Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-27
HOUSTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC EILLIAM NILE.

CONVENTION HALL. HOUSTON.
Tex, June 27.--Keynoter Claude g,
Bowers. It seemed to this observer. did
not quite put 1t over last night. The
temporary chairman Is Brilliant
phrase-maker and had composed a
mastery paper. But somehow he was
not In his Jackson day stride. Accom-
plished and experienced public speaker
as he is. Bowers never before faced so
mighty an audience. on so momentous
AN occasion. Men have been known
not to reach the top Of their oratorical
form under like circumstances. Perhaps
the author of Jefferson and Hamilton"
succumbed to bit OF microphone rlerv-
BUSINESS. Folks sometimes do. Bowers
spoke too rapidly, too, to permit his
magnificently rounded sentences and
polished epigran1s TO soak into con-
vention throng.
Hammer blows like his must fall with
more measured cadence to get their full
effect. There we're thrusts after thrusts,
each q literary gem, that went over the
heads of Sam Houston Halls vast au-
dience as If they'd been the n1erest COM
monplaces.
II the keynoter feels today. as some OF
hts friends do, that he did not scale the
heights. he can have the consolation
that his address will read splendidly
Undoubtedly. too, Bowers eloquence
scored more heavily by radio than In the
hall where 1t was poured forth. The
amplifiers and other acoustic apparatus
in the long-leaf yellow pine temple
1.-The house that Jesse built"--were not
at concert pitch There must have been
thousands OF people In the remoter gal
leries who could not follow Bowers in his
sonorous flights. Ever. In the adjacent
press galleries on either side OF the
speakers platform. he was now and then
unintelligtbie.
There was distinct "reminiscences OF
William Jennings Bryans immortal
| imagery In the one passage with which
| bowers coutriyed to stir the conven-
| tion's emotions. In Chicago In 1895
| the Peerless One" spellbound himself
| into his FIRST presidential race with this:
"You shall not press down upon The
| brow of labor a crown OF thorns You
shall not cruelty mankind upon cross
of gold" The Houston keynoter, clos
| ing his discussion OF the tragedy oil
| the farms" exclaimed, I'VE do not ask
paternalistic privilege for the farmer
| but we do demand that the hand oil
1
| farmers pockets and off the farmers
| throat"
That set things going among the del
| egationx. ParidemOnium enatled SO IN
stantly. following q period OF complete
composure on the floor that IL pore the
| earmarks Of a staged and timed demon
stration. Two bands, stationed ON OPP
| posite sides Of the hall. broke almost
| simultaneously into "Therell Be Hot
| Time In the Old Town Tonight" The
| calcium lights we're shot at the speaker
| from the different corners. State
| standards, designating delegations, were
| speedily formed In procession and pa
! raded around the floor Corn belt
| commonwealth we're oonspicuously tc
| the front. II the thing wasn't organ
/ tied, II was about as remarkably spon-
| taneous a convention outburst over
mere phrase ~ memory can recall.
The galleries and the radio audience
could have received no impression OF q
| made to-order "outburst," and that Is
| the main consideration from the con-
vention standpoint. On the face oil
| things, as they rip-snorted for the bet
| ter part of 10 minutes the tumult was
| Houston's answer to Kansas City II
was the Democratic party's message ol
hope to the sons and daughters OF the
| soil everywhere, II they we're still awake
| and at their receiving sets
| u 4
| Mrs. Woodrow Wilson was a striking
platform figure as she stood with the
| rest Of the cheering convention wher
Bowers paid his glowing tributes u
| the World-War those eight
years gave another immortal To the
skies" was the keynoter's vivid phrase
The one-time First Lady chose white
crepe de chine gown ana MORE Law.
endef wrap for her convention evening
attire. Her grazing hair was brushed
smoothly back and she wore her In,
evitahie mammoth purple orchid.