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THE JEFFERSONIAN
Vol. 111. No. 26.
National Democratic Contention
Denver, Col., June 21. —(Special.)—When
the democratic national convention convenes
in Denver’s new auditorium at noon, July 7,
Colorado’s capital city will have set a stand
ard for national political conventions that will
not be easy for other cities in the United
States to reach in their efforts to handle im
portant gatherings of this character. Further
more, the democratic national committee on ar
rangements and Sergeant-at-Arms John I.
Martin have determined that a precedent shall
be established in handling the vast crowds that
daily will pour into the auditorium. In other
words, the Denver convention, in point of de
tails of arrangements, is intended to be a
model for subsequent democratic conventions.
Colonel Martin is delighted with the audito
rium. He says it is the most complete con
vention hall in the world. The seating ar
rangements for the delegates could not be im
proved, and every seat in the sections allotted
for delegates and alternates will be in plain
view of the platform and within plain hear
ing distance of the chairman’s voice. The
acoustic properties of the big building will
be perfect, and spectators will be able to hear
all that is said at the sessions of the conven
tion.
Sergeant-at-Arms in Control.
The convention will be in complete control
of the sergeant-at-arms, under the direction
of the national committee on arrangements.
The details of the arrangements for the con
vention are in the hands of the national com
mittee and a local committee of the Denver
convention league, known as the Denver com
mittee democratic national convention.
The members of the national committee on
arrangements are Thomas Taggart, French
Lick, Indiana, chairman; Urey Woodson,
Owensboro, Ky.; secretary; Rogei* C. Sulli
van, Chicago; James C. Dahlman, Omaha,
Neb.; Norman E. Mack, Buffalo, N. Y.; R. M.
Johnston, Houston, Texas; John T. McGraw,
Grafton, W. Va.; Clark Howell, Atlanta, Ga.;
John E. Osborne, Rawlins, Wyoming.
The members of the Denver committee are
Charles W. Franklin, chairman; W. F. R.
Mills, secretary; Mayor Robert W. Speer, C.
M. Day, Harry E. Insley, Charles F. Wilson,
John F. Sh a fro th.
These committees are in the midst of their
hardest work, and no detail is being overlooked
to make the convention the most successful in
the history of the party.
The hardest work of the sergeant-at-arms is
to come. While he is a very busy man these
days, the work he is doing now is play com
pared with the labors that will confront him
r when the big meeting opens. A successful ser
geant-at-arms must possess the ability of a
A Weekly Paper Edited by THOS. E. WATSON and J. D. WATSON.
Atlanta, Ga., Thursday, June 25, 1908.
general, and he must know human nature so
thoroughly that he can select his assistants
and his doorkeepers with unerring judgment.
Colonel Martin possesses all of the qualifica
tions of a successful sergeant-at-arms. Since
he was a young man he has been a commander
of men. He has been grand marshal of many
of the most noted parades in America, and
perhaps no other man in the United Staes
has had such wide experience in that line.
He is a veteran in convention work, and in
the Denver meeting he will have not less than
600 men and boys under his control.
Allotment of Seats.
The allotment of seats to the delegates will
not be made until the day before the con
vention opens. The selections will be made
by a lottery drawing. The names of the
different states, territories and possessions will
be placed in a box, and as they are drawn
they will be numbered consecutively. The
committee named for this purpose consists
of Norman E. Mack, R. M. Johnston and James
C. Dahlman, and they will be assisted by the
sergeant-at-arms. When the drawing is com
pleted the seats for the different delegations
will be sold off, beginning at the center aisle
of the sections reserved for the delegates. As
the requisite number of seats for each dele
gation are set aside the standard will be put
in place.
By this method the delegates do not know
in advance where they will be seated and
no favoritism is shown. However, all seats
are choice in the Denver auditorium, thanks
to the splendid arrangements made.
Alternates will not be allotted seats in any
designated part of their section. They will be
permitted to take seats at will. The section
for alternates will be placed immediately be
hind.the delegates.
Tickets for the general public are in the
hands of the printer, but they will not be giv
en out for distribution until a few days before
the convention opens. This action is taken
to prevent counterfeiting. Each ticket will
entitle the holder to a seat in a certain sec
tion and admission to the convention hall
through a designated entrance. This system
precludes a mad rush of spectators for choice
seats and enables the ushers to do their work
without confusion.
When the convention opens Colonel Martin
will have 100 assistant sergeant-at-arms, 100
special officers, 100 doorkeepers, 100 ushers,
100 pages-and 100 messengers. This will be
his working force.
Assistants to Woodson.
Secretary Woodson will have eight or ten
assistants, and there will be two reading clerks
and several assistants. While the secretary
• • . o
is overseeing the routine u f his office,
Colonel Martin will be hah -ang the vast
crowds. Confusion will be reduced to a mini
mum. The assistant sergeants-at-arms will be
everywhere, each assigned to a special section.
Special officers will be stationed at points
where their services can be commanded at a
moment’s notice; usliers will be at hand to
conduct spectators to their seats, and messen
gers will be at the beck and call of the del
egates and officers of the convention.
Just inside of the section reserved for the
newspaper correspondents will be the desk of
Colonel Martin. From this point of vantage
his eyes can sweep over the entire building.
Any congestion or confusion at a certain point
will come under his observation immediately,
and a snap of his finger will bring an assist
ant to his side in an instant to be dispatched
to the scene.
One may wonder how Colonel Martin is
able to control so many assistants whose posi
tions are merely honorary. It is necessary
only to say that every person who accepts a
position as assistant is given to understand
that he is there for work, and as Colonel Mar
tin' is careful in his selections, he experiences
little trouble in implanting a realization of
duty in the minds of all of the men under
him. If they do not attend to their duties
properly they are not retained.
While there is no official distinction among
the assistant sergeants-at-arms so far as title
is concerned, Colonel Martin always selects
ten men as lieutenants. They are not known
by this title, because Colonel Martin does not
believe in unnecessary titles or distinctions in
a democratic convention. However, these ten
men are chosen because of their cool heads,
judgment and their experience in handling
crowds, and they are near him through the
entire convention, ready at all times to carry
his orders io other assistants and special offi
cers.
Superintendent of Doors.
An important official connected with the
convention is the superintendent of doors. He
has charge of the doorkeepers, but he reports
to the sergeant-at-arms. A short time be
fore the beginning of each session of the
convention the doorkeepers are formed into
line and marched to their stations. The men
are previously drilled, and each day they fall
into line in different positions. They never
are marched to their stations twice in the
same formation, therefore it is an accident if
they are stationed at the same door twice in
succession during the convention. This sys
tem reduces to a minimum the possibility of
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e Five Cents.
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