The Savannah morning news., 1904-07-12
PARKER THOUGHT
BEFORE He ACTED
DEEPLY HE CONSIDERED
THE SITUATION BEFORE HE SENT
HIS FAMOUS MESSAGE.

Friend of the Democratic Nominee
for the Presidency Discusses the
Ipcide MT of the Dispatch to Shee-
ban-WhiIe Horseback Riding the
Judge Gave the Matter His Most
Earnest Thought COngratuIn-
,ions Reach Him.
Esopus, N. Y. July 11.-Light was
thrown on the history of the now fam
Gus Parker telegram and the reply to
if of the Democratic convention at st.
Louis to-day by close friend of Judge
Parker, who declined to allow the use
of his name
when Judge Parker went to bed
at q:45 O'Clock Friday night" said this
man, "he did not know anything at
all about the financial side of the plat
FORM which had been agreed upon,
more than was outlined in the very
brief bulletins telephoned from Kings
ton. When informed by the Associated
Press correspondent at $50 a. m. of
the bare fact of his nomination, he
knew no more, and the first real knowl-
edge he had of the action of the con-
vention on the financial plank in the
platform was when he read the New
York morning papers.
Immediately after breakfast, that
is to say, a little after o'clock, he
started for a horseback ride. Just be-
fore mounting his horse a telegram
was handed him giving a concise out
line of the platform. From the mo-
ment of his reading of that telegram
it was noticed that he was very much
preoccupied, and as he rode off his
head was bowed as if in deep thought
Reached His Decision.
About 10:30 o'clock, he rode up to
the railroad station, asked for tele-
grams and received quite a bunch of
them. l happen to know. that
none of them gave him the informa-
ton he wanted. He chatted with the
reporters for d while, and it was aft
erward recalled that some of his ques-
tons to them betrayed the fact of his
lack of first-hand knowledge of the
conventions action. He waited about
the station, almost irresolute in bear
ing, for fully ten minutes, and then
suddenly galloped back toward Rose
mont An hour afterward his famous
telegram was filed with the operator
aud the remarkable series of events
Was under way. tt IS ..., b..
That night, while the convention
tossed and billowed with the seilsa tion
he had produced, he did not go early
to bed, as he had done the night be-
fore although the local celebration in
his honor ceased and the people dis
persed as early as 1915 p. m. He sat
up until after oclock, closely watch
ing the bulletins and made no move to-
ward retiring until after the action of
the convention upon his telegram was
made known to him."
1t is not true" said the gentleman
quoted above. that Judge Parker sent
a message to Senator Hill demanding
the insertion of a gold plank His
telegram to William F. Sheehan was
his first communication directly or in
directly with the convention
Cong nGratuIntiOns of Cleveland.
Judge Parker received to-day the
following message from former Presi-
dent Grover Cleveland:
Buzzard's Bay, Mass, July II, 1904.
- You must permit me to express my
gratitude and admiration for the
splendid manifestation of honor and
courage You have given to your coun-
st. Louis dispatch.
lSigned) Grover Cleveland"
The telegram from William r. Hearst
sent on Saturday evidently went
astray, but a. duplicate was received
today, as follows, dated Chicago, July
J congratulate you upon your NOM
lnaton and upon the expression of
Democratic principles in the platform
WhlHh arfn
hope and believe that battling for
the people and for such principles, you
VIII lead Democracy to victory"
Judge Parker Immediately wrote Mr..
Hearst the following letter:
Hon. William Randolph Hearst:
Dear Sir-Just a word to thank you
Tor your very kind message of congrat-
uldtion and to assure you of my very
grateful appreciation. Very truly
yours, Alton B. Parker"
Other kilograms received to-day in
tlude the following:
From the Right Rev. Charles C.
Gralton, Episcopal Bishop of Fon Du
Lac, Wis. dated Providence. r. l.:
we will daily pray God to possess
tnee with His wisdom and give thee
coHrageous and peaceful heart"
FROM President David r. Francis of
the st. Louis Exposition:
Hearty congratulations. not only on
your nomination, but on your sagacious
telegram, which the convention by
gverWhelming majority has sustained.
nose who have been asking that you
announce your position on the issues
van no longer have any question as to
your convictions or your courage to
express them"
From former Vice President Adlai
+, stevenson from Bloomington, ILL.,.
MY hearty congratulations"
No StumoinE Tour.
surveyors began to-day laying down
me ines for the new West Shore sta
u1n az Esopus, which is to be COM
pIeted in about two weeks. A long sid
,,ng VIII also be put in for special
SO far as his plans have as yet been
made Judge Parker will not tour the
country making speeches. His personal
campaign win be conducted in a way
silillar to that of President Mckinley
10 large degree from the porch al
hosemont He Will probably make but
one or two pigrimages to the larger
cities.
Why He Kept silent.
An explanatory statement OF the long
Fnence OF Judge Parker was given by
= close personal friend OF the fudge
ms afternoon to the Associated Press
As a judge said the authority Judge
Farker had kept silent on political
questions. He believed Il was NOT
compatible with the dignity OF a fudge
On IN the bench TO discuss such questions.