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About The Athena press. (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 1908)
MANAGING A OLITIC Slight Variation in the Procedure Between Republicans and Democrats. Qreat Power Wielded Vigorously by the National Committee Preliminary to the Gathering Handful of Leaders Control Machinery, Nominations and Platform. National convention are very ex pensive affairs. Their cost to the party holding them Is estimated at not less than $150,000, and perhaps more. In each great party Is a body of wise men known as the "National Committee." This body Is the acme of political as cension. A man may l;e a proud mem ber of a division committee, which Is the first stop In the ladder. But when he reaches the dizzy heights of na tional committeeman from his State and appears at the convention with a badge as Mg as an ancient breast plate, so that there can be no mistake In his standing, the height of ambi tion Is reached. There Is one national committeeman from each State. This august body meets in December pre ceding a national convention, examines the claims of the different cities that desire the . gathering, and critically looks Into the size of the "guarantee," as It Is called. This, latter form means that the city paying the most money usually gets the convention. The guar antee Is accepted by the committee men, and they then proceed to spend It lavishly. Apartments at the most expensive hotels are secured, a host of employes Is retained and business be gins In renl form. The hotel bills of the National Committees are some thing enormous. Machinery of a Convention. While the preliminaries are being arranged the delegates are arriving. The delegate to the National Conven tion Is generally a person of import ance at his home. The DeinocratB re quire a two-thirds vote of all the dele gates present and voting to make a nomination. The Republicans require majority of those present and voting. At a national convention ench State has its own headquarters, where the delegates gather. They do a lot of "conferring" with each other and with delegates from other Slates. They hold meetings and elect chairmen and hon orary vice presidents. The honorary vice president has a seat on the plat form and an extra ticket, but little else. The chairman does the dickering In some cases: In some cases the posi tion Is a sinecure. Usually the "con ferring" and the dickering begin days before the convention is to be called to order. Prior to the calling of the conven tion to order the National Committee Is virtually In command of the situa tion. With It lies the arranging of the details, the "framing up" of the pro cedure of the first session, the selection of the temporary chairman, nud. In a great many cases, though not always, the program making of the whole con vention, tenqMtrary and permanent or ganizations, nominating and platform building. Convention la In Order. Now for the convention, the great meeting that the country has looked forward to for so many weeks. The chairman of the National Committee calls the convention to order, usually .bout noon upon the day set. The convention called to order, the proceedings are opened with prayer. The chairman requests the secretary to read the call for the convention, which Is done. Then the rollcall Is gone through, and this takes a lot of tlmo. The next step Is the announce ment by the chairman that the commit tee offers to the convention as Its tem porary chairman the name of So-a'nd-Bo, There are loud and prolonged cheers, and by a viva voce vote Mr. Bo-nnd-So Is unnlinously elected. There Is usually little trouble over the elec tion of a temporary chairman. The chairman then appoints a committee to escort the temporary chairman to the platform; the band plays, the delega tlon from Mr. So-nnd-So's State makes lot of noise, and all Is merry. It Is Incumbent on the temporary chairman to make a speech. He Invari ably takes advantage of the opportu nity. I'? 'Voumls a keynote." It is a sustained note. It Is Invariably a trib ute to the "party of Abraham Llueolu" at the Republican convention, and a glorification of the "party of Thomas Jefferson" at the Democratic. It lasts very long tlmo. After the speech various resolutions are offered. Usually these have been arranged for In advance, and the tern- porary chairman works according to a printed schedule, calling on John Doe and Richard Doe at the right time, so that there may be no hitch. Commit tees are appointed; one on resolutions, which will have the drafting of the platform; one ou credentials or con tested seats; one on permanent or ganization. These are the Important ones. When they are all chosen, and there has been a lot of hand-clapping end cheering, as well-known men are atpointed to this or that committee, the temporary chairman announces an IATI01L L 80 V T O adjournment, usually until the next day. Polling; Wires In Committee. At last the machinery Is In motion and the district delegate begins to wonder what he Is on hand for. A big man at home, he is lost in the hurly burly and roar of the conven tion. He may be assigned to a commit tee, but he had nothing to do with that. The State boss 'decided that so-and-so should be a member of the Per manent Organization Committee; that Mr. Brown, who Is a political econo mist, should be honored by a seat In the Resolutions Committee, and that the Boss himself or one of his most trusted lieutenants should be a mem ber of the Credentials Committee. These bodies all meet separately. All the contests that were handled by the Na tional Committee the week previous go to the Committee on Credentials nnless pressure has been brought to have the contestants withdraw their, fight. The Credentials Committee wires are pulled the same as was the National Commit tee, and the result Is usually nearly the same. Framing- the Platform. It Is wlien the district delegate sits In the Committee on Resolutions to draft the platform that he begins to realize that he is only a small "1" compared with the bosses. Tbevgenlal Mr. Doe, who has been coming to the national conventions since 1808, Is elected chairman with a hurrah. He assumes his position and draws from his pocket a carefully prepared docu ment, which the secretary proceeds to read. The district delegate might have had an idea some time previously that he would be consulted as to the plat form. But the party leaders saved him all the trouble and worrlment. They had skilled men at work on the plat form weeks before, and It is built ac cording to their Idens. The committee usually adopts the platform with a ruuh. Sometimes there Is a fight on particular topics. But party expedi ency usually rules. Ileal Work Now Bcg-lna. The Credentials Committee fre quently sits for three days and the convention must wait until Its labors are finished. The Committee on Per manent Organization is usually a cut and dried affair. Finally the Creden tials Committee reports and the new oil Is made up. Then the Committee on Permanent Organization makes Its report. It recommends that the "Hon orable Senator or Mr. So-and-So" be called upon to preside. Cheers greet the name, and the gentleman is escort ed to the platform. After he has been elected he makes a profound speech, the other ofllcora are chosen and, like race horses, the meet Is on. If the Committee on Platform Is ready to report It reports after the permanent chairman has made his speech. On the report there must be a roll call. There Is always, too, the possibility of a fight. Certain "planks" that please Maine may be abhorrent to Texas. When the matter of the plat form Is disposed of, either by the com mittee reporting or by the announce ment thnt it Is not ready to report, the permanent chairman1 announces another recess; maybe until the next day, pos sibly until later In the same day. Nomination of a Candidate. Frequently the time Is taken up with speeches placing the candidates for President In nomination. These ad dresses are usually good In their way. Men noted for their eloquence,, who can portray the virtues of the aspirant in language that will thrill their hear ers, are selected for this work. The platform Is usually accorded the sink er and his oration Is hailed with deaf ening applause and cheers. Each can dhlate Is brought to the front and his works painted In glowing colors. Then comes the critical period. The district delegate believes now Is the moment when ecoTnWfcfor something. The roll call begins and proceeds monotonously. The chairmen of the different delegations alone do the talk lug. That Is all there Is to It. The first ballot In the convention Is usually devoted to complimenting favorite sous. After that the real work beglus. The district delegate learns that he Is not to vote as he Intended, but that he will vote for some one else on the second ballot Suddenly there. Is a roar In the con ventlon. It Is a mighty shout, louder than cannon. Somebody has been com- Inated for President. Amidst great disorder the rollcall Is pushed to con elusion. The chairman tries to learn how the tellers agree In their count But the crowd knows all about It. The chairman, powerless as Mrs. Parting ton with a broom against the waves of the ocean, tries to do his duty. The shouts and cheers keep up for ten or more minutes. Excited men parade the aisles, carrying their State banners, cheering and singing. Finally, when order is restored, the chairman an- nounces formally the name of the nom. I SfcjLra U4vKKVS'ti6' World Know the New. Quickly. ; VWV' 'W'Zj11 This is irreetod bv more eheerliur and y&r '' ' teW AG-" m. everybody is happy except the friends lf3Jti lSr$M?Q &f- of the defeated. They move to make tl2YjL V ' I the nomination unanimous with a for mal grace that lacks enthusiasm. This is done and the band plays. In the meantime the click of the telegraph in strument shows that the news has been carried to every town and hamlet In the country. It has been cabled to for eign countries. The rulers of all na tlons know within a few minutes after the nomination who Is the prospective Ilved 'n the suburbs of a near-by city. President of the United States. i IIe sustained a severe attack of the No matter how long It has taken to "hen fever" nl. as Is the usual occur ehoose a nominee for the Presidency, rence' became enthused over the "enor the whole performance has to be gone us" profits to be made with poultry, through again when It comes to nom- He dld ut, however, allow his Inating a candidate for the second .enthusiasm to get the best of the bet place on the ticket. There are not so ter Judgment, and cause him to resign many "favorite sons," however, and one nls clerkship 'and Immediately embark ballot frequently suffices. More noise, tn the poultry business on a more or more enthusiasm. The convention baa ,e8S extended scale, as has so frequent nominated the ticket. . occurred ; but, instead, he held on to Each State delegation, at one of Its hIs clerkship, fixed up a good, comfort conferences, has chosen Its candidate ftble 1,ttle hu9e on a back lot' D0"ght for member of the National Committee. The election of this committee Is now In order. It Is put through quickly, as a rule, and without a hitch. Then reso lutions of various sorts are passed. The ticket Is named, the convention passes Into history and the battle for power nnd patronage begins. The dis trict delegate goes home. His towns men congratulate him on his good work, Philadelphia Public Ledger. THE "FIXER" OF GOTHAM. New York East Side Character Has Real Mission In I.tfe. I Ton will not And him mentioned In the city's charter nor on the pay roll of the business. of Greater New York, but the east side vThls natural Increase continued for "fixer" Is an established Institution and another year or two, and by this time Is as important In his way as the po-' he had his business so firmly establlsh liceman who samples the wares of the ed on a paying basis that he was Justi pushcart peddler, or as the white-robed fled n buying a small farm out at the street cleaner. edge of town, and then and there be- When aliens come to this country, ! coming a full-fledged poultryman, mak says the American Hebrew, and are ' this his exclusive occupation, enmeshed In a mountain of ordinances Speaking 0f profits, he recently told and regulations it Is obvious that their . we that he scarcely managed to meet lapses from the straight path marked expenses the first year, the second out for the native mast be viewed with ' year ne slightly more than kept even, an eye of softened by kindness. while subsequent years have not failed "This eve of kindness is the 'flT-r' to show a nice little sum on the right He is the man who rushes to the rescue of the unfortunate wight who has been caught In the Wheels Of the law and who needs a sponsor. " "Necessarily the 'fixer' is the intl- be true that scientists can but point mate friend of the ward heeler, of the the way and practical men must dem district leader and necessarily of the onstrate In a practical way all new Judges of the minor courts. He is usu- developments along the line of im ally bluff, hearty, good-natured and provement in-agricultural and breed with a genuine love for his fellow lng problems. Our experiment stations citizens. ' are doing excellent work and are not "When a pushcart peddler is sud- ' only introducing new ideas, but are denly made to realize that he is vlolat- also condemning practices that were lng the law by standing on one spot for considered good by those who thought more than the regulation number of they were right but hrfd no way of minutes, and he Is arrested by the po- demonstrating their propositions. Prac- lleeman who has been sampling his beans or his fruit, it is not a pleasant situation in which he would find him- self if he had no means of communica-! ting with friends who are friends of tho 'fixer.' "It Is the 'fixer' who sees the district leader for him, who appears in court to say a good word for him, who sees the Judge before the case is called, and who. if necessary, puts up the bail to take him out of Jail for the night "ii mum uui uc buihioscu mat tne 'fixer' is a philanthropist. He disdains ethics and civic virtue as the fanatic mouthing of the silk-stocking folk. What he does Is done for his own good. "If he does not receive his fee In larly from your own experiment sta money he knows he may count upon the tlon It Is your own fault. National rescued Individual for his vote, and a vote is easily converted into monetary value. As the friend of those in dis tress he-becomes an Influence in the neighborhood, and an army of such friends may lead to political prefer ment of lasting Importance." The Reuilttanoe Blan. Throughout the west from Cape Nome to San Diego, stretch long ranks of pioneers, building great cities, turn ing arid deserts Into fertile plains, har nessing mighty rivers to do man's bid ding, clearing away primeval forests, laying the foundation of an empire in lands where solitude has reigned su preme. But oue figure stands aloof from the stern-faced, hurrying throng, unmoved by all their clamor and con temptuous of their feverish strivings. It is the Remittance Man.. Here on the skirmish line of civilization, with the roar of battle ringing In his ears, with men on every side of him rushing eagerly luto the fray, some to emerge victorious, some to fall fighting gallaut- ly against odds, he remains an only- slightly-interested onlooker. The re- Tue pian 8nowt cedar posts set less mlttance men tn large numbers come than eight feet apart. At the top and from Euglaud and are supported by bottom are two by six inch planks set money regularly sent to them. They. iuto the posts and there are seven lat have left their native lands on account erai wires. of some scandal, or Infraction of the law, or family disagreement, and form " Deatroying pocket Gophera. few ties here. I The Nebraska Experiment Station . ( has been investigating the destruction Battlefield Logic. ' of pocket gophers. As effective and at Among the men who served with the same time luexienslve methods as Roosevelt's rough riders In Cuba was u be employed are: Trapping when a little Dutch Jew, who, according to done properly and in conformity with the men in his own troop, was "the the animal's habits; poisoning under very Incarnation of cool, impudent certain restrictions and careful prac bravado In a fight" He was a con- tices; shooting at certain times and sistent fatalist under some conditions; and lastly the One day he observed a comrade dodg protection of the natural enemies of the lng a Rpeut bullet that had whistled animals. It is urged that barn owls, uncomfortably close to him. . the long-tailed weasels and bullsnakes "Vat's de use to todge deni pullets?- especlaly be spared, since all these anl sang out the little Jew. "Dey'll hit you mala are particularly noted as enemies shust as veil vera you are as vere yov of pocket goobers wherever they are aiatr Everybody'! Magazine. found. Story of an Amateur Poultryman. About the most sensible (and I might add, also, the most profitable-, beginning I ever saw made In the pout- try business was by a young clerk, who a uozen sranuara-ureu hens and a rooster at a dollar a head, of a neigh boring fancier, and thus made his start. This was early In the spring; during the spring and summer he furnished the family table with eggs and chick ens, and, besides, hatched and raised something like a hundred young chicks. Out of these he retained twenty-flve of the best pullets for breeders, and, of course, at the same time enlarging his house room ; nnd so, by the next spring, we find that his business has, from nat ural causes, tripled itself, and all this time our friend has been steadily and rapidly gaining In practical knowledge side of the ledger. Outing. Experiment Station Bulletins It always has been and always will tlcal men should be slow- to discredit the work of these institutions and should work in harmony with them for the general uplift of the cause which they are all trying to better. The ac- cesslbility of the work done at these stations makes It easy for every one to keep in close touch with the work being done. The bulletins Issued are cheerfully sent to all who will apply for them without cost to the recipient. so that there is no excuse for any one not Knowing jusr wuai is oeing aone by these hard-working scientists who are always glad to spread the news ! of new discoveries or new ideas. If ' you are not getting these bulletins regu Stockman and Farmer, Small yards for hogs require very ,tehf fences either of bonrds or wire. Fence for Hob Yard. The honey produced in the United States last year would load a string of freight cars from Chicago to New York. "This is certainly sweetness long drawn out" The heifer calf that Is intended for dairy use should not be given too fat tening a ration. Oats, grass and milk, with a scant ration of shelled corn, will furnish about what she needs for her proper development. The 1,300 pound draft horse at three years old can always be counted on by the horse raiser as a safe and profit able proposition. During the past few years such an animal has been worth from 10 to 12 cents per pound. Some one who has tried it says that If flour of sulphur Is mixed liberally with the seed corn In the planter box the cutworms will not touch the corn so treated. It is certainly an easy and inexpensive recipe and at least worth trying. The colt that Is halter broken at the start and trained and handled 'as he grows not only makes a much more tractable horse at three years old, but also one that will fetch a considerably higher price on the market because of this very fact. When the flocic of hens is confined at close range nnd no green food is available, cut green stuff, preferably iawn cuttings, should be given to them in generous allowance every day or two. The greediness with which they devour it not only shows that they relish it, but that their systems need It Water Pana for Poultry. In the construction of a water pan for poultry some provision should be made to keep out dust and litter. The forms shown In the Illustration permits fowls to drink from different sides at c .--W-,? J, I, ana m DBINKINQ PAN FOB POULTRY. one time and presents the smallest possible space for filth to enter. The round cone-shaped top prevents the fowls roosting upon it. It may be fixed ou a platform high enough to prevent the litter being rescratched into it Sqnash Bngi, The squash bug never lays its eggs on the stem, unless by accident, but the under side of the leaves. The eggs are of a dark chestnut color, globular in form, and exist in clusters. They may be found by turning up the leaves, when the eggs may be crushed. An other Insect deposits its eggs on the stem; this is the borer. The larvae, as soon as hatched, eat Into the stem, and are then difficult to dislodge. One of the most effectual remedies against enemies of the squash is a solution of saltpeter, which is prepared by dis solving a teaspoonful In a quart of water and sprinkling it over the plant, though sawdust, saturated with tur pentine, Is also used on the, ground around each plant with success. Sanitary Poultry Nest. The present-day tendency to employ sanitary measures In the dairy, the stable, the doghouse, etc., has at last extended to the poultry yard. The Industrious hen is to be provided with a sanitary nest which can be readily washed and scrubbed as , occasion demands. This recent devel opment Is shown ! in the accompany EASILY CLEANED. ing Illustration. The nest Is made of wire and is sup ported in a suitable housing; both of which can be removed from the chicken house when cleaning is necessary. When thus removed they can be con veniently placed in a suitable recep tacle containing boiling water and thoroughly cleansed of all Impurities and undesirable insects. Denatured Alcohol School. As a result of plans which have been matured by Secretary James Wil son of the department of agriculture, there will be established shortly In his department at Washington a denatured alcohol school. This will include a small but complete distilling outfit In cluding vats, worms, engines and other necessary apparatus, while it will be the aim of the secretary and his spe cialists to give a practical demonstra tion of what denatured alcohol Is, how it Is made and from what products to all visitors at Washington who may be interested In the subject Dr. H. W. Wiley, chief chemist of the depart ment, has been assigned to the job. Harvesting at Rlht lime. Pick vegetables with the dew on-, they are superior to those picked in the hot sun. Beans, however, must be picked when dry ; If "vines or fruit are handled when wet they will rust The following are better picked before full sized; String beans, beets, carrots, corn, cucumbers, peas, radishes and squash. Don't allow seed to ripen o toe plants or ther will stop bearing. " II I II "CHTLDBEIT'S EVANGELIST." Ulna Garalln, Wboaa Work Among the Yon no- la Very Successful. The Children's Evangelist is the ti tle bestowed upon Miss Alice Miriam Gamlln, of New York, the superintend ent of the evangelistic department of the State Sunday School Association. She has made a special study of evan gelistic work among children and has met with remarkable success. She has simple but direct methods of renchlng boys and girls. To even the careless and indifferent child she seems to be able to make the truths of the Chris tian religion attractive. She brings be fore the children the beautiful Ideals and the wealth of wisdom which are . --Ni;v...'-..y'v.f ft MISS ALICE M. GAMLIN. contained in the lessons of the Bible in a manner which always appeals to them. Miss Gamlln Is a native of Worces ter, Mass., nnd weut through a course of thorough training to fit her for the work In which she is engaged. Five of her seven years in this branch of re ligious work have been spent in New York. All during the summer season she conducts meetings in the metropolis in tents, which seat from 300 to 500. She is a woman of great natural abil ity and of wonderful personal magnet' ism. A college youth is rarely as old as he talks. All the world's a stage, and most ot us are in the gallery. The things we turn up our noses ai are the things we can't understand. A girl may make a sweeping asser tion without knowing how to handle a broom. Strawberries come and go, but in boarding house circles the prune Is per ennial. A man has to have a mighty , good disposition to b?"wllllng to admit he hasn't. Engaging manners are an asset li other circles besides the matrimonial market. If a woman can't find any other way to enjoy herself she will do it by hav ing the blues. The reason women have so few bad habits is they have such queer Ideas of what fun is. V There's notlihig makes' a,J. proud of his brains as for somebody else in the family to have them. 'k girl always has an idea that If she knew any dukes most of them would want to marry her. New York Press. Tennis Rackcta. What most affects the life of the gut f, f ( t 2, 1 MtllSWi V . j In a lawn, tennis racket is dampness, says the New York Sun. Nowadays rackets are strung so tighl . that the strings break with even gi eater fre quency than before. The dea is that tight gut sends the ball with greater force from the very tense surface. The dampness gets right after these very taut strings. A lawn tennis man was , explaining recently - what precautions I have to be iaken In sending racket abroad : "When first we began to send them to Bermuda, for instance," he said, "we put them merely In waterproof covers. Greatly to our surprise we learned that the entire first shipment had arrived with strings broken. We tried the same packing again, with the same result. "Then we realized what was the trouble and packed the rackets in tin boxes. Each box was carefully soldered up and that made them airtight' and lamp proof." . i The lawn tennis man explained a new wrinkle of players. At the end of a season some of them have all the tut cut out of a favorite racket Thii - is done because if the gut were left in a string might break in the winter and put the strain all on the side of the frame, warping it "With a favorite racket they think it better to pay for rcstrlnglag them than to run those chances," said he. "It doesn't hurt a racket to restrimj it ; really It helps and improves it" Even an empty-headed man Is cp ble of getting fulL