New-York tribune., 1908-07-08
LIKE A FOOD EXHIBIT
FIFTY-SETEN BRANDS.
Bryan Plays Vice-Presidentiat Can
didates zcith Platform Bait.
GRu Telegraph to The Tribune. ]

Denver, July Mr. Bryan, who remains In
absolute control of the situation in Denver, has
instructed his lieutenants 10 treat all OF the
ffty-seven varieties of Vice-Presdental booms
with perfect impartiality until the platform is
adopted. Every candidate in the field has
friends and In this way the shrewd Nebraskan
has managed almost to paralyze any opposition
there might be to his platform programme, for
every Vice-Presidential candidate and his
friends feel that not to espouse anything Bryan
wants in the platform will insure defeat for
his second place ambitions. Among those who
are not so closely bound by Bryan's instruc-
tions or who are not favored with his conf
dence McNeili, of Connecticut. and James, of
Kentucky are the favorites. When the ques-
ton is put to them point blank the close-to
Bryan say:
why are you certain that Gray Is out of the
race? You know he is Mr.. Bryan's favorite"
Despite the fact that it is generally realized
that the Democratic nomination for the Vice
Presidency is an empty honor likely to cost the
recipient heavily in money and energy and to
bring no returns, there is a goodly number of
aspirants who standing around, more or
less forornly, with their lightning rods erected
and their eyes turned to the east with the same
unreasoning and unfang faith that prompts
the praying Moslem to turn in that direction
Just as an evidence of the number of men
with their lightning rods raised high the
following list is of interest:
w. l.. Douglas. of Massachusetts; William J.
Gaynor, Charles A Towne, Lewis Nixon Bird
s. Coler, Martin Littleton and Norman E. Mack,
of New York; David r. Francis and Governor
Joseph Folk of Missouri Ollie James, of Ken
tucky; Theodore A. Bell, of California; Archibald
McNeill, of Connecticut; John w. Kern, of In
diana; Thomas Ridgey, of Illinois; ]. Hamilton
Lewis, of Illinois; w. G. Conrad, of Montana
John Mitchell, of Illinois; Senator Newlands, OF
Nevada and D. J. Campau. of Michigan
The Towne boom received a jolt to-day from
some of the Bryan people, although last night it
seemed to be taking on lease of life and
to be going up as Presidential booms are
quoted The opposition to Mr.. Towne say
ing to- day that in the last few years. since his
residence in New York, Mr.. Towne has been as
sociated with too many promotion schemes and
has had such close alliance with Tammany Hall
that ne would be faced with questions and in
nuendoes difficult to meet
ollie James put pin in his own boom this
afternoon by saying:
There is nothing to boom for me- for the
simple reason that the party is not going South
for its candidate 1t would not do. 1t should
come from either the East the Far West.
Middle West and it would be folly to to
Kentucky for a for second place The
convention will do such foolish thing If 1t
should l would rise and insist upon Withdraw
ing my name. That is exactly what will do If
it is presented"
A new boom to be banded about during the
day was that of w. L. Douglas. who has won
fame by manufacturing shoes and. fter being
twice Governor of Massachusetts, refused to
permit the use of his name for the office again.
The trouble with him seems to be a factiOnal
one member of the Massachusetts, delega
ton said of him:
Douglas is of the exact type ought TO
have-a successful and prosperous business
man VINO has kept always in line with the party
drift. Unhappily for him. we cannot unite the
delegation behind him because of the fight he
had with Whitney up in state. and can
didate would make q sorry showing without the
solid delegation of his own state.