DENVER AND BEYOND 13 



There I was. The President had selected the 

 permanent and temporary chairman, written the 

 platform, and the only thing the convention had 

 to do was to fill that innocuous office, the vice- 

 presidency. For some unknown reason the Pres- 

 ident had failed to indicate his choice of a running 

 mate. Selecting a vice-president is a difficult and 

 solemn task and requires inspiration. A new 

 compound of gin had just been discovered, blonde 

 in color but very brunette in its effect. By a 

 curious irony of fate a candidate was selected, 

 with the aid of this compound, who, later, met his 

 first serious setback as the result of a cocktail 

 surreptitiously set in front of him by an ill-wisher. 

 As for me, I was made a member of the Com- 

 mittee on Resolutions. I was informed that it 

 was a distinguished honor. The committee met. 

 The chairman, selected by the President, blandly 

 informed us that he had appointed a sub-com- 

 mittee of five to ''prepare a platform." Inas- 

 much as it was well known that the chairman, a 

 distinguished senator from a New England state, 

 had the platform in his pocket, edited thor- 



