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Oklahoma held her peace.
Pennsylvania sent up a bevy of speakers who seconded in turn Smith, Underwood, Ritchie, McAdoo. A fifth speaker was about to second someone else when he was howled off.
Rhode Island passed by her great opportunity.
South Carolina sent up Mrs. Leroy Springs, most elegantly gowned, to second McAdoo in a poetical oration.
South Dakota modestly declined.
Tennessee seconded McAdoo.
Texas passed.
Utah seconded McAdoo.
Vermont yielded to New Hampshire, which sent up a minister from Massachusetts to second Governor Brown.
Virginia sent up her senior Senator, Claude A. Swanson, to nominate her junior Senator, Carter Glass, former Secretary of the Treasury. For 20 minutes, Virginia and New York maintained a languid march. Then Governor Trinkle seconded Mr. Glass with the declaration: "No man can point the finger of scorn at him except with pride." A woman in her 60's, Mrs. Kate W. Barrett, seconded Mr. Glass again, in an able speech which provoked real applause.
Washington sent up a woman who, in a single sentence, seconded McAdoo.
West Virginia nominated John W. Davis. The crowd was terribly weary, it stood and made a decent amount of noise for five minutes. Then Izetta Jewell Brown, who seconded Mr. Davis in 1920, seconded him again; moreover, she told the very same story as on the previous occasion, about God taking out man's brains and making woman (TIME, June 2). The story had been good before. It was good for a second time and for applause.
Wisconsin seconded Smith. The same group as the day before brought their standards over beside New York's. The howling of the Smith rooters recommenced. Some sirens were set going. Mr. Walsh threatened to have them ejected. The Smith managers shut it off in eight minutes.
"Wyoming," called the Secretary.
No answer.
"Alaska, District of Columbia," he went on, "Hawaii, Philippine Islands, Porto Rico, Canal Zone." After each name the delegates sighed with relief. After two and a half days the roll call was over. Sixteen candidates had had themselves nominated. McAdoo had been seconded eleven times, Smith seven times, Underwood and Glass twice each, Silzer, Ritchie. John W. Davis and Brown once each. Two and half days had been worn away in oratory and Fahrenheit heat, interspersed with soul-exhausting demonstrations of as much enthusiasm as was thought to be politically effective. Yet an end had been achieved—not the nomination, for a man may be balloted for, who has not been nominated—but a proper psychological state had been created. The delegates had been worn down. Their nerves were no longer in a state to render stubborn resistance to opposing vote getters. A clever politician might now carry them off in the intoxication of fatigue.
Platform. Next morning, promptly an hour and five minutes late, Senator Walsh called the Convention to order. After a few routine matters had been disposed of, Homer S. Cummings of Connecticut, Chairman of the Committee on Resolutions, was introduced. He looked unutterably worn and tired. His voice when he spoke