The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1904-07-16
Letter from the Editor Emeritus.
ST. LOUIS. Mo-. JulY IL. 1901

EDITcR INTELLIGENCER:
The great national democratic con.
yentioa, held in this city last week, is
now matter of history. Whether
the party has nominated the strongest
candidates remains to be proven.
Individually | believe Judge Parker
to be the right man. OF course l
would prefer to see Cockrell elected;
but l do not believe he could be
elected, and l have never thought he
could be nominated 1T was almost /
certainty, week before the conven-
tion met that Parker would be nom-
mated on the first formal ballot. 1
had supposed that few informal
ballots would be cast in order to allow
the various states to honor their
"favorite sons, " but such was not the
case. On the first ballot Parker was
nominated, and had votes to spare.
The hall where the convention was
held would probably look quite large
y to one who had never seen Convention
Hall in Kansas City This hall seats
about $4,000 persons, while that seats
I about $4,000 One Of the first things
I, that l saw that struck me as peculiar
was the fact that plenty Of scalpers
were on the streets with their hands
full of tickets, which they were SELL
ing at SIS to $40 for season tickets,
or 50 to SO per single session Some
Of these tickets called for seats on
the platform. At the same time l
saw dozen editors Of Missouri demo-
cratic newspapers who we're hunting
somebody to pass them into the con-
vention. This is all wrong The
editors we're entitled to tickets, and
they should have demanded them,
even if all the rooters from New
York had to stay out ] fortunately
met Bill Cross ex candidate for con-
gresS from Oklahoma. l did not ask
him for a ticket. He ran to me, aud
grabbing both hands, pulled me into
the hall without ceremony. How
pleasant it is to find politician with
a memory four years long-I might
say cas- long as his own ears, 9 and
still be inside of general limitations.
The great hall was packed, only a
few vacant seats, and all " ere in the
space reserved for the press. l sup
pose the scall erS we're selling the
tickets for these seats, while the
editors were outside rubbing theil
backs against the railing, 1t wa'
hot outside, and hotter inside. Johr
Sharp Williams was N, king speech
and he had as well spoken 10 Choctav
so far as nine tenthS Uf the audiencl
was concerned. Five hundred peopl
were moving around; five hundTet
we're talking to each other; and tel
/ thousand fans were at work trying t
move the hot, heavy atmosphere. Th
great hall was prettily draped, an
the great audience presented pleas
ing picture Outside of the circle O
delegates, about sixty per cent of tn
audience was made up of ladies'. Tht
picture of the first session will serv
Just as well for all the sessions
For two weeks before the conver
tion many newspapers filled the
columns with rot about Bryan bol
lug, and tried to break his inhuenc
The convention showed clearly tn;
Bryan was the biggest man in Il
democratic party He came he
asking no favors; he came only to al
the party not to cast odium on itsel
He was the only man who could W
applause at every appearance; Il
only man who could talk repeated
aud hold his audience; the only ms
who held the sympathy and respe
of those who opposed his view
Bryan, defeated, was the hero Of Il
convention. Some of his speech
we're full OF the old-time vigor simil
to the historic "cross uf gold al
crown of thorDs" speech IN Chicae
when he swept tine convention of
feet. Bryan has the love and con
dence OF the old guard Of democrat
He Is honest, earnest statesm
with few equals; an orator without
peer. Right or wrong, he fore
Hill, Murphy, Williams and all t
balance OF the committee to aband
the gold plank IN the platfoA
Single, handed be forced the conv'
tiou to realize that no bolter Of Is