The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-19
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Presidential Candidates.

To the Editor of The Age-Herald
 In an editorial in The Age-Herald of Friday April II, headed 'McCarren- Murphy War" occurred the following statement in reference to the New York state convention:
 ''It met to select four delegates-at-large. The district conventions will select from time to time the other "A of the states big delegation
 As a matter of fact there are 37 congress sional districts in the state of New York, and all of them, or all but one Qhe Twenty -eighth-and 1 am not sure about that one) have already selected their dele gates to the national democratic conven- ton, Gas you will see from the inclosed clipping from Thursdays issue of the Washington PosD and of the delegates cnosen I venture the prediction that majority are opposed to the nomination of William Jennings Bryan, even in the face of the positive assertion in the edi- torial to which have heretofore referred that there will be no doubt as to how New York will vote at Denver. MT. Bryan will secure the 7S votes of the state. He practically has them now and every day will add to his strength" In view of the fact that at least 76 out of New York's delegates have already been selected, 1 do not see how "every day will add to his strength"
 There is an old saying that straws show the way the wind is blowing, and the truth of this old adage is questioned by few, even in the political game. The whole of New England in refraining from giving any indorsement to the candidacy of "The Peerless One,'' and the eastern habit is extending to the west That this is so was shown by the action of the dem- ocratic state committee of Michigan on the very day that w. J. Bryan spoke to a large audience in that state, in refusing to indorse or instruct for him.
 And this opposition to MT. Bryan comes not altogether from his political enemies, or from Wall street. Even his warm per- sonal friends and former ardent support CTS, or at least many of them, now re- alize the futility of his nomination if vic- tory is to perch upon the democratic stan dard next November, and many of them do not hesitate, even at the risk of in- curing his lasting displeasure and the insults of many of his most rabid ad- herents, to personally advise him of their views Whether the opposition, coming at this late day, will be strong enough to affect the result of the Denver convention remains to be seen.
 While neither prophet, nor the son Of a prophet, 1t looks to me as though the Denver convention will to great extent be a repetition of the Chicago convention of 1896, when the free silyerites rode rough-shod oyer all those who differed with them, and the unseating of the regu- lar Nebraska delegation made it possible for William Jennings Bryan to stampede the convention with his matchless elocu- tion-not oratory. But then,. everyone who was present knows that the major ity of the delegates in that convention were as wild and uncomfortable as herd of stampeded Texas Hong horns"
 With countless others I believe that the time is propitious for democratic success if the right candidate is nominated at Denver; but sincerely fear that success will be but an evanescent dream if Will liam Jennings Bryan, twice-defeated, IS