table almost to pieces in an attempt to get order and then gave it up for a few minutes as a bad job.  Captain Boyce succeeded in getting a semblance of it, when everybody got tired of carrying the candidates and of shouting.  Then the secretary again started taking the vote by delegations.  No one of the candidates received a majority of the votes which was necessary under the procedure adopted at the beginning of the caucus.  Then began the withdrawals.  This State withdrew its vote from Goerke and cast it for Humphrey; Chenoweth withdrew from the race and his vote went to Goerke, et cetera.  A similar situation resulted on the second count and finally Goerke withdrew in favor of Humphrey.  When Evans took the same action, Humphrey (first name Fred), described as the “rough-riding sailor from New Mexico,” was elected.

Humphrey’s speech of acceptance delighted the hearts of those who had forced the would-be orator to sit down at the beginning of the nominations.

“Mr. Chairman, gobs, soldiers, and marines,” Humphrey said:  “I am most glad and gracious to accept this honorary position and I will do everything that a deck-swabbing sailorman can do to fill it.”

The first day’s session closed with the appointment by the various
States of representatives on the following committees:  Executive
Committee; Credentials; Temporary Name of Organization; Organization;
Resolutions; Constitution and By-Laws and Declaration of Principles;
Next Meeting Place and Time; Publication; Emblem; Permanent
Headquarters, and Finance.

The personnel of these committees will be found elsewhere.

Thursday evening and Friday morning were devoted largely to committee meetings and different sections of the country came together to discuss matters of particular interest to special localities.  For instance, the Western delegations discussed the question of Bolshevism, because the symptoms of this mad disease had been more apparent in that section of the country than in any other.  The question of color was practically decided in a meeting of the Executive Committee and was ratified later by various delegations representing the Southern States.  Everybody was pleased.  An attempt was made by the leaders of each delegation to keep such questions as might be “loaded with dynamite” off the actual floor of the caucus so that those lacking in discretion might not have the opportunity to throw the caucus into an uproar.

In fact it was this spirit—­the desire on everybody’s part to give in to a certain extent on any mooted question for the sake of general harmony that was a marked feature of the gathering.  In the committee meetings were found delegates with radically different opinions on almost every question.  It was not an uncommon thing, however, to see a delegate very heatedly advocate a certain side of an issue; listen to the opposing side, rise, and with equal heat and fervency advocate the opposite point of view.