The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-12
Denver Convention Was DOmi-
 hated By NGbTaskan
STRUGGLE OVER PLATFORM
Policies Carried Out at Denver Agreed With Bryan at FairvieW and Dele eeates Did Not Fail To ln-
 dorse Them In Full.
By SAMUEL G. BLYTHE.

By SAMUEL G. BLYTHE. Denver July 11.-tSpecial. )-Looking back over vociferous and vocal 10 days, when
 there was free trade on language and d
 high protective tariff. a Chinese wall, so
 Ia speak, around initiative, the one im- pression that is most vivid is that Will
 ham J. Bryan, owns the democratic party, owns it, body soul and brooches; uses 1t | to his own end, makes 1t jump through | hoop, play dead, and beg So he has 1 1t, bottled canned, and does not propose 1 to take any partners in the enterprise | This has been a personally conducted con-
 vention. MT. Bryan has officlated as the
 man with the megaphone. Every time he told the cumbrous mass of delegates here to register the free will of an untram-
 melled people to stop, the delegates stopped; every time he told them to go on, they went on. Not a thing has been
 done in Denver without the sanction of
 MT. Bryan. Not thing has been accom- plshed that he opposed Not thing has been left undone that he desired accom- 1 plshed.
  dominating the Chicago convention, and
 he did do so, but his domination and
 more supervisory and advisory in its ca pacity when it Is compared with the con-
 trol Bryan had at Denver. There never was minute either in the preIiminarles | CT the actualities in this city when MT. Bryan was not in absolute control. He | cietated every policy. He selected every
 official of the convention. He told the
 delegates whom they may recognize and
 whom they must refuse to recognize. Ha
 even went so far as to indicate the order | ill which certain of his nominating and
 secondng speeches were to be made. He ran things down to the smallest state. At the same time there was a sullen under
 current against him.
 outburst of Applause.
 Delegates from state after state who save up their standards and marched
 around the hall during the historical out
 burst of applause that greeted his name on the second and third days of the con- vention revlled him in private and cheered until they were black in the face in pub 1 lc. There were more than 1000 delegates l in the convention, and aside from a few 1 fanatics most of them think they are l going to certain defeat by nominating l Bryan, but at night jumped in enthusiatl-'
 cally and nominated hIm all the same. Bryan sat over on his porch at Fairview,
 snug and content. He had the machinery | u his control. He knew he was making his last fight and he saw to it that he won the preliminary.
 Political observers know that expert
 political opinion is the most spacious
 thing on earth. There never was poli-
 tician who was broad enough to read all the signs. Most of the delegates were politicians. They came to Denver and nominated Bryan because they thought they wanted hirl, not because they want ed him themselves Bryan has developed into enough of a politician to know tine feeling among the people. He was sure of his grounds. He knew that most of the delegates would be afraid to go home ] if they voted for any other person than himself and knowing this is what the delegates knew also was in a command
 ing position and he made the most of it. There never was boss who was as ar btrary as Bryan has been these past two weeks. No man in the pe,miest days of machine politics has ever assumed such complete control of the preliminarles and actualities Bryan dominates everything.
 Anxious to win, knowing he will never nave another opportunity to run, uc changed his tactics from thpse of the
 Bryan eight and 12 years ago, who piled
 all on a principle and subordinated self
 to the personal idea of what was right.
 An Opportunlst.
 Bryan this year is opportunist. He
 is willing to make any concession that
 can help him to win. He prepared the
 platform to be sure but he prepared 1t
 ;lra xyhn is willing take what
 he can get rather than like man who is determined to get what he believes Is right He sent in, not a complete draft of the platform. but myriads of blanks, each separately prepared. He had blanks ready for any contingency and arranged to meet any slant of the public or party mind. On some of the principles he de- sired to incorporate in the resolution he sent in half a dozen blanks differing in verbiage and In intent, with instructions to the messengers who had them to in corporate any one that met With the smallest opposition and that could be approved by the largest number of the members of the committee.
 In some circles this sort of thing is called a plant. Bryan had men in that committee with resolutions fitted to any emergency. If one would not go an other might. His sole purpose has been to prepare a set of resolutions broad enough to get everybody in on, for Bryan is tired of falling outside the breastworks for principles He wants to get inside the Notifications with projects. if he can. He needs the place. He wants to be President. He Is not battling for any particular tenet this year. He is making the fight for Will jam J. Bryan. and. having arrived at this frame of mind, he has been re- morseless and vengeful He has hit every head that has bobbed up in op- position to him. He has used guillo- tine, ax, moose and club It has been a case of all who are for Bryan are for Bryan and all who are not for Bryan must be offered up as warning for others to get into line.
 They struggled for 52 hours on the platform. It reminded one of fixed