the last tiers of the galleries up under the edges of the roof were as full as they could be. The band, the organ and the singers entertained the crowd.
 Friends of William Jennings Bryan recalling threats of bodily harm made upon him at Baltimore in 1912. had arranged to be prepared to defend their champion in case he should be imperilled in the heat of battle of the vets and drys. They had favorable positions about the speakers stand and on the floor waiting possible de- velopments they hoped would not come.
 Although the big auditorium was packed to the doors and roof, fully 5000 with tickets were unable to get in. At S:O5 Chairman Robinson want ed to make an announcement but the band and organ prevented it by break ing into "The Sidewalks of New York"
 As usual the proceedings started with prayer and the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.
 At $50 the platform committed reported it was still not ready.
 On motion of Delegate Linebaugh the convention went into temporary recess while the state delegat ations caucused to name their national con- mitteemen and national committed women. Most of them already have been selected and their announcement that fashion was principally a time killing proposition, while the platform committee continued to work.
 Workers Still Busy.
 w iIiiC all LiiS was SOlHS OH UnC efforts of the combination attempting to form against the nomination of William G. McAdoo was at work and reports which came to the convention hall said it had decided to center on Cox for the present. The McAdoc people, on the other hand were pre- dieting that their candidate would go lover the top" before the fifth bal lot. They claimed backing of many prominent administration leaders who are on the ground here.
 To further fill in the wait, delegate from Virginia sang "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia" unaccompanied by no music.
 When he came to the chorus, the audience joined in and the organ chimed along with it's resoundng notes.
 Word came down from the platform committee meanwhile that if gooc fortune prevailed there might be a report about 10:30 o'clock and that in the prohibition fight it might be agreed to have only two speakers MT. Bryan on the one side and Bain- bridge Colby on the other.
 The meaning of this was that the pla atform committee could not decide the prohibition issue and was going to let come to the floor. The band significantly played "We Won't Go Home Until Morning." and the con- vention ruefully getting the point, did not applaud very loudly. It cheered loudly, however, when the band led off into "How Dry am."
 The delegates probably were think ing of the wet and dry fight going on in another part of the building.
 Mrs. George Bass of Illinois, chief of the women's bureau of the demo- cratic national committee, made a woman suffrage speech in which she said she would reveal "th/ duplicity of republican management in con. gress" on the suffrage question. The nose count made by the con- vention managers to determine wheth. CT the two-thirds vote to suspend the rules and go ahead with ballotinl could be secured, developed that al of the caididate managers were op, posed to it because they felt it would get them "out of position" At 9:30 o'clock, San Francisco time the word came down from the plat form committee that they would b' ready in an hour. This agreed witf the previous word that they hoped to be ready by 10:30. The task O the convention managers was to keel 1 the convention amused.
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