Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-14
SIMONS GRILLS
BOLTER HEARST
GIVES INSIDE HISTORY OF
TURNCOAT TACTICS
SUPPORTED LOYALTY, EXCEPT
BY HIS HIRED MEN
Leader of Movement Four Years Age
| Shows How Both Ends Were
Worked for Adver-
tising
THOMAS TAGGART

Joe Simons, who knows all about 1t,
told The Herald yesterday why Will
liam R. Hearst forsook the Democratic
party to run a set of candidates of his
own. Simons knows, because he was
the sincere leader in the movement to
nominate Hearst at the st. Louis DEM
ocratic national convention, four years
ago. He defeated McNab's host at
the state convention, and brought Cali
fornia enthusiastically in line for
Hearst. 1t was Simons who was re-
sponsible for the great Hearst demon
stration in the convention, and Kept
the Californians at work after they
found that Hearsts personal represen-
tatives were insincere in their advo-
cacy.
Simons and the other Californians
went to st. Louis for Hhrst because
they believed in him. The Hearst
hired men put Simons and other prom
inent Democrats forward to get Tag
CARTS influence. When fair means
failed they used intimidation. AS Tag
gart refused to be scared they went
home and lied to Hearst about his
own friends, a tale which. no doubt,
they were shrewd enough to know
Hearst was not unwilling to have
poured into his ears.
"My honest personal opinion" as Mr..
Simons put it in his own characteristic
and forcible fashion, 'is that Hearst
started in to use his family of news
papers to catch the readers with the
ten-cent socks. Having got them, he
has turned around to please the fell
lows who wear the dollar hose and cor
raj their advertising. He is just work
ing his own system to catch them
a-coming and a-going.
Friends Left in Lurch
"There is at this time no good rea-
son why Mr.. Hearst should bolt the
Democratic party and leave his friends
in the lurch. We Californians, who
brought the state in line for him, went
to st. Louis and spent our own money
for him. We put up all our own ex-
penses, and also furnished two special
cars of California's choicest products
in wines and fruits, which were given
away on the route and at the conVen-
ton. We established and kept open
headquarters in the leading hotel of
st. Louis.
"The convention accorded Mr.. Hearst
the best treatment given any candi-
date whose name came before 1t. Mr..
Bryan and all Mr.. Bryan's friends
spoke very kindly of Mr.. Hearst. We
were told by numerous delegates who
had attended conventions for years
that the most creditable showing was
made for him that they had ever wit
messed a candidate receiving. Most of
the California delegation worked night
and day in his behalf.
"The final demonstration received by
Mr.. Hearst was far in advance of that
given any other candidate, and we
were proud of our efforts. Everybody
remarked it, and the papers commented
on our zeal as characteristic California
enthusiasm. I can't conceive any rea-
son why he should bolt, and he has
given none so far to his western friends
who stood by him at St. Louis.
"I had occasion at the convention
several times to criticise the apathy
of several of his managers, especially
for the lack of interest they displayed
in his candidacy. 1 still believe that
he was worked by some of his high
ups.' Their tactics in getting votes
seemed to be only those of intimida-
tion and bulldozing.
Leg-PuIIers to Blame
"My observation of the common
masses of the people at that time more
than convinced me that they were very
friendly to Mr.. Hearst, and the entire
blame of his failure to receive the nom-