The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-11
WHY COCHRAN LEFT.
Departed From st. Louis to Avoid
Making a Speech.


New York. July 1.-THE Associated
Press received the following commune
cation from Bourke Cochran dated In
dianapolis, July TO- explaining his de-
clination to address the national Demo
cratic convention at St. Louis:
II left ST. Louis yesterday at 12:45
O'Clock, because as matters then stood
I did not want to be in the convention
when nominations for vice president
| We're reached
Calls for me to make a speech which
had been made repeatedly on prior
days, would very likely be renewed at
| the final session and at the time could
i not truthfully assure the convention
1 that Judge Parker had in my opinion
| the faintest prospect of success. L have
| made it a rule never to say on pub
/ lie platform anything which I~could not
repeat in the witness chair. L could not
prophesy victory and 1 would not fore
| tell defeat. Silence was therefore the
only course open and the best way to
pursue it was by absence.
| when L reached indianapolis I was
! handed a telegram from Charles F.
| Murphy informing me of Judge Par
| ker's message to Governor Sheehan and
urging me to return Immediately.
I'm an instant the whole situation
was changed. The prospect which had
| been black with signs of disaster at
once became splendid with promises of
victory. For many months 1 had been
preaching that the success of the Dem
ocratic party this year involved the
continuance of constitutional govern
ment in this country. This view was
expressed in the resolution submitted to
the state convention last April by the
Tammany members and 1 think it is
shared by every thoughtful man in the
country. The one thing absolutely es-
sential to Democratic success.
Till now no one possessing anything
like availability was conspicuous except
Mr.. Cleveland. To him there We're
weighty objections. His age is ad-
vanced. Many politicians believe there
is a. widespread objection to giving any
man, however wise or virtuous, more
than two terms in the presidency. The
antagonisms which he has provoked
are numerous and bitter. Still his run
ming qualities were so excellent that the
delegates from the old city of New York
urged his nomination as the only one
that furnished the slightest hope even
of an exciting contest To bring this
about and to secure an unequivocal ac-
acknowledgement that the money question
was settled were the two objects to
which the Tammany delegation con-
fined the efforts of it's members. 1t APP
peared quite early that the first of these
was wholly impossible. To accomplish
the second we felt it was only necessary
that the delegates from all the doubtful
states should demand it firmly as a
condition absolutely necessary to sue
cess. At the meeting of the New York
delegation on Tuesday morning a reso-
luton to this effect offered by me was
suppressed by parliamentary maneu-
yer. After it had been agreed by the
leaders to eliminate all reference to the
money question l again moved that the
New York delegation offer as an amend
ment in the convention the financial
plank submitted by Senator Hill to the
committee on resolutions but the motion
was rejected by vote of 80 to % of
the delegates.
"Under these circumstances the NOM
nation of Judge Parker, who was with
out any record on the coinage ques-
ton except that he had voted twice for
Mr.. Bryan, seemed to preclude the
slightest hope that he would receive
even as many electoral votes as MIR.
BRYAN polled in 1900 But this very
pusillanimity of his managers which
led them to surrender their own con-
Victions and to Stifie every attempt or
the New York delegates even to voice
this momentous question, furnished
Judge Parker with an opportunity
which he has improved decisively
"It has revealed him to the people
of this country almost in an instant
as a great leader the greatest of this
generation, an honest mantle most
impressive in displaying that virtue
that I have ever known either through
experience or reading; a courageous
man-of such Incompatible courage
that he was willing to throw away not
merely the prospect of a nomination,
but an actual nomination for the
rather than to stoop to an
evasion or an ecuivocation on mat
ter of principle
81 had left ST. Lousi before the final |
as the only way to avoid
being placed in a position where l
must have told the convention that
Judge Parker could not, in my opin-
ion. escape crushing defeat. On the
receipt of Mr.. Murphy's message l
at once ordered a special train and
FASTENED back, because I then felt
free to tell the members. if they still
desired to hear from me. that on the
new platfrom. which he himself mad
made, he would be Overwhelmingly
elected.
when my train arrived at O'Clock
m the morning the convention had
completed its work. but if 1 had been
present L could not have made a SIN
yle suggestion which would have been
IN Improvement on it's course. In
Iced the admirable temper displayed
Nv the men who at first blush might
nave considered themselves belittled
,r aggrieved by the singularly lnde-
,endent course of their candidate is
me of the most suspicious features
Inder which the campaign opens
|