The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-07-28
The Parker Chronology.


for Bryan and Free Silver.
The Democratic State Convention
held at Albany, N. Y, on April Is,
1904, instructed the New York delega-
tion to support Judge Parker's candi-
dacy for the presidency. 1t adopted
unanimously a platform which con-
tained ten planks, including demand
for reasonable revision of the tariff"
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 8,
the resolutions committee of the
Democratic National Convention
agreed unanimously, after sixteen
hours wrangle, on a platform which
omitted all reference to the gold
standard,
Dispatches received at Esopus dur
ing the day and evening contained
this information and brought the
news that the convention had adopt
ed 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
man whose policy "wlll be that
policy which finds expression in the
| platform of his party"
Norman T.. Mack, the New York
member of the Democratic National
Committee and one of Judge Parker's
supporters at st. Louis made a state
ment over his own signature on Fri
day morning after the nomination,
as follows:
THE real simple truth of the fail
ure to put gold plank in the plat
form is this: 1t would have resulted
in minority report being presented
to the convention, and if that had
been done we would have been beaten
and Judge Parker would not have
been nominated"
On Saturday morning, July 9, the
three leading Eastern Democratic
newspapers. the New York Times,
the New York World and the New
York Sun, contained editorials fierce
ly denouncing the cowardice of the
convention, demanding that the can
didate should make known his posi-.
tion in regard to the gold standard
predicting Parker's defc.t, unless
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 MIR. Bryan was the
candidate for nomination, the resolu-
tions committee was sharply divided
upon the question of excluding the
money plank. "Instead of waiting
until after the platform had been
adopted and the nomination of him
self had been made" says the Spring
field Mass Republican und.) "Mr.
Bryan promptly sent word to the con-
vention before any action whatever
had been taken, that he must not be
considered candidate for the nomi-
nation in case the money question
were ignored in the resolution. That
was straightforward and it was deal
ing fairly with all wings and branches
of the Democratic party"
st is manly thing" said Mr..
Bryan in his speech at St. Louis, after
the reading of Judge Parker's dis
patch, "for man to express his opin.
ion before the convention adjourns,
1t would have been manlier to have
expressed it before the convention
met"