Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-11
BIG ROLLER WORKS To END
Bryan Winds Up by Debating the
Nomination for Vice President.
NO ENTHUSIASM OVER RESULT
Eastern Democrats sore over Plat
form and western Men Alarmed
Concerning Eject of Clay
tons speech.
70 ENTHUSIASM OVER RESULT
cFrom a staff Corrsspondent.l

DENVER. Colo, July 1O.-tSpecial Tele-
gram THE concluding session OF the
democratic national convention was about
as exciting as Quaker prayer meeting
The statement had been heralded that
the choice of a vice presidential candidate
would be- left to the convention, and that
Mr.. Bryan had agreed to suspend the opeI-
alton Of the steam roller for that purpose.
Had there been any truth in the report,
the closing session would have been a
hummer when in fact it was distressingly
dun. Something like a dozen candidates
were named in more or less fsmboyant
speeches. but 1t became known early in
the session that Mr. Bryan had, 4, slated
John W. Kern of Indiana for the place
and the business of making nominations
was purely perfunctory. No enthusiasm
was aroused when Kern was placed in
nomination and when his nomination was
seconded from time to time. by other
states there was hardly a ripple of APP
pause. When il became evident that he
was to be chosen. the convention settled
down to wait until the spellbnding was
over and then proceeded TO obey the in
structions received from Lincoln.
Despite the show Of enthusiasm worked
up in the session at which Bryan was NOM
mated, the result of the convention has
left bad taste in the mouths of the
eastern delegates. They came here not
with the hope Of defeating Bryan for nom
ination but with the hope of presenting
such a showing would induce the leader
to agrec to a moderate platform They
fought day and night to secure this. bring
ing all kinds Of pressure from business
men throughout the east. but finally gave
up and allowed the radicals to have their
way. The radicals insisting that the
democratic plank on ant-inj functions is
very conservative, but the conservatives
know better.
Conservatives Are silent.
Gompers, Mitchell, Duncan and all of
the big labor leaders here express them
selves as perfectly satisfied with it,
which is sufficient answer to the claim
that the plank is conservative to any
degree. The plank satisfies the radicals
and the laborites, who profess to believe
that It will not offend the conservatives.
AS matter of fact the conservatives are
not protesting. They realize that they
have lost and they propose to let the rad
icals have all the rope necessary for
the November neck stretching.
But while the eastern democrats are
particularly sore over the platform, west
ern democrats are much alarmed over the
effect of the speech of Congressman
Clayton. the permanent chairman. His
carefully considered attack on President
Roosevelt was listened to in silence by
the western democrats. They know the
feeling of the west toward Mr.. Roose-
welt and the Roosevelt policies. and they
must appreciate the fact that the Clayton
speech will do great harm among demo-
Gratis who have endorsed the Roosevelt
policies and who have Mr. Clayton's word
for 1t that Mr.. Taft will carry out those
policies Claytons speech and the radi-
cal platform spoiled any hope the east
ern democrats had Of having a big, con-
servative democrat named for the vice
presidency. Judge Gray of Delaware,
who could have had the nomination by
nodding his head, refused absolutely to
accept II. d. r. Francis and Governor
Folk of Missouri took to the woods early
after the platform was announced. w
i. Douglas of Massachusetts positively
refused to allow his name to be used
and the fight narrowed to the lesser
lights and Mr.. Bryan made his pick from
a group or lett-overs w. II. H.