Show m mm illinois republicans are fighting FOK democrats ol 01 the his boom ari meet springfield ills april 29 special tho exodus to the state fair grounds where the republican state convention will open this afternoon in what was formerly the horticultural building of the chicago worlds fair commenced as soon as the delegates and visitors had gotten their breakfasts all previous political conventions have been held in the house of representatives of the state capitol which has a seating capacity of about three thousand but it was long ago evident that in view ef the extraordinary interest in the advent of today these quarters would be more than inadequate and accordingly the horticultural building was secured and fitted up with seats for between ten and eleven thousand delegates and spectators the fair grounds are located some four milea from the center of the city and in view of the prospect of an all night session a long row of refreshment booths was hurriedly erected late last night and enough provender to feed an army wae taken out this morning much to the dismay and disgust of the members of the christian temperance union moreover the right of way has been given to a purveyor of wet goods and who with one hundred bar tenders and several dray loads of malt and more ardent refreshments has established himself in one of the buildings immediately adjacent to the convention it adb nearly one when state chairman T N jamieson of chicago stepped to the platform in horticultural hall and called the republican convention to order nearly fourteen hundred delegates tha largest number ever assembled on a similar occasion in the state occupied beata in the front portion of the ground floor of the immense structure while in their rear and thence mounting by tiers almost to the roof were improvised benches which furnished accommodation for over nine thousand spectators save for an immense american flag suspended over the platform with a view of increasing the acoustic properties iea there were no decorations it took several moments 0 o bring the vast audience down to the necessary degree of quiet and then the call waa read setting forth that the convention would be required to place in nomination candidates for governor lieutenant governor secretary of state state auditor state treasurer attorney general three university trustees four delegates and four alternates at large to tho national convention and two electors at large this formality over the convention at two was kempor ari ly organized and the temporary chairman introduced the platform will contain strong protection and sound money planks if the machine managers win out in the republican state convention today it is on the cards that hon william pann nixon of the chicago inter i ocean R W Pat torson of the chicago tribune senator cullom and ex gover nor joseph W fifer will be the anti mckinley delegates at large to st louia four years past in season and aut of season mr nixon and his newspaper have been at the head and front among the companions of the public career of ex governor mckimley McKi uley but fur several months the inter ocean haa shown strong indications of wavering and lukewarm nees in the cause of the ohio candidate this has been variously attributed to the fact that several of the machine ma nagore have acquired a financial interest in the paper and also to the pronounced Mcf finley attitude assumed by the independent times her ald under the management of H H kohlsaat and who up to a year or BO ago held a half interest in the inter ocean against mr nixon and his colleagues oa the machine ticket the me will pit mr kohlsaat the venerable ex governor uncle dick oglesby mayor george B swift of chicago and one of the mckinley leaders from the lower end of the state this alone involving as it does one of the most remarkable whirligigs in the history of american politics will serve to make the convention memorable |