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Show I THE TREACHERY OF POLITICS This' is the time of national conventions of the two groat political parties, and throughout the nation preparations for the big events are being made. There is nothing revolutionary in store for cither party nothing to compare with the radical action taken at Chicago in 1S96, when Bryan was nominated or at Chicago in 1912 when Taft prevailed over Roosevelt. At the Chicago convention in 1S96 an Ogden man was head door-keeper. door-keeper. Before the convention he had been instructed by the national na-tional committee, of which W. P. Harrity was chairman, to be on his guard against admitting other than delegates and alternates with regularly certified credentials, as there was evidence of an attempt to be made to pack the convention hall for gold. It will be recalled that Richard Bland was the leading candidate advocating remonetization of silver, and the eastern end of the party was fighting hard to prevent pre-vent his nomination and keep out a silver plank in the platform. Among the gold advocates was Harrity who was close to the Cleveland Cleve-land administration. During the morning of the first clay the Ogden man discovered that one of his appointees had been displaced and a stranger was at one of the most important entrances to the hall. On investigating he found that the unknown was placing the tickets iu his pockete instead of in a tin box provided for the same and that, a stream of people without credentials was entering.- He ordered the man at the door arrested and on further investigation learned that Harrity was responsible for the irregularity. Harrity was from Pennsylvania, and he played politics iu much the same manner as do the leaders iu both, parties in the "Keystone state. He was there to win for the Cleveland forces and gold by whatever method was necessary. nec-essary. He and all his followers wjeut down to ignominious defeat when Bryan made his f ambus "cross of gold" speech and electrified the assemblage as few great gatherings have beeen moved by oratory. At the Chicago convention of the Republican party in 1912, the national committee, in ruling on credentials, packed the convention so as to make impossible the naming of Roosevelt. This wrong, which made possible the renomination of Taft, excluded the Republican party from power aver a period of eight years, five of which have been the most memorable in world history. Both conventions were turning points in the welfare of the two parties. In 1S96 the Cleveland men were ousted from control and a progressive element gained possession of democracy. For the first time in years, -New York politicians.-of the type of. Tammany Hall manipulators, failed to dictate, and men of broader vision and more soul stepped in. In 1912 the rejecting of the leadership of Roosevelt almost wrecked the Republican party and the damage done was not repaired re-paired in part until 391G Avhen overtures were made to Roosevelt, and that man of limitless energy and high ideals, was promised nomination nom-ination in 1920, which death has denied. |