The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-13
Bourke Cochran Finds
Parker TRANSPORTED.
HIS GOLD TELEGRAM
This Action on Judge Parker's Part
Reveals to Cochran the Man of Lof-
ty Principle and Iron Will
Who is Born a
Leader.
CIV the Associated Press

(By the Associated Press)
New York, July 1.-THE Associa-
ted Press today received the follow
ing telegram from Bourke Cochran,
dated Indianapolis, July 10, explain
ing his declination to address the Ma
tional Democratic convention at ST..
Louis.
81 left st. Louis today at 12:45 be-
cause as matters then stood 1 did not
want to be in the convention when
nominations for vice-president were
reached.
"Calls for me to make speech
which had been made repeatedly on
prior days would very likely be re-
newed at the final session, and at the
time 1 could not truthfully assure the
convention that Judge Parker had in
my opinion the faintest prospect of
success. | have made it a rule tC
never say on a public platform any
thing which l would not repeat in the
witness chair. j could not prophesy
victory and l would not foretell de-
feat. Silence was therefore the only
course open and the best way to pur-
sue it was by absence.
when / reached Indianapolis
was handed a telegram from Charles
f. Murphy, infoSming me of Judge
Parkers message to Sheehan and urg-
ing me to return Immediately. In
an instant the whole situation was
changed. The prospect which had
been black with signs of disaster al
once became a splendid promise of
victory. For many months l had been
preaching that the success of the De-
mocracy this year involved the con-
tinuance of constitutional government
i'm this country. This view was ex-
pressed in the resolution submitted
to the State convention last April by
the Tammany members. and think
it is shared by every thoughtful man
in the country.
The One Thing Essential.
1.-The one thing absolutely essential
to Democratic success is a leader.
"Till now no one possessing any
thing like availability was cOnSpicu-
GUS except Mr.. Cleveland. To him
there were weighty objections. His
age is advanced. Many politicians be.
lfeVe there is q widespread objection
to giving any man, however. wise, OF
virtuous more than two terms in the
Presidency. The antagonisms which
he has provoked are numerous and
bitter. Still his running qualities wero
so elegant that the delegates from the
old city of New York urged his nomi-
nation as the only one that furnished
the slightest hope even of an exciting
contest. To bring this about and to
secure an unequivocal acknowledge
ment that the money question was
settled were the two objects to which
the Tammany delegation confined the
efforts of its members. 1t appeared
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 doubt
full States should demand it firmly as
n hcnllJfplU M tC
success at the meeting of the New,
York delegation on Tuesday morning
q resolution to this effect offered by
me was suppressed by parliamentary
Vancouver. After it had been agreed
by the leaders to eliminate all referA
ence to the money question l agair
moved that the New York delegation
offer as an amendment in the conven-
tion the financial plank submitted BY
Senator Hill to the Committee on
Resolutions but the motion was re-
jected by a vote of so to 2S of the
delegates.
A Man of Courage.
Under these. circumstances the
nomination of Judge Parker, who was
without any record on the coinage
question, except that he had voted
twice for Mr.. Bryan, seemed to pre-
clude the slightest hope that he would
receive even as many electoral votes
as Mr.. Bryan polled in 1900. But this
very pusilanimity of his managers
which led them to surrender their
own convictions and to stifie every at
tempt of the New York City delegates
even to voice the opinion every of
their constituents on this momen-
tous question furnished Judge Parker
with an opportunity which he has i'm
proved decisvely. 1t has revealed him
to the people of this country almost
in an instant as great leader,-the
greatest of this generation; an hon
est man--the most impressive in dis
playing that virtue that I nave ever
known through experience or read
ing, q courageous man-of such incom-
parable courage that he was willing
to throw away not merely the hope of
prospect of a nomination but an
actual nomination fer the Presidency
rather than StOOp to an evasion or
equivocation on a matter of principle.
Il who had left st. Louis before
the final adjournment as the only way
to avoid being placed i'm a position
where j must have told the conven-
ton that Judge Parker could not, in
my opinion, escape crushing defeat
on the receipt of Mr.. Murphy's mes
sage at once ordered a special train
and fastened back because l then felt
free to tell the members, if they still
desired to hear from me that or
the new platform, which he himself
had made, he would be overwhelm-
ingiy elected.
When my train arrived at o'clock
in the morning the convention had
completed it's work, but if / had
been present | could not have made
single suggestion which would have
been a improvement on it's course
Indeed. the admirable temper
displayed by the men who at first
blush might have considered them
selves, belittled, or aggrieved by
the singularly Independent course of
their candidate is one of the most
suspicious features under which the
campaign opens"