The San Francisco call., 1908-07-11

SUPERIOR
TO KERN
Nomination of Indianan for the
Second Place Will Not
Aid Nebraskan
Bryan's Running Mate Is OF
Smaller Caliber Than Re-
publican Nominee
HOOsier State May Be the Only
Beneficiary OF Denver
Selection
DemOCracy's Mistake in Not
Choosing Man Who Would
Secure Votes in East
By Raymond
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL

SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL
DENVER, July 1O.-Coupling the
name of John w. Kern of Indiana
with that of William Jennings Bryan
of Nebraska is good enough politics
in its way, but it does not 60 far
enough. That is to say, the vice presi-
dental nomination here i Denver can
hardly be considered to have more
than local significance. It is not like
ly to help Bryan secure the presiden-
cy, although it will contribute a
doubtful state and possibly affect the
election of a governor and one United
States senator. Kern's nomination to
second place on the ticket with Bryan
was achieved as the distinct result OF
an early morning conference with the
leaders. who unquestionably had the
sanction of Bryan himself before they
played the winning card. The con-
vention was extremely harmonious on
second place. because the Indiana man
represented about all there was left to
choose from, the really strong vice
presidential candidates who would have
added national weight to the ticket
having all deftly sidestepped the nom
inatiOn.
POLITICIAN AND LAWYER
John w. Kern of Indiana is not at all
bad sort as politicians go. He is a
politician in spite Of the fact that he
is a pretty good lawyer He repre-
sents fairly we'll the old line democracy
of the HOOsier state. and has definite
strength of his own at home. II can
scarcely be expected. or believed that
he will add anything 10 the ticket in
New York or New Jersey. TO say moth
ing Of Illinois or Minnesota At the out
set the idea was TO select an eastern
man who would represent the gold
democratic element and would in his
own person bring about some chance OF
carrying the great pivotal states OF
New York and New Jersey without
which Bryan cannot hope for the re-
motest chance of election next No
vember.
Unfortunately for the cOmmoner and
fortunately for the republicans. this
original plan could not be carried out.
There were two really strong men in
the eaSt-W. L. Douglas OF Massachu-
setts, the famous shOeman. and George
Gray of Delaware. the distinguished
federal judge-either one of whom
would have been a political quantity
reckoning with Each removed himself
from the field by positively declining TO
be treated as a candidate. and as there
was no one that had the ghost OF a
chance Of uniting the New York dele
gates. the nomination inevitably went
west. and with it. in my Judgment.
went the last hope Of William Jen-
nings Bryan becoming president of the
United States.
NOMINATION a COMPROMISE
In a way the nomination of Kern is
as much a compromise as that of Sher-
man at Chicago He represented orig
inally the element which was not friend
Iy TO Bryan. or which. at least, was
doubtful about the wisdom OF selecting
the Nebraskan a third time to lead a
hopeless race for the great prize. In
1895, when Bryan split up the democ-
racy, Kern went back to Indiana from
the Chicago convention in a perplexed
frame OF mind. He came of a cOnserva-
tive element in the Indiana democracy,
and the sOcialistic crowd which was in
control at Chicago had shocked all his
ideas of public policy. For a time il
seemed likely that he would ally him
self with the anti-BrXan democracy in
the state. Up to the time of the In
dianapOlis convention, when Palmer and
Buckner were nominated as igureheads
for the gold democratic movement,
Kern was Undeniably on the fence He
climbed down gradually, however, and
during the campaign became an active
and fOrcible advocate of Bryan's cleo
tion. Even his views on the silver
question seemed 10 have been modified.
and before the end OF the campaign
most people had apparently lost sight
of the fact that Kern came very near
drifting into the anti-Bryan movement.
which resulted in the election OF Nc
KinIey by such a triumphant majority.
PERSIsTENTLY PUT FORWARD
Since that time John W. Kern has
been put forward with more or less
regularity as the standard bearer Of the
Indiana democracy. Four years ago he
was mentioned persistently as a vice
presidential possibility. but. II I remem-
ber it rightly, his name was not pre-
sented to the convention. Since the
advent of Bryan. Kern has been twice
democratic candidate for governor OF
Indiana, and, of course, has been twice