Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 July 1908 — SECOND DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. [ARTICLE]

SECOND DAY'S PROCEEDINGS.

Row Over the Contests Costs the Convention * Whole Day in Settlement. The Democratic national convention went “up in the air” on Wednesday When the order of business was reached of the credentials committee’s re4>ort After an all night session of that committee its report was not ready when the convention met, and that blocked all further proceedings. But what the committee would report was pretty well known and it roused much anger and excitement For it unseated the Guffey contested delegates in the Pennsylvania delegation and there was much heat among the delegates at this action. Two sessions of the convention were held, the first at noon producing a Bryan demonstration breaking all records in duration; the second at 8 p. m. bringing *the culmination of the struggle over the credentials of the Pennsylvania delegation and the su premacy of the Pennsylvania leader, Colonel Guffey, who had been denounced by Bryan. Outside of the convention the committees proceeded with the serious work of preparing the way for convention action. The ere*dentials committee had unseated eight of' Colonel Guffey’s antl-Bryan Pennsylvania delegates, thus reversing the complexion of the Pennsylvania delegation from antl-Bryan to Bryan, and precipitating the intense controversy which was fought out at the night session of the convention. The noon meeting of the convention was productive of little practical progress, but It had the effect of the explosion of long pentXip Bryan enthusiasm, which took the signal from Senator Gore’s eloquent reference to the Nebraska leader, and burst Into a whirlwind of enthusiastic tribute lasting one hour and nineteen minutes, establishing the convention record of an hour and twenty-six minutes, or full thirty-nine minutes in excess of Roosevelt’s demonstration at Chicago, which held the record until now. It was a decisive exhibition of the over-mastering strength of the Bryan column, and one of the most dramatic convention pictures evenpresented, as the standards of the states were torn from their moorings and borne through the hall until they stood together on the platform like an army of banners, proclaiming their united allegiance to Bryan. Amid tills storm of Bryan demonstration the six standards of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Georgia, Minnesota and Connecticut stood rooted to their places, the rallying points of little groups unmoved by the frenzied scenes about them. Throughout the hour and nineteen minutes the deafening uproar continued, ebbing and flowing inMntensl ty, women joining with the men in bearing the Bryan standards aloft, while the whole assemblage of 12,000 people joined in the tumultuous demonstration. The early session lasted three hours and then, worn out with exertion and lacking the material to proceed with business, the convention recessed until night.

NIOHT SESSION IS LIVELY Report of the Credentials Committee is Presented at Last. It was long after the hour set before the convention was called to order at night The credentials committee reTort was ready at 8:30, but Temporary Chairman Bell was not to be found for several minutes. But he finally appeared in the rostrum and called the convention to ordAr. Then, instead of proceeding to business, Representative Hobson was permitted to address the convention on the necessity of preparing for war with Japan. He was guyed from start to finish, and made little impression on the audience even when he ■aid: “I want to say to you that not so Very long ago, the president of the United States said in my presence there exists the greatest probability of a war with Japan.” “No, no, come •ft,” shouted the crowd, and there was an outburst of cries which continued for several minutes. He was constantly interrupted, and finally dosed with a plea for a. big navy. The chair then said that he hailed from the Pacific coast, “and up to the present moment he has seen no occasion to enllstA Colonel Haldeman, of Kentucky, rejffied to 'Hobson, dedaring that ths United \States need not fear Japan ot any other nation. Then. Charles A. Towne tobk the platform and made a very brlef\address. And was followed by Delegat<\Taylor, of Tennessee, who appealed fir nhe wiping out of sectional lines, and Jhen the committee on credentials was fallowed to report, and its report was dead by Chairman Callaghan. Y - In celebration" on, the tenth anniversary of the battle \of Santiago a requiem mass for th£ Spanish officers and men slain waaf sung at Havana on board the Spanish schoolship Nautilus. M V ' . - - -