The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-06-09
LAND0N LOOKS
LIKE EASY
WINNER
Great Hall Is Packed
as Convention Is
Called to Order
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of the New Deal. A set of party
principles called the platform will
be discussed and adopted. And
with casque on uplifted head and
lance in rest the Old Party will
march out to battle.
Pattern is Same
These preliminaries, just before
the curtain rises on the main
drama, are always interesting.
They never grow stale, though the
pattern and the tableau change
little. Here we have a great, rangy
hall, seating in all more than
fourteen thousand people, zoos
Of whom are delegates and alter
nate delegates. The walls are
finished off agreeably in soft
ivory, lined and embellished with
gold leaf. Medallions like blue
and white sunflowers lis that
Landon omen?) trail around the
face Of the balcony. From the
heavy amber skylightS of the
ceiling, the light flows down in a
soft, golden flow, modifying the
harShneSS of the electric glare.
The main floor is an unbroken
plane Of brown camp chairs, seat
ing the delegates and favored
visitors. In the two balconies are
the people lucky enough to grab
on to tickets Scarcer than gold
eagles. One hundred thousand
people tried to crash this circus.
Railroad presidents and bank
presidents, captains of commerce
and big shots of all varieties dis
covered to their amazement that
there was nothing doing. The
container simply has to be bigger
than the thing contained, and
that's all there was to it.
At the forefront of Convention
Hall rises the speakers platform
and National Committee roStrum.
Within a few minutes National
Chairman Henry Fletcher will
bang down his gavel and pro-
nounce the words that have
opened every convention for
three quarters of century.
Whack! Whack! Whack! THE
convention will please come to
order!"
Back Of him will be ten tenn
porary chairman and keynoter,
Senator Frederick Steiwer, of
Oregon-that stalwart six-foot
scion Of stout Scandinavian stock
heaven forgive me for that I'M
conscious alliteration) who is
mentioned on al sides as a pos
Sible running mate for Landon.
There, too, clinging to the sad
remnants Of their vanished au-
tharity, are the National Com
mitteemen, the State leaders
Charley Hilles, of New York, "the
gentleman in politics." they call
him; big, bulky gray-haired Rora-
back, of Connecticut, who goes
back to the robustious. piratical
days Of Boise Penrose, Matt Quay
and Murray Crane-real bosses
in their time-hard-bolIed gents
who knew what it was all about
and who ruled with a hand of
They're All Here
There, too, will be the visible
machinery of the convention. The
clerk and his assistants. The
stenographers, recording every
syllable for the record. The tell
ers, ready to record the balloting
for President and Vice President.
and all the rest of the personnel
and paraphernalia of the great
quadrennial political show.
Curious, as one looks around in
the growing clamor and confusion,
that not picture of Republican
hero shows anywhere. Not even
Lincoln's. Not even McKinIey's,
or Roosevelt's, or Coolidge's. It's
the first time this writer recalls
that the Republicans have failed
to pay honor to their great leaders
of the past.