Evening star., 1948-06-23
Woman Delegate Is Inspired
To Tears by Hoover's Speech
~ Q Stuff Correspondent sf Tks Ssss

~ Stuff Correspondent q Tks Sssr
PHILADELPHIA, June rs
There Is something new In the
air here today.
The convention last night had
Its 1irst two important expert
ences. 1t heard what everybody
agreed was 4 great speech from
Herbert Hoover. And 1t cut
loose with its flrst genuine
demonstration, all the more 4
healthy experience because 1t
had nothing to do with any
body's particular ambitions.
The shouting, singing ovation ac-
corded the former President lasted
only Is minutes short time Is
convention demonstrations 20. But
it was the flrst thing that has hap
pened here which rang absolutely
true. In the middle of 1t q young
woman Of the Washington State
delegation, swank in . green feath-
cred hat, stood on . chair with her
shoes OF. crying IKE . baby and
singing. GLORY, Glory Hallelujah"
over and over again.
That was pretty much the way
everybody felt, and it felt swell. AS
. distinguished colleague OF mine
observed, TITS about damn time"
Mr.. Hoover has not been known
as the type which inspires young
ladies to tears, and it's hard to say
what the mood which swept Con-
vention Hall last night really meant.
I think 1t may have shown that
these people are hungry for leader
ship and, despite all the Whoop-de-
doc, feel the weight Of their re-
sponsibility and are perplexed as to
how to discharge it. Certainly they
listened to Mr.. Hoover as they have
listened to nobody else who has
spoken here.
At the height Of their enthusiasm,
some OF the delegates even began to
shout, Nominate him." Maybe that
was why Mr.. Hoover finally urged
House Speaker Martin, the chair
man, to make q serious try at quiet
ing things down. After all, ut Mr..
Hoover's age, there's limit to how
far out Of hand you want things to
get.
The management was obviously
taken by surprise by. the delegates
behavior. When the cheering had
lasted an adequate minute, Mr..
Martin undertook to quiet things
down with a few polite bangs OF his
gavel. That did 1t. In . moment,
the delegation signs were out IN the
aisles, and the snake dance was
under way.
Crowd Takes Over Singing.
It was the only time SO far that
the crowd as a whole took over the
singing itself. Meyer Davis Band
and Organist Harry Macmillan
backed them up as they alternated
between The Battle Hymn Of the
Republic" and california, Here !
Come" At one point, the full con-
vention shouted Speaker Martin
down as he yelled. will the music
kindly STOP"
The bewildered smile on Mr..
Hooyer's face, through it all, was
something to see. His voice sounded
q little teary even, rs he started to
talk.
Gov. Green of Illinois, the conven-
tion's handsome temporary chair
man, more than once put to shame
the literary artists of the press box
with the elegance Of his language.
Last night, for instance, in = burst
of final eloquence, he told the dele
gates to shut up by asking them.
"Will you all assume quietude?"
In q minor effort, he assured the
Negro baritone, Todd Duncan, that
everybody enjoyed your rendition .
One scribe blushingly tore up a
dispatch in which he had merely
reported that Mr.. Duncan sang a
song.
X xxx
Mr.. Hoover had some competition
for the attention of delegates at the
hall yesterday. Eva. Senator Taft's
baby elephant, put in an appearance
near the entrance. Gene Tunney,
the former heavyweight champion
fighter, did even better. He not only
got in-he was received on the plat
form and allowed to take a bow.
A reporter sitting near me re-