The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-02
Great American Game of Politics
Rv FREDERIC J. HASKIN

Politics is the great American game,
=, 20 nlayed in every grade of life, and
,bo stake may be the Presidency of the
I,nited States or the honor of being
5elepate to county convention. Inc
Aome's the thing, and whether the
80 he high or low. your true Amer
bSn plays it 10 n finish. The results
~ the game are history and known to
all men. The way the game is played
makes footnotes to history,
Mrs William Jennings Bryan, poll.
t;cian of no small ability, was one OF
rho two persons in the United States
who went 70 the Democratic national
onnvention in Chicago in 1896, firm In
,hc belief that her husband would be
nominated for President. The other
xorson was William Jennings Bryan
t;mseIf. He never lost faith and was
nominated. His wife wavered Just once:
After the great 'cross of gold and
crown of thorns' speech had made Mr.
Rrysn the hero OF the convention, there
was the long day session devoted to
t;on adjourned until the next dav with
ont taking 8 ballot. On the morning
Of .July I. when the nomination was
made. Mrs. Bryan rode into the CITY
With William X. Springer and urey
Woodson. The latter is now secretary
of the National Democratic committee,
and he was the first man to take mp the
BRYAN boom IN the convention before
the great speech. Mr.. Woodson SAID;
awe will nominate him today, Mrs.
Rryan sadly replied: "No. | think not.
II could have been done yesterday, but
! fear it is too late. / have seen Mt,
Bryan capture the, galleries before and
lose the delegates. -
In Washington county, Virginia, there
are two great partIes-the Watermelcns
and the Anti Wstermelons. The rare
question has nothing to do with IT, AS
might be supposed from the names OF
the factions nor is there any great
agricultural question involved. There
was q county convention TO nominate
The county ticket. Nomination meant
election. There were two clques, head
ed by rival bosses. One of them cap
fured the uncertain delegates and or.
ganized the convention. The other
turned from oratory and persuasion TO
strategy. He bought wagonload of
watermelons. backed it up TO the court
house door and yelled, 'Free water
melon for everybody. - The opposition
delegates left the courthouse to feast.
but those of the other side who were
posted STAYED in their seats and nomi-
mated a ticket before ahc ruse WAS dis
covered And thus Two great parties
were born.
Politicians have often found them
selves in the soup, but it remained for
i an Ohio man, late candidate, to get
S2to the chop suev. In the campaign
Sktween Pattison and Herrick for Gov
ernor this man was one of several can
didates who delivered bipartisan
speeches Z, basket picnic and farm
ofs gathering at Four Corners. o, He
was speaking 10 farmers and the
"plunp pumpkin and the ''yaller
laiged chicken were his themes. He
contrasted the beautiful, independent
life of the farmer with that of the
more unfortunate dweller in tine great
city He told of his recent trip 10 New
York and how he had embarked on a
rubber-neck wagon to see the town.
1--WE went down, down. into the heart
Of the horrible city. We went down.
down, into Chinatown, where the Ori-
entails were living in their sin and
squalor. We went down, down, into
the dives where the opium smokers were
reveliug in their terrible debauches. My
fellow citizens, we went down, down,
into the very chop suey itself,
Tho first ballot cast in the State of