Los Angeles herald., 1905-07-17
BELMONT WOULD
LEAD DEMOCRATS
DOES NOT FAVOR PARKER FOR
DENOMINATION
SOUTHERN OR WESTERN MAN
New York Leaders Already Divided
Upon the Issues and the Pos
slble Candidates for Pres
ldent In 1909

Special Correspondence Of the Herald
NEW YORK, July 15.-while there
has been in the newspapers COM
paratively little discussion of Judge
Parker's recent stand against NUM-
cipal ownership, 1t has attracted the
attention of politicians all over the
country. Some of them seem to be
surprised that the last presidential can
didate of the Democracy should calmly
and premeditatedly attack theory
which has presumably gained formid-
able weight in the great Democratic
cities of the north.
The Democratic organization in New
York has for long time inserted
municipal ownership planks in the city
platforms, the practice having been in
itiated in the first Henry George cam
paign. The Chicago Democracy has
lately carried that city on the NUM-
cipal ownership issue. Cleveland, o.,
has developed the policy under the
political tutelage of Tom johnson. In
the northern Democratic cities of the
second and third classes the drift to-
ward municipal ownership has been
pronounced. These Democratic cities
nearly always control the delegates of
their respective states in national con-
ventions.
There is not, therefore, any surface
indication in Judge Parker's attitude
nv, af f,afa tA ot,1tf a
vate radical sentiment, whatever may
be the judges relations toward the
presidential nomination OF his party in
1908. Nobody should in fact be sur
prised at the judges attitude. 1t is
rational and consistent and exhibits
only the unchanged purpose of the
judge to participate in politics as
conservative leader if he participates
at all.
Parker Wants to Run
There is no "if" about it, in the
opinion of the judges most intimate
friends. He is credited with particu-
larly strong resolution to make his in
fluence felt in future Democratic ma
llOlldl dlldlIS. IoOIIl6 OI Ills IIlOSL DOWtT-
full eastern friends, like D. Cady Her
rick, David B. Hill and William F.
Sheehan, expect him to control in 1905
the national delegates from New York,
the New England states and Pennsyl-
vania, as he did in 1904.
Old line party men of the east do not
worry at all about municipal owner
ship as a stimulant to radicalism.
They have a notion that the coming
experiences of Mayor Dunno in Chicago
will be fatal to the paternalistic prop
aganda in this country. They have
seen, they believe, conservative Democ-
racy at the lowest ebb, and they con-
fidently expect that it will in 1908 be
stronger both in the party organization
and at the polls than 1t was in 1904.
These are Judge Parker's views. He
has perfect faith that the future plat
forms of the party will be the party's
platforms in the Tilden and Cleveland
epochs, and that it's candidates will be
men of the Tilden and Cleveland stamp.
1t is his belief now, as it was in 1904,
that President Roosevelt's policy of
Capitalization will divide the Repub-
lican party, its radical section predom-
mating under the presidents guidance
and it's conservative section joining
forces with a predominating conserva-
tive Democracy.
If that is to be the development of
party situations during the next three
7ears Judge Parker's friends will make
the best use of it to promote his re-
nomination, and he will accept.
Belmont Would Be Leader
Judge Parker's party opponents are,
as in 1904, of two classes, those who
! believe he is too closely affiliated with
great corporations and those who fol-
low William ]. Bryan. The first class
has many accessions since 1904. The
Belmont conservatives have become an
independent element. August Belmont
stands apart from the Wall street
group of Democratic trust promoters
in politics as we'll as in finance. He
was probably the principal contributor
| to the Democratic campaign fund last
year. He devoted more time and
energy than any other man to Parker's
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