Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-07-21
BIRD s. C0LER
PICKED AS
WINNER !.
DEMOCRATIC LEADERS OF NEW
YORK BELIEVE THE FORMER
COMPTROLLER, CAN DEFEAT
ODELL FOR GOVERNOR.

NEW YORK. July 17-Forrner Comp
troller Bird g. Coler, according to infor-
nation obtained last night has been pick
ed by the leaders to be the Democratic
candidate for governor at the coming cleo
ton.
Mr.. Coler, who has been In the far
west for a month, will return to the city
today and his boom for the governorship
will take tangible shape at once. ,-.t
No friend Of the comptroller who is
authorized to speak for him would talk
about the Democratic situation yesterday,
but from party leaders of standing 1t
was learned that Mr.. Cofer probably will
be nominated on the first ballot.
The plan to bring about the nomination
of the young Brooklyn leader has been
carefully covered. but it is probable that
a demand for his nomination will come
from various sections Of the state during
the next few weeks. One-third of the
Democratic state convention of 1900 favor
ed his nomination at that time, and his
strength now is placed much higher.
The way for the Coler boom, according
to The Worlds informant, has been clear
ed by the recent announcements from COL
onel Daniel s. Lamont and Judge Alton
B. Parker that they will not be candidates
for the nomination. The talk Of Lamont
or Parker has enabled the Coler boomers
to keep their candidate in the background.
Now that Lamont and Parker both have
forbidden the use of their names, Mr..
Coler's friends are looking forward to the
coming state convention with confidence.
Coler's Friends Sangulne.
The former comptroller has been away
for a month, and 1t viii take him several
days to get In complete touch with the sit-
uation here. But he will be told by his
Democratic friends that the prospect for
victory is good. and that they expect to
follow his lead in the contest against
Governor odell.
Frank Campbell, chairman Of the DEM
ocratic state committee, has been at the
Hoffman house since Monday looking
over the local field. Ex-Governor David B.
Hill is expected in the city today. There
will be conferences with various local
leaders, as a result Of which the guber-
Material situation IL likely to take definite
form
Calls for Democratic conventions have
been issued in many of the upstate coun-
ties, and delegates to the state conven-
ton will be chosen in many districts dur
ing the next three weeks. Half a dozen
or more OF these upstate conventions,
Il is predicted, will declare in favor Of
Mr.. Coler's nomination for governor and
the delegates to the state convention will
be instructed to vote for him. BY the first
of September. II is expected, the Coler
boom will be in evidence in all sections
of the state.
The attitude of the New York and
Kings county organizations toward Mr..
coler will be thoroughly threshed out dur
ing the next few days. It is known that
Senator T. D. Sullivan and another OF
the most influential leaders in Tammany
are favorable to Coler's nomination for
governor this year, as they were TO his
nomination for mayor last year. II Coler
is given the support Of any considerable
number of upstate delegates, 1t Is be-
lieved he will be supported also by the
bulk of Tammany delegation.
Kings Still UncsTtaln.
The position Of the Kings county organ
ization has not been defined, as far as
Golfer is concerned. In the convention of
1900 Otto Kempner was the only one Of
the So delegates from Kings to vote for the
comptroller's nomination to head the state
ticket. But this year the situation Is diff
ferent, and there will be no Tammany
Kings alliance in the state convention.
Therefore, the belief of Mr. Coler's friends
is that when the proper time comes, th~
Brooklyn leaders will join with the. up
state delegates in bringing about Coler's
nomination.
After a careful canvass OF the situation
Mr. Coler's advocates have come to the
against Governor Odell In taking this
view they have weighed the strength of
the present governor and are positive In
their predictions that Coler can win II
nominated. They estimate that he would
sweep New York and Kings counties, and
that he would meet odell at the Bronx
with a plurality of 100000 in the boroughs
Of Greater New York.
Kings county, they believe, would give
Coler 5000 plurality over Odell, and New
York nearly 10000. These pluralities, with
about 5000 more from Queens and Rich
mond, would make the total they are
counting upon.
In connection with the Coler boom, II
was recalled by Democratic leaders yes
terday that John B. Stanchheld's plurality
over Governor Odel in Greater New York
two years ago was Is, 75S greater than
Bryan's plurality over Mckinley in the
same territory.
Point to Van Wyck's Vote.
They also pointed out that in 1898 Au-
gustus Van Wyck, though running against
Theodore Roosevelt for governor, went to
the Bronx with a plurality Of 1880 in
Greater New York. The Coler men are
confident that Odell this year cannot equal
Roosevelt's vote in 1898, and that the ex-
comptrolle:, on the. other hand, can poll
a bigger vote south of the Bronx than
Van Wyck did four years ago.
AS showing that the gubernatorial NOM
ination may be sent to Brooklyn by the
Democratic state convention, 1t was as
serted positively yesterday that an up
state man would be chosen as chairman
of the state executive committee. The
plan had been to put Senator Patrick II.
McCarren in charge of the campaign here.
This plan has been abapdoned practical
" because the Democratic managers want
to eliminate Tammany influence entirely
from the state canvass. Mr.. Hill and his
confdants believe that Roosevelt would
have been defeated in 1898 but for the
prominence Richard Croker assumed in
the campaign.
The nomination of an independent man
like Coler, with an anti-Croker record,
and the management of the campaign by
an upstate leader are depended upon to
attract to the support. of the state ticket
all New York city Democrats.