The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-08-12
Regarding Mr.. Parker.


In 1896 and 1900 Judge Parker voted
for Bryan and free silver.
The Democratic state convention held
at Albany, N. Y, on April Is, 1904, in
structed the New York delegation to
support Judge Parker's candidacy for
the presidency. 1t adopted unanimously
a platform which contained ten planks.
On the question of the gold standard it
was silent The platform had Judge
Parker's approval in advance.
For two months and twenty days, the
candidate stood on that platform and
said nothing, while his friends hunted
for delegates.
On the morning of Friday, July s,
the resolutions committee of the Demo
cratic national convention agreed unani-
mously, after a sixteen hours wrangle,
on a platform which omitted all refer
ence to the gold standard.
Dispatches received at Esopus during
the day and evening contained this in
formation and brought the news that the
convention had adopted the platform as
reported from the committee.
Judge Parker remained silent.
Judge Parker was nominated on the
morning of Saturday, July 9. Martin
W. Littleton, in presenting his name to
the convention, referred to him as a
man whose policy "will be that policy
which finds expression in the platform
of his party"
Norman e. Mack, the New York mem
Der of the Democratic national commit
tee and one of Judge Parker's support
his own signature on Friday morning,
after the nomination, as follows:
"The real simple truth of the failure
to put gold plant in the platform is
this: 1t would have resulted in min
ority report being presented to the con-
vention, and if that had been done we
would have been beaten and Judge Par
ker would not have been nominated"
On Saturday morning, July 9, the
three leading eastern Democratic news
papers, The New York Times, The New
York World, and The New York Sun,
contained editorials fercely denouncing
the cowardice of the convention, de-
manding that the candidate should make
known his. position in regard to the gold
standard, predicting Parker's defeat, un-
less this was done, and threatening to
bolt the ticket.
After reading these editorials Judge
Parker, according to a statement given
out at Esopus, sent the dispatch to Mr..
Sheehan. 1t was then too late for the
convention to name any other candidate.
Four years ago at the Kansas City
convention when Mr.. Bryan was the
candidate for nomination, the resolu-
lions committee was sharply divided up
on the question of excluding the money
plank. "Instead of waiting until after
the platform had been adopted and the
nomination of himself had been made"
says The Springfield (Mass.) Republi-
can Qnd.), "Mr. Bryan promptly sent
word to the convention before any ac-
tion whatever had been taken, that he
must not be considered candidate for
the nomination in case the money ques-
ton were ignored in the resolution. That
was straightforward and it was dealing
fairly with all wings and branches of
the Democratic party"
at is a. manly thing" said Mr.. Bry-
an in his speech at st. Louis, after the
reading of Judge Parker's dispatch, "for
man to express his opinion before the
convention adjourns. 1t would have been
manlier to have expressed it before the
convention met"