Evening star., 1928-01-15
CONVENTION PROCEDURE
BY FREDERIC ]. H4SkIN.

ton city. having paid upward OF a
hundred thousand dollars to get the
crowd is entitled to week at least IN
which to recover its money. OF course,
! q deadlocked convention like the last
two Democratic gatherings. lasts more
than a week anyhow. but convention
like the last Republican gathering at
! Cleveland. with very little unsettled in
advance except the candidate for Vice
President. could probably have finished
its work in two days If necessary.
Program Followed.
A certain amount of oratory, and
time for many gatherings OF party lead
ers outside the convention hall, PLAN
ming for campaign work, and renewing
old friendships. are really part OF the
convention. Thus the first day usually
has little on the program except the
speech Of the temporary chairman,
which is the keynote speech OF the con-
vention. The convention is in session
only two or three hours day. The
second day takes care OF routine COM
mittee reports on the rules and pro-
cedure and permanent organization or
the convention. and the permanent
chairman makes his speech. which Is
another general rallying cry to the
party, and Is addressed actually 70 the
country at large.
The third day may find some real
debate over the party platform. and
may also find time for the nominating
speeches, or part of them. II many
candidates for the presidency are In the
field, the nominating and seconding
speeches may fill whole day. BY this
time the crowding for gallery seats is
not so great. and many OF the dele
gates will also b. absent part OF the
time.
Balloting for the nominee seldom be-
gins until the fourth day. and some
times not until the Nth. From that
time forward the hailoting Is the only
business on hand. until the nomination
is made. The vice presidential NOM
ination usually requires but little time
after the head OF the ticket has been
selected.
Interspersed in the program each day
| there Is music. usually some famous
/ singer. and plenty OF band music and
| singing by the convention. Then there
are hours consumed by the demon
| strations" for the various candidates.
| These appear spontaneous. but while
| partly SO, are also carefully staged by
the hackers OF each candidate. Cheers
! of the college foot ball type are de-
| the outbursts. Delegates and visitors
| march around the hall. banners are
waved. and there Is great to-do,
| The delegates and guests do not al
ways know II. but the chairman or
sergeant-at-arms Of the convention
really has much 10 do with controlling
the length of the demonstrations. by
controlling the fioodlights and the
bands. These are managed by series
Of signal buttons on the speakers stand.
with wires leading to the band stands
and light stations. When the presiding
officer thinks the noise has gone on long
enough. q signal stops the band and
cuts of the flood lights. and the crowd
instinctively subsidies without knowing
| just why.
Already these plans are under way.
Already the hotels at the convention
cities have thousands OF rooms re-
served for the foresighted people who
know they are going TO be ON hand
| The rooms for the delegates arc re-
served before the delegates themselves
are chosen.