ttsburgh."

This elicited great applause--especially from the Pennsylvania
delegation. Mr. Stems of Louisiana got the floor--

"I want to tell you what took place in that committee," he said. "The
committee selected a place to the best interest of this organization
and not to the best interest of any one specific locality, and the
question was argued in a very quiet, organized, gentlemanly manner. A
number of the delegates put up towns that did not get enough support
to get the meeting, so they withdrew their names. It was all to the
interest of the organization so it was unanimously adopted by that
committee, without any dissenting vote, that Chicago be unanimously
adopted as the place for the next convention for the best of all
interests concerned. I am from New Orleans, Louisiana, which is a
convention city and I will not offer my city to you as a convention
city at this time because I do not think it is to the best interest of
your country."

[Illustration: Bennett C. Clark
Who presided at the Paris Caucus]

[Illustration: Eric Fisher Wood Secretary]

When Mr. Stem took his seat at least a dozen delegates clamored for
recognition from the chair. Colonel J.F.J. Herbert succeeded in
getting it. It was he who then fired the gun which, if not heard
around the world at least made Chicago's ear drums rattle.

"Mr. Chairman," he began--

Colonel Lindsley rapped for order.

A man near me whispered, "There's Herbert of Massachusetts. I think
Boston is too far east for this convention, at least for the first
one."

Colonel Lindsley got order, and you could have heard a pin drop,
while the following statement was made by the Massachusetts leader:

"As the spokesman for my delegation on this question of next meeting
place I want to say that if no other body and if no other party of
this caucus wants or believes it is its duty to rebuke any city or the
representative of any city for Un-Americanism during the time when the
soldiers of that city were offering their lives in defense of the
world, then Massachusetts stands ready to offer that rebuke.
Massachusetts will not agree willingly to having a convention of
soldiers and sailors in the Great War, go to a city that has as its
first citizen, by vote, one who can not measure up in any small part
when the test is one hundred per cent. Americanism."

When Colonel Herbert reached this point one delegate with a big voice
from a big State (Texas) let out a loud yell o