Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1904-08-03
THE PARKER CHRONOLOGY

III 1896 and 1900 Judge Parker voted
for Bryan and Free silver.
The Democrat State Convention held
at Albany, N. Y. on April 1s, 1904,
instructed the New York delegation
to support Judge Parker's candidacy
for the presidency. 1t adopted unani-
mously q platform which contained
ten planks. including q demand fol
reasonable revision Of the tariff - On
the question Of the gold standard il
was sileut. 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 Dem.
ocratic National Convention agreed
unanimously, after q sixteen hours
wrangle. on q platform (which omit.
ted 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 adopted the
platform as reported from the COM
mittee.
Judge Parker remained silent.
Judge Parker was nominated on the
morning Of Saturday, July g. Martin
". 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
mamber of the Democratic National
Committee and one of Judge Parker's s
supporters at st. Louis, made 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; It would have resulted
in a 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 8. the
three leading Eastern Democratic
newspapers. the New York Times. the
New York World, and the New York
Sun. contained editorials fiercely de.
nouncing the oowardice Of the con.
vention, demanding that the oandi-
date should make known his position
in regard to the gold standard. pre-
dieting Parker's defeat, unless this
was done, and threatening to bolt the
ticket.
After reading these editorials Judge
Parker, according to 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
when Mr.. 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 himself
had been made" says the Springfield
Mass. Republican (Ind.) "Mr. Bry.
an promptly sent. word to the conven-
tion before any action whatever had
been taken that he must not be con.
sidered candidate for the nomination
in case the money question were
ignored in the resolution. That was
and it was dealing
fairly with all wings and branches of
the Democratic party.
1T is q manly thing" says Mr..
Bryan in his speech at st. Louis after
the reading of Judge Parker's dispatch
"for man to express his opinion be-
fore the convention adjourns. 1t
would have been manlier to have ex.
pressed it before the convention met.