The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-07-17
'RETREAT|N ORDER
ARE 0N|WAY HOME
Gopher Delegation to Denver to
Reach ST. Paul Sunday
Morning.
They Leave Behind Any Regrets
And Face Future With a
New Hope.
Hon.. Frank A. Day Is Now Out
With a Statement to the
Dear People.

Paul Pioneer Press this story of the
night scene at the Denver convention
before and after Bryan's nomination:
Denver, July lO-Minnesota head
quarters at the Albany were practical
| ly deserted today There were num-
Der of Minnesota people around before
and after today's session getting ready
for the journey home. The Mime
sofa special left Denver this evening
expecting to reach st. Paul early Sun
day morning. Some of the Minnea-
polls people who occupied one car on
| the train took their car for a trip
to Colorado Springs, expecting to re-
| turn to the Twin Cities Monday morn
ing.
Minnesota stood for Towne for the
vice presidency early in the fight.
When Governor Thomas of Colorado
arose to nominate Towne the Minnesota
delegation rose to their feet and cheered
and as soon as he mentioned Towne's
name many joined them in the cheer
ing. Kentucky sent representative
| to Minnesota headquarters and offered
their support to johnson if he would
stand for the vice presidency, but Min
nesota would not consider it.
Too Much Anti-Bryan.
Minnesota's candidate for the presi
dency got twenty four votes outside of
his home state and his total vote was
thirteen and one-half less than that of
Judge Gray. Gray got most of the
votes of Bryan's eastern opponents.
That Gray would get larger vote
than Johnson was. hardly expected.
Perhaps the reason was that Gray's
managers have made their campaign
8 campaign for Gray and not q cam
paign against Bryan. Therefore a
number of delegates who could not
bring themselves to climb onto the
Ell van bandwagon Wed for Gray be-
cause they did no: want to be put in
the position of joining the delegates
whose main argument was that "Bry-
an can't win."
The Minnesota fighters kept up their
show until the last, which gave John
son some advertising as lecture start
ami possibly some prominence as a
candidate for 1912 When Bryan is
defeated this fall TIC Minnesota boom
ers will be able to say 81 told you SO"
Seconded by Minnesota.
The moment the. roll call was COM
pleted, however, Hammond was on the
platform, and before the vote had been
ANNOUNCED he said that Minnesota took
pleasure in moving that Bryan's nomi-
nation be made unanimous. Then, as
the rosy dawn was appearing in the
eastern clouds, the delegates wandered
home to dream of the vice presidency.
Ollie James speech seconding Bryan's
nomination left him fresh in their
minds as vice presidential possibility.
The various emotions manifested byI
the vast throng that was in the audi
forum from I p. M, until $40 a. m.
made an interesting psychological
study. Keeping the crowd listening to
speeches and demonstrations until the
platform was presented at midnight
was necessary, but there is no under
standing of why they were kept there
nearly three hours after the platform
had been adopted.
Method a Mystery.
All three candidates had been nomi-
mated and had received their individual
ovations. The nomination of Bryan
was assured beyond a possible doubt,
and the speakers knew that nothing
they said could add vote to his
strength.
AS speaker after speaker insistently
persisted in inficting his presence upon
the audience, the crowd hooted and
jeered and called slime" get the
hook" 'ssit down." shut up" and
everything else they could think of.
Every speaker knew, or ought to
have known, that his speech was i
positive bore to that audience, that was
there waiting for the roll call.
politician may be pardoned for trying
to get into the papers, but when ne
defies and irritates 1900 people and
keeps them up all night when they
don't want to hear him, his motives
are past understanding.
Congressman James Helm went so
far as to tell them that he would talk
thirty minutes instead of five II they
didn't listen to him. The audience had
applauded when motion was passed
limiting the seconding speeches to hve
minutes, but the rule was not OBJ
served A very few of those who made
seconding speeches were men who had
something to say which the democrats
wanted to hear, but the most OF them
knew they were not wanted, yet they
insisted on making long speeches that
the people couldn't hear and din't
want to hear. f.45St
Day Makes Statement.
Frank Day today made the fol-
lowing statement:
"We have recognized the fact that
we had homeless fight from the time
we arrived in Denver, but we believed
that it would be more manly if we
would make square fight to the end.
I think we made creditable show
ing. The Chicago Tribune this morn
ing says Hammond's speech last night
was the best nominating speech in
the convention, and / believe they were
right. Our delegation received many
evidences of. high regard for Governor
johnson. EVERYWHERE as they marched