Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-28
DEMOCRATS PUZZLED.
N. o. N. Chats About the DEM
ocratic Vice Presidency.
JOHNSON Is REAL WILLING
But He Wants to Be Properly Ap-
preached, First.
THE, DENVER GATHERING
West Doesn't Need Bolstering, Bryan
Thinks-New York and the
East Could Help.
JOHNSON Is REAL WILLING
), DENVER GATHERING
Special From star Correspondent.

Special From STAT Correspondent.
| LINCOLN. Neb., June 27.-The demo-
| Gratis are in this quandary over the selec-
! ton Of their candidate for Vice President.
| namely: Is It preferable to name an east
| ern man who might strengthen the ticket
in New York and New Jersey or to pick
western man who can "cinch' the western
states. Arguments are advanced on both
| sides and probably it will be some time
before a decision is reached.
Mr.. Bryan is listening to all advisers. as
every day or two somebody blows in with
a new candidate or new line of talk. He
sits mum as rule with that steel trap
expression to his face 90 familiar when
his countenance is in repose and those
thin lips drawn thinner. He is long on
listening and short on comment.
| Some of his democratic advisers want
| him to pick Judge Gray of Delaware.
| They claim that Judge Gray will not only
| strengthen the ticket with the labor vote.
on account Of his decision IN the coal
| strike arbitration, but that he will inspire
confidence among the gold democrats OF
the east and altogether be valuable
asset to the party. Others want him to
select a New York man. with the hope Of
carrying the Empire state.
| West surely LOOKS SOLD.
! The men who advise this course contend
that according to Mr.. Bryan's own state
ments the west is solid for him and no
missionary work is needed there. nor ad-
ventitious aids to victory. They say for
| this reason it is not necessary to take
Gov Johnson, and that the johnson
strength in the west will trail along with
| the democrats anyhow.
nth fc fhof f1o
thing to do is to make sure OF the west
and let New York take care of itself
The men who take this tack say that the
| south and west will have to elect Mr..
rainbows in the east. looking for the gold
! democrat at the bottom Of EN-. They
| figure that If Mr.. Bryan can round up all
| this dissatisfied radical element in the
west, existent in the republican party as
well as his own. he can tell New York to
run along and play. This Is the argument
| Of the men who want Gov. Johnson. They
claim that Johnson as Vice President can
carry Minnesota. the Dakotas. Wisconsin.
Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska: that he
will split Illinois wide open and help IN
Indiana. Make sure of these big states"
say the Johnson advocates, land New
| York will get into line"
| am told that Mr.. Bryan himself is in
| clined to think that the west is all right
| as the case stands. and that the wisest
| policy is to try to strengthen the party
| in the east, but he has not given his de-
| cision. and will not until the clans gather
| at Denver. He has expressed d.sapproba-
| ton. however, of several names mention
| ed He does not favor young Chanler OF
New York, 1 am told, on account OF his
youth and inexperience. He Is afraid: 1t
| Is stated. that David r. Francis of Mis-
souri, may be objected to by reason of his
close association with financial interests
How About JohnsonP
Tai
would be acceptable to him or not. Con-
his attitude in this respect. I tried to get
a line on the truth yesterday when call
! ed upon Mr.. Bryan at his residence.
How far will be safe in stating upon
my own responsibility that Gov. Johnson
| is acceptable to your 1 asked.
| You will not be safe in saying anything
about 1t at ALL" he replied in decisive
tones. Il have said nothing about it to
any one"
When I asked the question 1 had not
| forgotten that only last Monday Gov.
Johnson told me he was mot candidate
for second place" but then everybody out
here is convinced that Gov. Johnson
would take second place at the drop OF
the hat II Mr.. Bryan gave the signal.
| Charles A. Towne. another prospective
candidate was out here the other day.
| but l do not hear that he buttoned up
things The drawback in his case is
that Mr.. Charles F. Murphy of Tammany
| has not yet seen his way clear to indorse
| Mr. Towne and Mr.. Towne is too wary to
| fash his boom until Boss Murphy smiles
| approval.
| Democratic politicians say that If 1t
were not for Mr.. Bryan's boundless con-
fidence In victory and In his invincible
position in the west they could talk vice
presidency with him to better advantage.
But he will not listen to any suggestion
that the west needs bo!stering up at all.
The truth is 1t is said. he is hankering to
break into those conservative eastern
states and harness to the democratic
chariot some Of that stiff-necked genera
ton which has houted him and his pol
icies for twelve years.
Here Is the Specter.
| There is one thing the democrats are
living in deadly terror Of. and that Is the
probability of President Roosevelt coming
out in the campaign and speaking for the
republican ticket. They fear that when he
is apprised of the true state Of radical
| feeling in the west he will recognize 1t as
his property roaming at large and will
come out to round it up and brand 1t
1T. R."
Even the most rampant democrats are
not fatuous enough to deny that the
| President. If he gives his 20. K" to the
republican platform and ticket. can not
keep the hesitating republican radicals
in line. although he may not draw any
recruits from the democrats. What Mr..
Bryan is counting upon largely is the
discontinued republicans who are sus-
picious that they are being delivered
into the hands. Of the Philistines by the
Chicago platform and the vice presi-
Dental nomination. If President Roose-
welt rides herd on them Mr.. Bryan
knows he will have a hard time to
stampede them from the republican cor
raj
The negro vote throughout Nebraska
and Kansas is very discontented and the
situation is causing the local republican
bosses much uneas iness In Kansas es-
pecially the republicans are worried. and
they do not get much comfort from the
suggestion that the negro will stay with
| the republican party because there is no
other place for him to CO."
That argument doesn't work in Kansas,
as they found out two years ago when
| hco Hor