Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-08
BRYAN'S LAST STAND
Titanic Struggle Over the
Platform
THROUGHOUTTHENIGHT
HE HELD HIS OWN IN THE COM
MITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS.
Was Masterful, Dominating and Kept
His Nerve, Apparently Hold
ing the Whip Hand.

! rose over St. Louis this morning it started
| day which promised to mark an epoch in
| the history of the democratic party.
titanic struggle was in progress be-
| tween the radical and conservative elements
| of that party. Flushed by the demonstra
| ton made in his favor in the convention
| yesterday afternoon by the shouters and
| rooters of Hearst and the delegates of the
| silver states. and unabashed by the over
| whelming defeat received at the hands
| of the delegates from the conservative
states, Mr.. Bryan returned to the meeting
| of the resolutions committee last evening
| to attempt to impress his will upon that
gathering
All during the early evening hours, while
| the great Southern Hotel was ablaze with
light, and the corridors streamed with
| earnest and excited men. anxious to know
what was going on in the platform COM
mittea that body struggled with Mr.
| Bryan Midnight came and the fight was
| growing warmer Darkness gave way to
| dawn the electric chandelier in the big
committee room paled before the increasing
light outside. and still the weared mem
bers sat around the board. The breakfast
hour came, fresh contingents OF delegates
and newspaper men who had Snatched
few hours sleep began to fill the corridors.
and still the radicals and the conseIEa-
tives hung at each others threats, snarllns
and fighting over every word ana phrase
ana expression III tHe Pie',Aoii iA'
Mr.. Bryan Held His Own.
In the committee where the Utah vote
as influential as New York, and where
Colorado Yields equal influence as Penn
sylvania Mr. Bryan has been holding MS
own He has defeated the adoption OF the
sound money plank which the subcommit-
tee, by e vote of seven to three, had re-
ported to the full committee. He had Sc.
cl.ied the insertion of a more radical tarln
plank than the eastern conservatives de-
sired He had insisted upon the adoption
of a rank populistic income tax plank ana
held it as a club over the heads of the
conservatives in order to have his Will III
the adoption of an antitrust plank
David B. Hill and the conservatives from
the east sat grimly through their success
sive defeats, looking forward to the time
when they could go into the convention
where votes should count in proportion 10
the influence of the states. Bryan was
masterful dominating and cool in his de-
meanor. Some of the committee became
fretful, and during the long hours of the
night there were frequent clashes and out
bursts of irritation and annoyance. out
Bryan maintained his cOmposure and kept
his nerve.
His Last Stand in His Last Ditch.
He was making his last stand in his last
ditch, expecting if he won, to go before
the convention and in one of his match
less bursts of eloquence, to sway the dele
gates to stand to his support.
The other great party leaders who were
not members of the committee on resolu-
tions, went to bed at midnight and after,
to be ready for the Tray which was to COM
mence at 10 in the morning. When they
got up this morning and found the commit
tee still in session and Bryan apparently
holding the whip hand they were aghast.
The situation promises an ugly fight in the
convention which might be fraught with
possibilities of realignments of the dele
gates on the question of candidates.
Senator Bailey's Speech.
In the committee on resolutions the most
important influence for the rejection of
sound money declaration was exerted by the
speech of Senator Bailey of Texas: Take
your gold plank and burn it up, he said
to Mr. Hill. '"rhen you not satisfied
that six and one-half million of people
willing to drop silver without requiring
them to swear to their abnegaton?' THE
law is fixed, we admit it. Why is it any
more necessary to declare allegiance to
the gold standard than to swear allegiance
to any other existing statute?'
Throughout the long wrangle David B.
HILL with all of his years, sat tireless and
watchful as any of the youngsters. Look
at him. said Senator Tillman of South
Carolina He is afraid to turn around to
spit" And well he may have been afraid
to abate his vigilance for a moment, with
that square framed, thin Tipped Mr.. Bryan
at the opposite side of the table watching
every move and making most OF the sue
cessful moves himself
Mr. Bryan was assisted in his night
against the money plank by the southern
committeeman, as we'll as those from the
silver states.
Mr.. HilPs Plank.
Mr. Hills plank as proposed was as fol-
lows: The addition to the worlds stock
of money metals of $1,000 1900 in eight
years, of which the United States has been
able to obtain $7Oe, ,O0O, 600, has settled the
question of the money standard of this
country and removed it from the field OF
politics.
Against that proposition the objection
was raised that it was wall street Sug-
gestion,' that ii savored too much of Au-
gust Belmont. Mention of Belmonts name
fired the suspicious southerners, who were
already jealous of the influence of Belmont
and Hill to proceedings. and they went with
Bryan.
Working for Harmony.
At $50 o'clock a little group OF commit
teemen emerged from the room. Senators
Bailey, Dubois Newlands and ex-senator
Cannon started for the cafe to get
pot of coffee. I'VE have been at 1t fourteen
hours without break said one of the
group. land we are not through yet. We
are trying to prevent a minority report and
we yet hope to avoid it. Some Of the COM
mittee were disposed to nag Mr. Bryan.
but the main disposition was to deal con-
siderately with him. We are working for
harmony. We are making mutual conces-
sions. and if it is possible to do will go
before the committee without precipitating
a contest.
Another Dramatic Scene.
There was another dramatic scene when
the resolutions committee concluded it's la
bors. A volley of hantlclapping in the COM
mittee room announced to the crowd pack
ing the long corrido: that the end had been
reached and must have been harmonious.
Then the door sprang open and out dashed
big Ollie James of Kentucky and big Cap
tain Clayton of Alabama.
Its complete agreement. boys, and no
minority report shouted Capt Clayton,
and the assembled crowd gave cheer.
One by one the committeeman came out