The Washington times., 1924-06-11
S'.6I0N5
DEADLY
DULL
Speakers Get Applause at
Few. Points, Mostly for
oratoricaI Efforts
By JACK LATT,
International News Service.

SAS AAA@AANDD UNIV OOAAC IL
Convention hall-now that every
one can hear as well as read the
verbatim reports of the national
conVentions-that is, everybody
except the ones in the hall-there
is nothing left to report except
color and atmosphere. BY the
next and nineteenth gathering
there will probably be a contrap
ton on the radio, beside the loud
speaker, which will be a clear
locker and then reporters can stay
home and cover the whole bust
ness while lying down at home,
which has always been my idea
Of perfect assignment.
| Room for 1850.
But this year one may still broad
cast through a combination of
words Transcribed on a portable,
noiseless machine via a telegraph
wire, SO that the smart people who
don't leave their comfortable domi.
Giles to eyewitness the stern
actualities of national life may
CLEAN a fleeting idea Of the modus
operandi, the meshing on the gears
and the tangible technique.
Come then with your Uncle Jack,
o pencil-scarred vet Of conventions
these twenty years, who had worn
the press badge Of every great
party from Denver to. Baltimore
with New York yet to follow, and
get an eye full Of closeups, a news
reel Of this convention gathered
from every sovereign State for the
solemn purpose Of nominating a
Vice President for the Republican
ticket.
There is platform running from
the stage into the floor space Of the
great city auditorium, a coliseum
that seats 1880 Gf they Gomez,
somewhat like a roWboat pier
projects on stills down into the
water Of a lake from the front
porch Of a summer boarding house.
XII lake Of Humanity. -
The "lal5e's is assolid mass OF hu.
man souls, ;, if this years delegates
may be regarded as having souls.
The surface is splashed with
parallelograms upon which are
printed names of States, standing
up like buoys to mark the deep and
shallow political spots. The dele
gates are close together, almost mo-
ticnless and quite expressionless.
The balconies are more colorful,
for there are more ladies and diff
ferent ladies. The fems who sit on
the main convention floor, delegates,
are lamentably unpicturesque. They
wear mostly black and a rusty, i'm
personal black at that. Upstairs
there are flappers, brides, and, if
my old eyes are still sure on such
observations, chorus girl or two.
The same goes for the press stands.
There are several peaches in the
working press seats. They are
working their eyes and they are
taking with pencils, a dead give
away that they are not of the
fourth or even the fifth estate.
} Ara Not Snoring.
The numb, looking ones solidly
seated oRatle floor are not as som.
nolent as they might appear. They
are doing, but not snoring. They
are ready to spring to applause, en-
masse, at certain set cues, princi-
pally Calvin Coolidge" Grand Old
Republican Principles" Abraham
Lincoln" "The People" Honest
and Fearless" "A man who,"
Rigid Law Enforcement" We point
with PRIDE" 1--WE view with alarm"
Peace and prosperity" Tore away
the calling shackles of slavery"
This we hold to be our duty as
citizens Of this republic" and 1.-THE
President"
The old war horses can scent the
platitudes two commas before they
are sprung; the ladies' and the neo.