The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-07-12
CONVENTION ACCEPTED HIS
VIEWS ON THE FINANCIAL
QUESTION WITH RE
EuCTANcE.
FOLLOWERS OF BRYAN ACCEPT
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
WITH BITTERNESS AND
SCORN.

+ ST. LOUIS, July 1o.--The National
/ Democratic convention, which nomi
mated Alton Parker. of New York. and
Henry G. Davis. of West Virginia, for
/ President and Vice President was in
many respects the most remarkable
gathering of the Democratic party
/ known since that famous gathering at
| Charleston. S. c.. IN 1860 which rent
| the air In twain and made possible
/ the election Of Abraham Lincoln,
lThere have been many important Ma
tional gatherings OF. the Democratic
party since the Civil war. that of 1896.
! which proclaimed the doctrine OF the
| free coinage of silver and nominated
William j. Bryan, being almost as dis
astrous as that OF 1860 but 1t was left
until 1904 to present a convention so
peculiar as to he remarkable.
1t Is a difficult task to portray to
those who did not witness 1t the con
venton which. in uncertainty and
halfheartedness; finished its work
Sunday morning. There was so quick
a succession of startling events. 50
many rapid changes Of front. so sud-
den changes of sentiment. so Devil
dering q transition from exutation to:
disappointment and deepest chagrin,
that to attempt to describe the conveu-
ton as a whole is like trying to ac-s
curately catch and paint the whirling
colors of q Kaleidoscope or count the
beatings of a humming birds wings.
This was convention where, SO far
as the delegates were concerned prac-
tically all sentiments as to the person
ality of candidates and allegiance to
past issues were subordinated to one
thing. and that was the desire to nom
mate a candidate who could win at
the election. There was not at any
time a mere majority. let alone a two
thirds majority. of the delegates, who
personally favored Judge Parker. To
the most of them he was an unknown
and untried mana He possesses no
magnetic qualities to appeal to their
emotions. Most of them doubted his
party loyalty in the past A very large
majority OF them were wholly out of
accord with what his financial views
We're believed to be. The element
known to be behind him, and the men
peculiarly distastefuI to seven out of
every ten of the delegates. William
J. Bryan, once the partys idol and
still the hero of the convention CALLER
les, was there, earnest and active in
his opposition to Parker, fighting
against the new order of things in the
Democracy as a man makes last
fight for life.
Allowed Parker to Dictate.
Nevertheless Parker was nominated
and, more singular and remarkable
still, when a few hours after he cast
A bomb into the convention by sudden
~ breaking stubborn and aggra-
waiting silence and proclaiming his adj
egates sent him back word that he /
could believe what he pleased, but
must accept the nomination, and thus
permitted the man who had been |
named the night before as the "party's
servant and not its master" to write I
the party's platform upon what has |
been for eight years almost its sole |
issue. They did this sullenly and Bit
terly. with rage in their hearts and
sorely wounded pride, but they did tt.
and then they nominated man over
50 years of age for Vice President. and
.hus brought to close a most inau-
spicious beginning of a National cam
oaign.
1t is impossible to tell the condi-
ion into which the announcement of
Judge EParker's telegram plunged the5t
Democrats at ST. Louis:
When the convention. pottering along 4
over the nomination of a Vice Presi-
lent. took a recess Saturday afternoon
n order, as Senator Cuberson, of Tex
is, said, ITO learn whether or not it +,
lad candidate for President and
he hotel corridors filed with excited
delegates and spectators one might
veil have thought that the Democratic
party was going right out of business
hat very day. CONSERVATION, uncer-$I
ainty, disappointment, political de-
pair, bitterness and rage We're mani
ested on all sides. Never insthe hist
DRY of parties in the United States
lad such a thing as this happened. Is
everybody was brought up with such e
round turn and put face to face with n
O unprecedented an emergency that e
zone knew what to- do. When those f