The Washington times., 1924-06-11

phytes are thrilled by them because
they came with a bang of surprise.
Thus, a lecture on the Administra.
ton which would be tame at a
chautauqua and reads flat in print
takes on the verge of a speech"
and gives the speaker time to sip
water while the cheer leaders keep
their delegations cheering.
.cg Invocation Is Easy.
EHsf comes the invocation, which
Is easy to take because it is brief.
sincere, pretty non-partisan and
well spoken by a trained voice and
delivered by professional. In.
Producing the temporary chairman
is not very emotional stuff, and
every one knows who its going to
be anyhow; the element Of sus-
pense remains only in how he's
going to look and whether he has
the voice to fill that vast hall. Mr..
Burton OF Ohio, who argued rivers
and harbors to unwilling ears in
the Senate, has the pipes, all right.
He looks oldish and respectable
might be family physician, a
country editor, even judge.
Mr.. Burton is received with a
canister of applause. He is the
keynoter. And every true delegate
knows that a keynoter is an orth.
dox and regular" as a Republican
postmaster in Florida.
. Mr.. Burton sips some water and
starts. The speech is two hours
long-butr nobody knows it then.
He is wholesome, plain pronounc-
ing man and reads the lengthy
speech almost as fluently as though
he had written it himself. Now and
then a big word sticks him, but he
clears his throat through it and
thus saves the party at every grade
crossing.
Selling Party Record.
He is selling the convention the
record of the Republican party,
not only during the incumbency Of
Cal. Coolidge, but way back. since
the days of Lincoln, whose portrait
hangs behind Mr.. Burton, beside an
excellent painting Of Warren Hard
ing and an atrocious libel in oils
on Roosevelt.
He points out, he regrets, he sets
forth, he enumerates, he sums up,
he states with just pride. He is
Republican talking to Republicans,
Coolidge man telling the world
about Coolidge, and the whole thing
is before him in printed form so
that he cannot Jim up anything.
He breaks forth into verse now
and then and once he quotes from
Macbeth" to emphasize his regret
over the untimely taking away of
~, IL 10 Ia
pearean actor, Mr.. Burton Is not
entirely the cats, but when he
starts quoting Rock ribbed poetry
about Harding's Ohio lineage he is
right in his home territory.
He gets at last into the policies
and sterling qualities of the cur
rent administration, and, oh joy
at last he bursts forth with the
name which Is the first and will
be the last word in the Cleveland
conclave-Calvin Coolidge.
Recognize Their Cue.
Even the most backward Of the
delegates recognize that cue, and
they arise and wave the dollar
canes they bought in the hotel
Hobbies from the ladies Of the Cool
idge Hometown Club. The gallery
gets the infection, and for the first
time there is a demonstration in
the bleachers worth writing about.
Mr.. Burton finishes by nominal
ing Coolidge, beating the barrier by
three days. This is unusual. The
keynoter generally just glorifies the
party and If that party is in Wash
ington office just then, he may
point with pride at the brave and
patriotic man who sits in the
capital and keeps White House
for us; but to talk right up so early
in the function and say Calvin Cool.
idge will be elected again by a
grateful and one-minded nation,
that will probably get him a fine
from the Nominators.' Keynoters +,
and Temporary Chairmen's Unior.
However, the beans are spilled
and the applause is premature