The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1908-07-10
OFFERS. GRAY name
Judge Is Placed in Nomination
for President at the Demo.
81 cratic Convention.
HIS QUALITIES ARE DESCRIBED
Hon. Levin Irving Handy Of Delaware
Tells Why Judge George Gray
- Should Receive tho
Nomination.

= :
Nomination..
In placing the name of George Gray
of New Jersey before the Democratic
national convention for president Hon
Levin Irving Handy, Of Delaware
said: .-.. ~~ 4. C. ~
'sMr. Chairman and Gentlemen OF
the Conventional have a duty to per:
form placed upon me by the Democ
racy of the state from which I come.
In the performance Of that duty my
heart leaps with pleasure. Because
of his ability, because Of his patriot
ism, because of the maturity Of his
judgment, because of his devotion to
true Democratic principles, because OF
the width and depth of his experience
IN governmental affairs, and because of
his devotion to justice and to the Con-
stltution, the man who is best fitted
to perform the duties of president of
the United States is George Gray. AS
a general rule the man best fitted for
the place is most available for the
nomination. -.
IF you are to nominate man be-
cause he is eager to be president, you
will not name Judge Gray. There are
other candidates who want this nomi-
nation more than he does. This man
Is as modest as he is great. Ambi-
ton is the last weakness of great
minds, and ambition is the greatest
danger the people have to fear in
rulers. George Gray is a public SER
want without personal ambition. In
this he is like our first and greatest
president. If you are to nominate the
man who you personally love the
best, perhaps you may nominate some
other candidate; for 1 am not unmind-
full. of the personal devotion which
delegates here present cherish for
other candidates. But the question we
are now to decide is too important to
our party and our country to be de-
cided because of personal preferences.
'The Republican party has been in
grown corrupt, extravagant and auto
cratic, and the prosperity of the peo-
pie has taken unto itself wings and
flown away. Free institutions exist
in order that at such a time as this
the country may peaceably change it's
rulers and change it's policies.
Entering on a political campaign
in which victory or defeat means so
much, we are now to select the politi-
cal chieftain who shall carry our ban
ner and marshal our forces. If the
country were in great war in which
a decisive battle was to be fought and
the duty fell upon me to choose the
general who should command our
country's army in the field, I would
not dare to put in command the gen.
eral whom I loved the best nor the
one who was the most eager. Neither
would you. The responsibility would
be overwhelming to choose the soldier
whose genius for war, shown by his
record and experience, gave the best
prospect Of winning victory. You
would not hesitate to refuse promo
ton and opportunity to your own
brother if there were available an
other soldier who gave greater prom
Use Of winning the fight.
I'm like spirit I ask you to put
aside all personal preferences, and to
choose calmly and prudently the Dem
crat who can most surely win a
Democratic victory in November. Pos
sibly any one of the candidates sug-
gested may be able to win at the polls.
hope so. But our plain duty is to
nominate not a candidate who may
win but the candidate who can most
surely win. We contend for too
great a prize to take any unnecessary
chances Of defeat. -
Our candidate must be one who
can command the support of our party
and at the same time attract the sup
port Of independent citizens who are
not strict party men. We may as well
face the fact that majority vote in
this country is always made up of the
party vote REINFORCED by. the votes of
large body of Independent citizens
Hence a successful candidate for pres
ident must do more than hold the 10y
atty of his partisans. He must in
addition command the confidence and
win the support Of people who care
nothing for party. Party opinion is
a great thing and must be considered,
but public opinion is a greater thing
and must be obeyed. Nominate
George Gray and public opinion win
say that we have proposed a man
whose intellectual and moral stature
towers to the standard set by the
greatest and wisest presidents in our
history.
George Gray's life has been one long
and unselfsh service Of the people In
high places. Acknowledgement Of his
state, a great senator of the United
States for many years, treaty-maker
for the nation, the most successful
arbitrator of disputes between labor
and capital who ever lived, and now
in his later years great and learned
judge, his merit has won the con-
fdence. and good will Of the whole
people.
I'm the Senate he was ever in the
forefront of weighty debate, champion
ing with eloquent logic the principles
of Democracy. In making the treaty
with Spain he was the one commits
sioner who stood true to the doctrine
of human liberty and protested against
taking the Philippines and strapping
imperialism upon the shoulders of the
Republic. In settling the anthracite