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o - o - o - On Tuesday, June ID. about 20,000 loyal and enthusiastic Republicans will gather In Philadelphia. They will pro . reed, in the deliberate manner of nil Jlarge bodies, to nominate candidates for president and vice president. Only about IHhj of those present will be authorized delegates. As many more will be alternates. A hundred or bo will serve as officers of the conven tion. The other 1S.ho will stand pround, talk a great deal, shout when ever there is opportunity and add to the general picturosqueuess and Impor tance of the affair. This will be the twelfth national convention held by the Republican par ty. The first one was held in Philadel phia, rs this one will be. That was lu 1S5C, when John C. Fremont was uom- GEORGK X. WISWELL. ISiTtjc ant-at-arms. inated. Philadelphia has not had a Republican national convention since 1S72, when Grant was unanimously re nominated. Like the convention of 1S72, It Is ex pected that the coming one will be sim ply a grand ratification meeting at "which the McKinley administration will bo Indorsed and the present chief executive named as a candidate to suc ceed himself. Philadelphia wanted this convention bo much that she paid $100,000 In cash and Is to spend nearly as much more in entertainment. One of the chief Items of expense is the provision of the convention hall. You may count on the lingers of one hand the build ings large enough and at the same time suitable for accommodating a na tional political convention. Chicago lias one and New York lias another, but both these cities have come to the conclusion that political conventions are expensive luxuries. They do not pay. Generally It has been found neces sary to put up a building especially for n ' ' 1 W yyyy m mm n te N M; k wm Wmm mm u urn 1 io li mm 1L SgS ,5" ENTRANCE TO PHILADELPHIA AUDITORIUM. convention purposes. These tempora ry structures have often been barnlike, ramshackle affairs, lacking ventilation, acoustic properties and all comfortable qualities. In them the delegates have sweltered and anticipated sudden death from collapsed walls. It Is almost wonderful that no serious accidents have ever marred any of the big con tentions. Rut the building In which Philadel phia will house the Republican dele gates la said to bo well fitted for the purpose and far more substantial than nany structures formerly used for such purposes. It was built for the National o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - a THE II III OFJ900. BY SEWELL FORD. Export exposition and not only pos sesses architectural attractions, but la solidly built. The Philadelphlans in sist, too, that the big auditorium which is to be created under Its roof will have all sorts of desirable qualities. The auditorium was originally used as the main exposition building and was divided Into several halls. Out of these the carpenters have constructed one mammoth hall with a lloor spae of 8S.500 feet and n seating capacity of 18,000. The lloor will be elevated In tiers, and there will be numerous large aisles. There will also be committee rooms, press bureaus and telegraph of fices. It Is costing about $33,000 to put the building lu shape. Th acoustics of the great building, which are already excellent, will be further Improved by the erection of an Immense sounding board directly over the stage, and experts claim that the hearing properties will then surpass those of any hall ever used for a simi lar purpose. The new stage will be semicircular and raided in steps, so that the speaker may be seen from any point in the building, the speakers' platform being placed well forward. The committee has also given care ful attention to the matter of handling the crowds at the hall, and extensive arrangements are being made to in sure order, to limit admission to the building to those having credentials or tickets and to obviate all crowding or difficulty in reaching seats. The delegates will be arranged ac cording to states, each state having a separate section. In the center of which will ii?e a big placard bearing the state's name, very much as sections are arranged at stock exchanges. Provision Is made for a small army of newspaper men and telegraphers, so that the will of the convention may be announced to the country the moment a platform Is accepted and candidates are chosen. The convention hall Is located at Thirty-third and South streets, within 15 minutes' ride of the heart of the city, and, surrounded by the various buildings of Philadelphia's most noted seat of learning, the University of Pennsylvania. Only half a square away Is the magnificent University museum, recently opened In memory of the late Dr. Pepper, and Franklin field, the scene of many hard fought Intercollegiate contests, Is directly across the street. Hut a little farther removed are laboratories, dispensaries, hospitals and other buildings devoted to intellectual development. National conventions are always cost ly. It has been estimated that the people of the United States spend more than $10,000,000 once in every four years merely on the business of nomi nating presidential candidates. This seems almost improbable until you be gin to reckon up the various items. Let us say, for example, that 20,000 Republicans will go to Philadelphia. v - ; fX-Mm w1ry.y- Each one will spend on an average $20 In car fare, which, considering tho round trip and tho fact that they coino from California, from Maine and from Texas, is conservative. Thcro Is an Item of $100,000 at once. Suppose, in the three or four days that they remain In the convention city, they spend an average of $10 each. There you have $200,000 more. Now, take account of the telegraph tolls on the columns of news dis patches sent from the convention to every section of the couutry. In 1S00 It Is estimated that the newspapers of the country paid for their convention O-O-O-O O-OO-O- -O-O-O - o - o - o - TUT Pfl lllilluH SIP -0-0-0-0-0-0-OH30 news $G0,2"0. and this does not In clude the salaries of the reporters. These are only a few of the expenses, but you can see how they foot up. Yes, we pay well for our political ex citement, but where is the economist who would suggest curtailing of ex penses? What would he leave out? No, we could not spare the big crowds, the pages of printed reports, the music, the fireworks or the refreshments. PRESIDENT These are the things upon which par tisan spirit feeds. ' The machinery of a great political convention Is very simple in theory and very complex in practice. In theory you have the nine hundred and odd delegates who meet, organize into a body, prepare a platform In which they set forth the political prin ciples of the party and proceed to bal lot for candidates. The man who gets the most votes Is chosen as the stand ard bearer. Why, a schoolboy could understand that. Rut actually a national convention Is something very different. It Is much more subtle. The influence which one strong mind has over oth ers, the evolution of an Intangible and unspoken sentiment into a well defined movement, the struggle of concentrat ed mental energy against a mass of unstable individuality all these things enter Into the doings of a political con vention. Sometimes the deep laid, well matur ed plans of strong leaders plans which have been months in the mold ing, which have been perfected secret ly at midnight are forced upon the surprised delegates and driven through by sheer strength. Then, again, it Is a half hysterical wo man who only Jumps on a chair and shouts and waves her parasol while several thousand usually calm, self possessed men are hypnotized into fol lowing her lead. ' Probably the most unsubstantial hon or and yet one highly prized is that be stowed on the chairman of a national convention. In the first place, the hon or is brief. The permanent chairman Is not selected until the convention Is organized. Then for a few brief hours he Is much observed. His name Is on nil tongues. Hut then come the nom inating orators with their pyrotechnics of eloquence, the fever Interest of the balloting, and before the chairman real izes It the great body which has set him for a moment before the country has done Its work and dispersed. The really Important officer of the convention Is the sergeant-at-arms. He begins his work long before the con vention meets, and he Is a figure of prominence every moment It Is In ses sion. Tho chairman has almost no patronage at his command, but this other functionary gives It out In chunks. His title would be far more accurate were ho termed the conven tion's business manager. The scrgeant-at-anns Is appointed by tho convention's subcommittee of the national committee. All matters of gen eral convention policy are discussed and settled by the subcommittee, but tho carrying out of the details Is Intrusted to tho sergeant-at-arms solely. In short, tho sergeant-at-arms Is In the way of doing either a good deal of good or a good deal of harm, according to his lights. Financially his responsibilities are heavy, since besides the large amounts ho pays out in local expenses ho has to arrange In a measure for the expendi ture of several times as much more, J mMmA and thus the total expenses, of a con vention 11. ay be greatly increased or decrtased by the xergerint-at-ai ms. It certainly may 1 said with truth' that he must lie a man of exceptional Judg ment, great capacity 21ml unusual ex ecutive force. If the duties of the convention ser-geant-at nrms were fully Indicated by the forgoing paragraphs, he would have comparatively an easy time, but his work would be only partially done were he to stop with getting the hall In good order and making the arrange ments for the press. Providing for the comfort and con venience of the delegates is really the most Important'of all his tasks. This Involves arranging the seats In the body of the hall and the galleries so that all shall be satisfied and furnish ing the various subcommittee rooms and the like. There are tickets and badges to be printed, and, though you might not think it, this is a Job of no small magnitude. Giving out the con tract for printing the tickets Is one of the first things attended to. It has already been looked after by the Re- M'KINLEY. publican sergeant-at-arms of this year's convention and probably by the corre sponding Democratic functionary also. Arrangements have also to be made by the sergeant-at-arms with the ho tels as to headquarters for the various delegations and with the railroads con cerning rates of fare and the running of special trains. Cordial relations must be cultivated with the local police and fire departments, and there are almost numberless other matters of detail that the convention's business jnanager must see carried through to a successful finish. The appointing of assistant ser-geauts-at-arms Is by no means one of the least of his troubles. There are generally l.'O of these at least, appor tioned among the various states, and tho demand for places on the staff of the convention's manager Is extremely lively. Nominally he decides who shall serve, but actually his decisions are based upon the recommendations of tho delegates. Each of these Is al most sure to ask for more places than can be given, and the sergeant-at-arms sometimes has a hard time to avoid making enemies in rejecting those for whom places cannot be found. Unlike the deputy serge'ants-at-arms and the doorkeepers, the otlice help, messengers, watchmen and scrubwom en are paid for their services, but the sergeant-at-arms himself receives no direct pay. Ills expenses are borne by the committee, but he goes through all the work and worry of getting the con vention preliminaries into shape and keeping the crowds In good order dur ing Its sessions for the honor there Is In it and the wide acquaintance It will give him among the prominent men of his own party. Recause of these things the place Is In great demand every four years, and rERRY s. riEATn. Chilrtnan ct committee on organization and lit erature. some of the liveliest fights In tho his tory of the two national committees have been waged over the conflicting titles of various candidates. The.man who will act as sergcant-at-arms for tho coming Philadelphia con vention Is Mr. George N. Wlswell of Milwaukee. lie has acknowledged v A '"K yYW ability for organization and executive work, lu the handling of political con ventions he Is already experienced, having U.vn assistant sergeant-at-arms of the Itcpuhlican national conventions at Chicago In isss, at Minneapolis In 1802 and at St. Louis In IK;. Sergeant-at-arms Wlswell will have the assistance and advice of CoTonel Swords, who has probably had more experience In the direction of conven tions thau any other man In the coun try. Among other members of the Repub lican national committee who will be very much In evidence In Philadelphia during the convention Is Major Charles Dick. Major Dick is at all times a busy man, and he will be very much so when the delegates are assembled. Just at present Dick Is major gen eral, commanding the national guard of Ohio; chairman of the Republican committee of the state, the representa tive from the Nineteenth or Garfield, Wade and Glddlngs district, and sec retary of the national committee. In cidentally It may be observed that this active young man Is also a member of a law firm and does his share of the work, so that his two partners have no cause to complain. If Senator Ilanna's rheumatism puts a veto on the president's request that he manage next year's campaign, It Is a moral certainty that Mr. Mc Kinley will ask Dick to undertake the herculean task. Even If the senator remains at the head of the committee, the ubiquitous and never ruffled Dick will be the chief of staff. He will be the Kitchener of the campaign. Dick was chief of staff in 180(1, although nominally he was but an assistant sec retary of the national committee. Wil liam McKinley Osborn, now consul general at London, held the title. Another member of the national Re publican committee who will bo in the forefront of things at Philadelphia in June is First Assistant Postmaster General Perry S. Heath, who is chair man of the committee on organization and literature. Mr. Heath Is a well known newspaper man who Is slated for higher honors. Then there will be numerous old war horses who will be able to recall the early history of the party. Perhaps there may be one or two present who were actual spectators of the events which occurred In Philadelphia In ISod. and which resulted in the birth of the Republican party. The conven tion which nominated John C. Fre mont was much unlike a modern na tional' convention. In the first place, there were less than 0(0 delegates as sembled, and they by no means repre sented the whole country. The Issues which then made politics so stirring have been so long dead that they have almost been forgotten. At the beginning of the year ISoG there were four parties in the eastern states the Democrats, the Whigs, the Know Nothings and the Republicans. Tho Whigs and Democrats Inclined to unite against the Republicans, who were fast gaining strength. Most of the Know Nothings Joined the Repub licans. In the west, except In Ohio, where the Whigs still prevailed, the parties were Democratic and Republic- INTERIOR OF THE an. In tho south the American party absorbed the Whig strength. Tho first Republican convention was anomalous lu American history. Its delegates were not chosen by any set rule, and no regard was paid to the number of votes to which a state was entitled. All the northern states were represented. John C. Fremont was nominated for president. An informal ballot was taken for vice president. It resulted In li.VJ for William L. Day ton of New Jersey, 110 for Abraham Lincoln of Illinois. Mr. Dayton was then unanimously nominated. The selection of Fremont was due to his previous nomination by the seced ing Know Nothings. The Republican platform denounced slavery and de manded that Kansas be admitted as a free state. Perhaps the greatest surprise ever sprung on a Republican convention was tho discovery of Lincoln. Up to within a few months of the convention It was a foregone conclusion that Sew ard would be the nominee. There was Borne talk of Lincoln for second place. Then the "Rail Splitter" was invited to go cast and make an address to tho New York Republicans. Even before Seward made his an nouncement of the coming conflict Lin coln had declared In a speech that this nation could not exist half slave, half free. 'I do not expect to see tho L'nlon dis solved," said he, "but I do expect that It will become In the end either all slave or all free." And In this homely sentence he had conveyed to his party In the west more forcibly perhaps than Seward had the same truth which was In the mind of each. Strange and uncouth looked this man of the prairies to the cultured people of New York, but they listened to his Inspired words and were won over. When the convention met In Chicago, May Id, ISO), the delegates were very much split up, with Seward In the lead. As the balloting progressed, however, the states swung Into line for Lincoln. Occasionally a political c6nventlon furnishes a stirring and dramatic scene which Is long remembered. It Is not often "that they are entirely dull. The coming gathering In Philadelphia prom- r : A Mimymm MAJOR CHARLES DICK. ISccretary of rational Ripublican committee. lscs nothing like the battle royal which was seen at Cincinnati In 187G, when Rlalne and Coukllng faced each other on the platform as they had often faced each other on the lloor of congress. Never were more brilliant nominat ing speeches made. That of Ingcr Boll, In which he named the Plumed Knight of Maine, Is counted among the political classics. It was at this con vention that the Cameron forces were held so strongly together that when Indiana gave her vote to Hayes at the fifth ballot the stampede of delegates followed and the dark horse came un der the wire. The Republican convention of 1900 will be more apt to reproduce some thing of the scene at Chicago when in 1S08 Grant was first nominated. The Grant convention was full of the en thusiasm that must Inevitably associ ate with the name of the victorious general of a great war. There was no contest, and the spectacle was rather a mass meeting to celebrate the restora tion of the Union and the end of the term of the almost Impeached Johnson than a convention of a political party. "For hours the vast assembly did lit tle but stand on Its feet and cheer and sing patriotic songs. Old Jesse Grant, father of the general, stood near the front of the stage, the tears coursing down his checks, witnessing the glori fication of ids son. Only once in the history of Repub lican conventions has t hat scene been equaled, and that was in Minneapolis In 1802 vhen more than lO.(XM) people cheered for a full half hour as they chanted, with a pretty woman stand- CONVENTION HALL. Ing on a chair and beating time, that familiar slogan of Dlaino, Maine, JaiiM-s (;. Maine! And the delegates, after they had shouted themselves into an exhausted condition In repeating the name of Rlalne, voted for Harrison when the time came. This year there will be more than unusual Interest in the contest for sec ond place on the ticket. We are con stantly told that the vice president Is a mere figurehead and that the senate rostrum Is the top shelf of political oblivion. Yet there Is never a lack of aspirants for this discredited post. As a matter of fact, there are few men whose political ambitions are so lofty that they would scorn the vice presi dency, so we may expect a lively scramble for the place. There Is also certain to be a lively Interest in the building of the platform. No party was ever so wholly united that varying Ideas as to party policy have been eliminated. There are al ways radicals and conservatives. So at Philadelphia there is bound to bo much talk about the planks which go to make up the platform. What will bo the nature of the dra matic scene which will make this con vention unlike nil others? No one can tell. For this reason tho country at large waits with lnte- st the turning of that leaf of tho future on which wo may read the storj.