New-York tribune., 1908-07-05
BRYAN In COMPLETE
CONTROL AT DENVER
CONVENTION WILL OBEY
HIS ORDERS.
He Is to Dictate Platform and
Chairman Gray or a Ne1c York
Man for Second Place.
rRr reIeeraph 70 me Trfbune. !

Telegraph The Tribune
Denver July with the assembling Of the
Democratic National Convention three days
away. William Jennings Bryan controls the ma
jority Of the delegates and purposes TO dictate
the platform and select the chairman Of the ma
tional committee A coterie Of allies" COM
posed of the friends of Judge Gray. of Della
ware; Governor Johnson. Of Minnesota. aspir-
ants for first place. and a group OF thick and
thin anti-Bryanites is busily engaged giving
out typewriter statements in which they have
no faith and inspiring anti-Bryan predictions
which they realize are wholly unwarranted
The selection of the candidate for second
place is still undetermined. and probably will
remain so until the fight over the platform,
which seems inevitable. has been decided. but
IL is obvious that no candidate can be chosen
who does not have the Endorsement OF the Ne
braskan- MIR: Bryan has plainly indicated his
preference for Judge Gray as his running mate
Those who know the Delaware jurist best insist
that he will not accept the nomination. whife
the Bryanites still hope to crowd him into con-
senting 1t is further asserted that If Judge
Gray cannot be forced TO run the nomination
will be cheerfully accorded to New York, pro-
vided the Empire State delegation can unite
a candidate. large assortment OF Vice
Presidential timber is on the ground. or ably
represented, most Of which will not be seriously
considered Among the anti-Bryanites Judge
Gray John w Kern of Indiana. and Archibald
Mcneil. mayor of Bridgeport. Conn. are said TO
be the strongest candidates for second place.
with special emphasis on Gray
RADICAL ANTI-INJUNCTION PLANK
The chief platform fight will be over the anti
Injunction plank which Mr.. Bryan is determined
TO make so radical that the Eastern delegates
are convinced ii will ALLEVIATE the support OF
every business man. The Bryanites declare
that their candidate is not going to command
the support of the business men anyway. and
that his platform cannot be too radical. as he
must RELY for his strength the extremists Of
both parties, hoping to ALLEVIATE from Mr. Taft
that element of the labor vote which normally
supports the Republican ticket
The most extraordinary feature of this gather
ing is the number of men. who. talking conf
dentiaIIy admit that the chances of electing
the man they expect to nominate are extremely
remote Many of the Democratic leaders be-
Iieve that with ticket headed by Johnson and
GRAY or Gray and Johnson the could win, al
ways provided that Bryan would sincerely sup
port the ticket But they realize that were it
possible TO nominate any other candidate than
BRYAN the Nebraskan would damn him with
faint praise and while skIfuIIy avoiding any
thing on which the charge of treason could be
nroved. would prevent the election of his sue
cessful rival
Moreover Mr. Bryan controls majority OF
the delegates. and even the men who regard
his defea. as inevitable have come 70 believe
that future success for the Democracy can be
assured only by permitting his nomination and
consequent defeat. while they hope against
hope for victory by scratch
charles F. Murphy the Tammany leader.
when he heard to-day that the Bryan men were
confident of his falling into line the first
N
papers that certain persons are going around
delivering the New York delegation to Bryan.
GRAY johnson, or any one else, and il stands
inst where II stood when stated few days
ago that we were coming to Denver TO meet and
talk with the delegates from the other states
ANY statement to the contrary is unauthorized
and unwarranted." Despite this disclaimer,
however. evidences are multiplying that the
Tammany men will fall into line for Bryan
the first ballot.
ORDERS COME FROM LINCOLN.
All good Bryanites stop at Lincoln on their
way to Denver. and there receive from their
leader Instructions regarding the platform Mr..
Rrvan's choice OF Governor Haskell OF Okla
homa for chairman os the committee on reso-
lutions clearly Indicative of his determination
TO make the platform radical possible. but
he is determined TO "out-Herod Herod."
and insists on an anti-injunction pronounce
ment demanding statute more elaborate and
perhaps more radical than the provision OF the
Oklohonla constitution
No could mistake the fact that he was
in Democratic gathering wild-eyed vision
aries harangue their friends and neighoors in
The Hobbies of the hotels. and great quantities
OF liquid refreshment add 10 the liveliness. it
not TO the dignity. of the assemblage Oklahoma
has sent 20 Denver a delegation compared to
which Colonel Cecil Lyons and his sombreroed
associates from Texas would resemble group
of "tendeTfeet" Tammany has contributed to
the gayety OF the gathering with galaxy os