The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1924-07-04
LOvestOne Says That New York
Donkey Show Is Well Staged
(By Jay LOvestOne.)

Madison Square Garden, Conven-
ton Hall, June 26.-In sharp contrast
to the Cleveland farce the show here
is well-staged to give the effect of
anything but a cut and dried affair.
Now and then various state delega-
lions puncuated the hustle and hustle
of the moving, shUffiing crowds with
well-prepared demonstrations and
vOluminOus volleys of cheers for their
local sachems, blackbeauties, and
bosses as they entered the Garden.
Here and there the band would jazz
things up a bit by hitting up a ma
tional or sidewalk air. Even en- the
platform small caucuses could be de-
tected Josephus Daniels was partic-
ulaHy i'm evidence strutting about.
Every possible step in the art Of
Suggesting and scenic effect was
taken by the democratic leaders to
make the affair look real and living
and to give the impression to the
world that the convention delega-
ton itself will decide the nominations
and weighty problems.
A HARD-BOILED GATHERING
Mingling with the delegates and
looking them over carefully eOnvinces
one that they are a mass of twenty
minute eggs-hard- boiled. Hench-
men of local bosses, congressman,
government officials, well-to-do mer-
chants, bankers. manufacturers and
senator's are to be found in album
dance.
1t was interesting to- note that the
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
Massachusetts, Ohio, and Indiana
delegations were all herded together
closely so as to enable them to work
with machine-like precision and in
unison.
Georgia was leading the demcnstra-
7 ton for McAdOO.
Cardinal Prays for Convention
Cardinal Hays was called upon by
Chairman Hull to render the Gus
tOmary invocation His Catholic emf
hence forthwith rose to the occasion
and besought the big three of his
firm-the Father, the Son and the
Holy Ghost-for heavenly benedictiOn
ION our beloved country in this dire
ful hour" The cardinal thanked his
masters for the political, social and
religious equality reigning in the
United States. Not holy word was
uttered in behalf of ecOnmic equal
ity. The invocation was closed by a
plea for unity.
Then there was a shower of small
silk, municipal and national flags
from the four corners Of the Garden
where there were suspended huge
pictures of Wilson and Cleveland fac
ing jefferson and Jackson.
Madeline Case, the beautiful prima
donna of the Metropolitan Opera
House, was the next to dominate the
convention. She led the sweltering
mass thru "The Star Spangled Ban
ner."
Democrats for Big Business.
As Pat Harrison was escorted to
the platform by a committee especial
ly chosen for the purpose, great noise
filled the Garden. The work of a
well-Organized clique was in evil
dence.
Pat lost no time in laying a-sound
financial basis for his keynote speech
and for his party's campaign, by de-
clarlng that "The Democratic party
Is the friend CT business, big and
small.
It cares not how large the scale or
big the investment. what it is most
concerned about is honesty in opera
ton" The delegation met this re-
mark with ringing applause.
Administration Lashed.
The Mississippi senator was rather
harsh en- the administration in his
very first paragraph. which was heav-
lily dotted with the word, "corrup-
ton He made a biting attack on
the Saturnalia of corruption charac-
terizing the Harding Coolidge admin
istratiou.
Fall and Daugherty were handled
roughly. Pat made a special effort to
impress the galleries that they came
to see a real show He declared:
This convention, composed of the
militant representatives Of the de-
mOcracy of the nation is ne cold stor-
age affair
1T is going to be red-hot highly
seasoned and well-prepared." judging.
by the weak applause which greeted
this remark, the galleries took this
mOrsel with a grain of salt
Soft Soap for PrOgressives.
Harrison went on to boast of the
victory achieved by the democrats in
putting over the SimmOns-G Garner tax
proposal in place eff the Mellon
scheme. At this point he paid his
respects and thanks to the LaFol-
lette republicans for their compIete
surrender to his party during the tax
fight in the last congress. 1t was a
rather flowery obituary that Harri-
son made in commemoration of the
flight of the insurgents from the SEN
ate and house while the taxation fight
was on.
He said: "When the president and
his secretary of the treasury, with ali
the hosts of selfish interests. charged
on the battle front of the American
congress in behalf of the Mellon plan.
Democracy and Progressive Republic
anism stood firm. 1t was the same
cause" Oi''
There was nothing stirring. notbino
inspiring about the keynote speech
It resembled very much the inevita-
bic, unavoidable record speecbes