Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-07-15

tied senator from Illinois, in reporting
the platform to the Republican ma
tional convention described the planks
offered by La Follette's friends as so
cialistic and deInagogic. he opened the
way for the Democratic party to march
into Wisconsin and to claim that state
for its own. The selection OF MIR.
Ryan as chairman of the national COM
mittee would aid materially in carry
ing that state And the choice of him
could be made with perfect confidence
that in the future, as in the past, be
would be loyal to Democracy as 1T now
stands, loyal to the great leader of the
Democratic party, William J. Bryan
But it is not necessary to look alto
gether to the middle west or to the
northwest for a chairman. Down
where the Potomac river breaks
through the Allegheny mountains.
down where the richest mineral de-
poSits in all the east are to be found,
lies the state of West Virginia. 1t is
a state which should be Democratic.
but which for years has been Repub-
! lid IN. 1t has been Republican be-
| the blood of those who professed to
be Democratic leaders there. To
| day the Democrats of that state have
| a new ambition and find new encour-
agement in the fact that they have
| new leaders. Out of West Virginia
| may well come chairman of the
| Democratic national committee. Will
| liam E. Chiffon of Charleston has
| been a fighter for progressive Democ-
racy for many long years. He is an
1 organizer and when need be an ora
tor. He would be able to swing that
| little group of states that nestle about
| West Virginia into the Democratic
| column If a proper ticket We're pre-
scented. Nobody is urging Chilton's
appointment to this important place,
and yet out of the uncertainty which
now hangs about the chairmanship it
would not be remarkable if the ap-
pointment should be handed to him.
| The suggestion Of Hon. d. l. Fran
els of st. Louis appeals very much to
| the practical politicians in the Demo
| cratic party. Mr.. Francis was not
right in 1896, but no man has given
| clearer Indication of his desire to
| come back into the Democratic ranks
and to fight for the cause of Demo
cratic success than he. Frankly, l do
not expect that Governor Francis will
be chosen for this position, but it
would not be an unwise thing for the
Democratic party to give more atten-
ton to his qualifications for the place
than today it appears to be willing to
give.
This is the, first convention since
1896 at which Hearst and his political
power have received practically no at
tention whatsoever. OF course, men
are asking here and there what Hearst
| is going to do. but it is a mere mat
ter of gossip. The usual answer to
the question is that nobody cares a
continental what he is going to do.
The feeling among the politicians
gathered at Denver, is that the erratic
course Of Hearst has utterly destroyed
his political influence in the nation.
This is Democratic convention, and
the Democrats here gathered are not
inclined to look with favor upon a
man who, having received a Demo
cratic. nomination for governor of New
York. continued his political activities
the next year by fusing with the Re-
publican party, dominated by Odell
and E. II. Hartman. There is a
story that he has wearied Of paying
all the expenses of his personally cou-
Quoted party and that his trip abroad
was taken for the purpose of enabling
him to gently. after the Hearst man.
ner. evade the responsibilities which
he has incurred. Charlie Walsh. who
used to be secretary of the Democratic
national committee and who now, to
the regret of his friends, is mere
salaried henchman of Hearst, stated
the other day that the convention
called for July q would be indefinite
ly postponed. Hearst's private secre
tary told Hearst's political reporter al
Denver to deny this and say that the
convention would meet and put O
ticket in the field. But it would see m
in view of the dissension among
Hearsts own people, that the descrip
!. ton of the Hearst movement by the
correspondent of New York newspa
per was fairly descriptive He said
that Hearst was the ION again, OF
again, gone again Finnegan" of Dem
ocratic politics. And, indeed, that is
the position which Hearst occupies to
day before this convention. Nobody
knows where he is, and few care. The
general feeling is that his influence
even If because Of personal piaue Il
shall be directed against Bryan, vii
be trivial.
The Republican Organization.
For nearly three weeks after the
Republican national convention adj
journed the Republican organization
had no head. No chairman had beer
selected nor any secretary. No head
quarters had been chosen, no execu
tive committee had been appointed
What is the meaning of this? Does
1t indicate that the Republican party
Is so torn by dissension that it could
not even provide for a proper organi
cation to conduct the campaign upor
which it is about to enter? Does i
mean that there was nobody In tn,
old Republican organization that Sec