Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 83, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 June 1908 — NOMINATED ON FIRST BALLOT [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NOMINATED ON FIRST BALLOT

The Nomination Made Unanimous on Motion of General S. L. Woodford - |~ ' 'fG !’ "'p -■-’.•r ”! . P|f New York, Seconded l>y the Favorite-Son Delegations. - - -A-.. - • ii ■ mSiSm i ji" ifi» jj j j * 7: "

TAFT-SHERMAN .1 ■ *• . -V* ~rt • * ♦ -****•• * * The Standard-Bearers of the Republicans for President and Vice-President. Tir-o^?“Fr”" , '" ,v ■ For Taft - - ,- 702 For All Others - 277 William Howard Taft of ‘Ohio was nominated for President of the United Stktes by the Republican national convention Thursday afternoon. On the only ballot taken he received 702 votes out of 979 cast, one dlelegate out of the 980 making up

the convention being absent and not represented by alternate. The nomination was made unanimous on motion of Qeneral Stewart L. Wopdford of New York, seconded by the delegation chairman of all (he other favorite son states—lndiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—and by the Georgia cblbred man, who had presented Foraker’s name and Representative Fordney of Michigan, who had cast his vote for Cannon. SB X = ' President Roosevelt receded three votes on the call of the states and territories, all three coming from Pennsylvania, however, Ohio had cast the vote that gave Taft a majority. President Roosevelt's prediction many months ago that Taft wc uld have 700 votes on the first ballot taken by the convention, was verified by a remarkably close margin above the figure set. Frank H. Hitchcock, the Taft manager, who has Jumped into sudden prominence and is to be s central figure In the campaign this year, finished its work over snakhUsd es>W

one week ago. He was only one out of the way and that one is accounted for by the absentee when the roll was called. The nomination was made under intensely dramatic circumstances at the end of a seven hours’ session of the convention. Fifteen thousand persons wilted by the heat, made petulant and impatient by the prolonged proceedings in a muggy atmosphere, had turned the convention hall into a bedlam that caused Senator Henry Cabot l Lodge, the permanent chairman, to shout to the police to “clear the galleries.” Before there was any attempt to ; execute the order quiet was restored, calm settled over everything and everybody, and, regardless of the rivalries that have marked the oontest, ending with the first and only roll call, there was one grand barmonous chorus, In which the keyword was “Taft.”

Pandemonium reigned when the siren-lunged secretary, directed by Chairman Lodge, who indicated a belief that a prearranged mob planned to break up the convention, started the roll call. Loud as was his voice, it could carry Intelligibly hardly a rod, but he got the attention of "Alabama, of Arkansas and of California, and the chairmen of those delegations had fired in through megaphones twenty-two, eighteen and twenty votes respectively for William H. Taft The roll was being called and tfe Taft votes were being recorded in the very midst of a tremendously noisy demonstration Intended by its leaders to be a last desperate attempt to stampede the convention to Roosevelt. It was entirely a gallery demonstration, which augmented baling of the permanent chairman. It had started as a demonstration over La. Follette by the Wisconsin delegates and by Wisconsin persona scattered through the various sections of the Coliseum given over to specie bore, moment —the moment at’ irtUch the soli was to be celled— «o turn th 4 tumlt into channel.

There had been two hours or more of nominating speeches, and Wisconsin’s last spokesman had just finished a brilliant effort in behalf of LaFollette before an unsympathetic convention. The Wisconsin delegates had started a demonstration, and La Follette partisans scattered through

the galleries had joined in.' It was a far more pronounced spectacle than any of the demonstrations over other candidates whose names had been presented for nomination w<th the exception of that devoted to Taft Perfunctory cheering, confined almost exclusively to the respective favorite son delegations in turn, had followed th? presentation of names embraced within the familiar group known heretofore as the “allies." It was Virus to call the rolL But the Roosevelt shouters got into the tumult with the LaFollelte boomers Pictures of' Roosevelt suddenly were sprung from places of concealment PDd raided on high. On the platform a man who runs one of the elevators In the Senate wing of the capitol at Washington was waving violently an immeihse lithograph of the popular President.

in the south gallery a squad of Roosevelt boosters rushed into evidence bearing an American flag at least thirty feet long, to which was attached an immense portrait of the President. They paraded with it back and fourth through the gallery aisles In full., of all 1 thn fi g ° ninrtUlaA thousands, and finally swung the flag from the gallery just above' tbe'maih platform. * And it, was amid the tumult encouraged by such environment that the roll call that was to nominate aiiteattOK. the standard bearer was begun. The aisles, stairways and evSry available inchof space aside from the chairs were choked or packed with humanity. Mayor Busse, from a Beat close to the platform, where he personally had kept in touch with the police officials on duty at the Coliseum, was seen to walk across the main aisle and Becure the attention of Chairman Lodge. Whether the mayor was prqtestfas against the veil -eaH r -uhdw such confusing circumstances, those who were in closp proximity could not tell. But they saw Senator I/Odge, flip in his eyj, bend over as He addresspd the mayor in these wordfp: “I’m npt going to allow this convention to be broken up by any Chicago mob." The roll call proceeded with megaphone accompaniment, but when a few mofe states had been called the tuipult subsided as suddenly as it begem and the remainder of the actual work of nominating the candidate for President was devoid of ainy striking Incident. When the result was announced by Chairman Lodge at fifteen minutes

after 5 o'clock the fever of anticipation and excitement had passed its crisis, and mild cheers ended the great dramatic climax to the Republican national convention of 1908. The striking Taft demonstration had pieceded the actual nomination by more than an hour. It came when the state which the Republican hosts expect is to give to the nation its next President was reached oh the call for presentation of candidates. New York, through General Woodford, had just presented the name of Hughes, and Secretary John R. Malloy had resumed reading down the list. “North Carolina!” he shouted, and then with the hard pedal applied he thundered: “Oh-h-hi-oh.” Up with a roar went 700 Taft delegates and an additional 700 Taft alternates. Up went the great Taft crowd that thronged the spectators’ sections, and a twenty-five minutes’ period of ear-piercing cheering was inaugurated. Flags and streamers bourgeoned and blossomed into great gardens of color throughout the big building. Delegates from the various states tore loose the guidons that marked their reservation in the i nvention and paraded with them behind the big blue Taft banner of the Ohio contingent. At .the height of the demonstration Charles P. Taft, all abeam with joy, pushed his way through the crowd that almost choked the main aisle to the terrace on the right, where Frank H. Hitchcock was taking in the animated scene. The brother and manager of the candidate grasped hands and exchanged congratulatory work.’ It was the moment of climax to which they had been j looking forward during months that sometimes had been marked by fear and uncertainty. Now tbe uncertainty was over. There could be no break. All that remained was the formality ! of the roll call. The demonstration was much the same as the spectacles that every recurring four years mark the great national conventions at the critical hour incident to the nomination of the chosen candidate for President Despite their sameness, the spectacles always are thrilling—the inspiring features that bring the crowds and arouse party enthusiasm.

One particularr featurre was the speech of Governor Hanly of Indiana, placing in nomination Charles Warren Fairbanks. Annoyed at the impatience, the sometimes turbulence and sometimes "joshing” propensities -of ttey r gnilorics, GoTernor Hauiy togt control of his temper, a&arently assumed that the convention itself was bent on embarrassing him, and gave expression to utterances that marred somewhat the general spirit of harmony prevailing in the hour when the contest was practically over. Govern oi —Hanly also showed a mean disposition toward the -adminigtration. Addressing himself to Ohio, he referred to the ‘‘arbitrary action" in seating contested delegates. He also cast a slur upon the present administration by declaring with pointed significance that if Fairbanks was President there would be “no government by impulse." He said other thingß along the same line. During the delivery of the govern--aftr speech the galleries' Teh aTW in a" manner which caused Chairman Lodge to interrupt the speaker and pre claim that the police would* be ordered to clear the Coliseum of spectators if the conditions did not change. The threat had its intended effect. Every time Governor Hanly wished to emphasize a point in his unauspicious and tedious speech he would bring his right hand with a slap into the palm of his left. The galleries got to echoing the slap; every time he slapped his hands about 3,000 other pairs of hands slapped in unison with him, until the effect was one of hilarious funmaking seldom seen in a national - political gathering The very positive Senator Lodge brought it to an abrupt end, however.

The Gentleman Who Placed the Next President in Nomination.

HON. WILLIAM H. TAFT