The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-05-17
MANY CANDIDATES
FOR CHAIRMAN
Honor in the Democratic Con-
vention Is Very Much
Sought For.
WHAT is THE HONOR?
POSITION REQUIRES ARDUOUS
ATTENTION AND FEW MEN CAN
KEEP THIS POSITION THROUGH
OUT THE SESSIONS.

Denver, Colo, April 16-Who will
donal convention? The sound Of the
gavel will not be heard until July 7th,
but already the candidates for the hon
or Of welding the heavy hammer that
raps the convention to order are ap-
pearing on the scene. The members
of the national committee live in daily
dread that more candidates will be adj
ded to those already in the race. and
their lives may be made miserable ac-
cordngly. 1t Is the duty Of the mem
bers of the national committee to
choose the temporary chairman and
after the permanent organization is
effected, the permanent chairman is
elected by the delegates. For the
temporary office there is a host Of
candidates and for the place Of per-
manent chairman there are still more
numerous aspirants. Several prOmi-
nent Democrats have already secured
headquarters in Denver and will make
campaigns for the office of temporary
and permanent chairman with as great
zeal as is manifested by the men who
want to run for president and vice
president.
1t is not likely that there will be a
repetition of the scene at the Demo-
cratic national convention at Chicago
in 1906 when the will of the national
committee was upset by the delegates
who insisted upon choosing their own
temporary presiding officer. On that
occasion, David B. Hill Of New York
was chosen by the members of the ma
tiOnal committee to be temporary
chairman but the delegates overturned
the choice and placed Senator J. W
Daniel of Virginia in the chair. Upon
the permanent organization stephen
NJ. White of California had the place
of permanent chairman and the single
incident in Democratic history when
the delegates overturned the decision
of the national committee was at an
end.
While there has not been a hint of
another occurrence such as this, it is
generally agreed that the precedent
admits of anyone who has the hust-
ling ability and inclination to use it
going before the national committee
and claiming hearing as to his quail
ifiCationS for the office. The bars
have been thrown down for active pol
iticians to go in and win by whatever
means they can muster.
Just what honor accrues to the man
who presides over the convention is
hard to say. 1t is seldom a chairman
is physically able to occupy the chair
all through the sessions of the great
gathering. Generally he is worn out
by the constant attention he must
give to the convention and is relieved
occasionally by other prominent party
members who are experienced in the
rules that control nominating couven-
tons. The temporary chairman has a
task Of less difficulty and generally Oc.
cupies his position during the brief
term of his activities. while the com
mittees on credentials, platform and
permanent organization are being ap
pointed.
The spice and variety that exists in
a campaign for chairman is given by
the actual presence of the contestants
in the convention city. When a man
is a candidate for the office of chair
man of the convention he has to be
ready to take up his burden as soon
as elected. In this he differs from the
candidate for president or vice presi
dent. The men who are candidates
for these hOnors will probably not
come within a thousand miles of Den
yer while the convention is in ses
sion. W. j. Bryan will be at his home
in Lincoln, Nebraska; Judge George
Gray will remain in Wilmington, Della
ware; Lieut.. Gov. Stuyvesant Chanlel
will be in the lieutenant governor
room at the state house in Albany
New York, and Gov. John A. johnson
of Minnesota will be in the executive
chambers in the capitol building in St
Paul Should David r. Francis o
Missouri decide to enter the lists, a:
he may, he will sit in his St. Loui,
offices and wait for the tidings from
the scene of action.