Omaha daily bee., 1908-06-24

4f ~ hBNNAfN AAIE
With the candidates named in ad-
vance and the assurance that he will
! write his own platform, the choice OF
a candidate for vice president holds
the only promise of keeping the con-
v%ention : at Denver from taking all
records for being a ecu and dried
affair. II is possible that MI. Bryan
may before convention time pick the
vice presidential candidate and SO re-
lieve the delegates of doubt on that
score, but thus far he has refrained
from expressing any preference among
those mentioned for second place.
Preliminary gossip is busy with the
names of a number OF eastern demo-
Gratis to run with Mr.. Bryan, as il ap-
pears to be a logical assumption that
the vice presidential candidate will
come from the east Originally there
was some talk of Tom Watson, the pop
ulist presidential nominee for second
place on the ticket, but Mr.. Watson
has vetoed that proposition in a scath-
ing denunciation of Mr.. Bryan for
abandoning the principles for which
the two men fought in 1896. A Mr..
Conrad, a multi-millionaire mine owner
of Montana and New York, is openly
seeking the nomination and has left
a plain intimatiop that his pocketbook
will be at the service of his party if
the Denver convention makes the
ticket Bryan and Conrad. The demo-
Gratis travelled the pocketbook route in
1880, when w. II. English of Indiana
was nominated for the vice presidency,
his money for campaign purposes, but
Mr.. English proved too shrewd a
business man to risk much capital in
the venture. Arthur sewall of Maine
was hitched up with Bryan in 1900,
with the advance promise that his
plethoric wallet would be at the serv-
ice of the campaign committee. In
1904 Henry Gassaway Davis, so years
of age and worth $8G,O0O,O00, was the
vice presidential candidate, but added
no strength to the ticket.
AS the bank account candidate, Mr..
Conrad, however, has put another ar
row in his CULVER by urging that the
fact that he Is a German-American
would draw the German vote. The
same argument is advanced for Gov
ernor Johnson Of Minnesota for second
place to catch the Scandinavian vote.
Similar claims have been made for
other men, but 1t has never proved Of
great value in election results. Amer
lean citizens of German or Scandina-
Wan or Irish birth or extraction are
thorough Americans, ready to vote as
American citizens on American ques-
lions. They have their own political
preferences and vote presidential
tickets without much reference to the
nationality of the candidates.
Charles A. Towne of New York has
recently been in conference with Mr..
Bryan, with the result that his name
is being freely mentioned for second
place. He would undoubtedly fit in
with Colonel Bryan better than any
one else. Former Governor Douglas Of
Massachusetts, also urged for the
place, has refused to consider 1t, as
likewise has Judson Harmon of Ohio.
John Mitchell, the labor leader, has
taken himself out of the lists to ac-
cept a paid position under the Ma
tional Civic Federation. George Fred
Williams of Massachusetts, one OF the
few eastern democrats who has stood
steadfastly by Bryan since 1896, is
rich, but is as radical as Bryan or Tom
Lawson. Cornelius Pugsley, former
congressman from Schenectady, and
Burton Harrison, a member of on
gress from New York City, are also
in the array OF eligibles.
Aside from these names there has
been little discussion OF second-place
candidates for the Denver convention,
which will assuredly execute the will
of Mr.. Bryan as to his running mate.