The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-07-06
PARKER IN
THE LEAD
New York Candidate Is the
4fe
FaVOrite.
CONVENTION IN SESSION
Indications that the Second Bal.
lot Will Mean Victory for En-
pire State Man.

ST. LOUIS, July 6.-With the open
ing of the Democratic national cOnven,
ton here Judge Alton b. Parker's
strong position as president!ai can
didate remains mistaken.
The convention was called to order
in the Coliseum at noon by former
United States Senator James X. Jones
of Arkansas, chairman of the nationa!
committee. Bryan's disastrous cam.
paigns were managed by Senator
Jones, and the Hill element, it is said,
will get rid of him as soon as the pres
ent convention is over.
Chairman Jones announced that he
had been instructed by the national
committee TO invite Representative
John Sharp Williams of Mississippi 10
serve as chairman of the temporary
organization of the convention. Mr..
Williams delivered speech in reply to
the address of Elihu Root in the Re
publican convention in Chicago and
tAhAAAiNb NV NhAl I'hi-i as wv NAAf fllt
sane Democrats purpose to run it.
The day has been marked by series
of events of a stirring and interesting
character First and foremost came the
complete elimination of Mr.. Cleveland
The Cleveland boom was sham after
all. James Smith, Jr., the leader of
New Jersey, who had been masquerad.
ing behind the Cleveland boom. naiVely
confessed that he had been playing II
confidence game on the delegates. Mr.
Cleveland, ten days ago, positively for
hade the use of his name
William j. Bryan continues to stand
like a combination of Ajax and Casa.
blanca dreaming of yet being able to
effect winning combination. Mr..
Bryan and Charles A. Towne both
make the statement that 400 votes will
stand out against Parker and beat him.
On the contrary, It is known that more
than 200 votes that will be cast for
other candidates on the first ballot will
90 to Parker on the second.
Developments of the day tend to con
firm the statement that the great fight
in the convention will come over the
platform. A strong sentiment is de
veloping in favor of a declaration for
the gold standard. The phrase that is
desired is:
THE Democratic party pledges itself
to the maintenance of the existing mon
ey standard"
Mr. Bryan will fight harder than ever
for the reaffirmatiQn of the Kansas
City platform. Former Bryan men
who are now supporting Parker, such
as John Sharp Williams and Senator
Bailey Of Texas, want a middle
ground money plank.
Former Senator George Turner of
Washington continues to be in the lead
for the vice presidential nomination.
The opposition to the New Workers.
candidature has made many assaults,
but has apparently made no impress
sion. The solid and substantial phalanX
of the New York jurist has withstoOd
all efforts of the friends of other can
didates and is apparently stronger than
ever Assurances of accessions from
instructed delegations after the first
ballot have been received from men
who are now tied to other candidates,
which the Parker adherents say in
sures nomination on the second bal
lot
All day long the antiParker men
have tried 10 offer candidate who
would unite third of the delegates so
as to have a rallying point when com
plimentary ballots have been cast for
favorite sons. The impossibiity Of
uniting has been manifest and the
most jealous opponents of Parker con-
cede his probable nomination not later
than. the second ballot.
The Parker opposition was disturbed,
but not routed. by the action of Penn
sylvania. The sixty-eight votes of that
state have been for weeks placed in the
Parker column and are part of the
800 odd votes that have been claimed
for him. They were not instructed, how
ever, and If they could have been Sc
cured for any other candidate it would
have been SERIOUS blow to the Parker
interests. Criticism of the action of
Pennsylvania has been free and harsh
among some of the anti-Parker men,
but others say that proposition made