The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-08
SCENES AROUND
 4 UNION STATION Bryan and LaFOllette Con- fer in Capital Depot MEETING ACCIDENTAL Talk Flew Thick and Fast About the Hotel Corridors When Meeting of
 the Progressive Leaders
 Became Known
MEETING ACCIDENTAL

Washington, January 7.-Col. William J. Bryan, of Nebraska, and Senator Rob ert NJ. LaFollette of Wisconsin had a conference at the Union station tonight upon their joint arrival in the city, the former from the south and the latter from the west. The meeting between the three time presidential candidate of the democratic party and the progressive re- publican. who is seeking to wrest the republican nomination from President Taft, was said to be accidental.
 No sooner was it known that the pro- gressye leaders of the two parties had come together than tongues began to wag and third party talk flew thick and fast about the hotel corridors It was not wholly confined to members of the Democratic National committe. who were gathering for the meeting tomorrow. Re- publicans. too. showed lively inter est.
 All day the democratic committeeman. had been seeking methods of dealing with. the several perplexing questions scheduled to come up at tomorrows meeting, bu, nearly every possible solution advanced seemed to depend upon probable attitude of the Nebraska leader. Progress was slow because of the general desire to con- suit MT. Bryan, and his arrival scheduled for p. III. was awaited with great impa- atience. Finally it was learned that his train had been blockaded by wreck ana was two hours late.
 shortly before o'clock the Nebraskan's train arrived. Many prominent demo- cratic leaders were at the station. After handshalSing all around, Mr. Bryan sight ed Senator LaFollette, OF to be exact, they seemed to sight each other at the same time. They rushed toward each other and shook hands and then lost no time in withdrawing a short distance from the crowd. They sat down on d bench and conversed with evident ear- nestness for several minutes.
 Whats being pulled ofl2' was the question the waiting democrats seemed to be asking each other as they watched the two men. This interrogation in the vcnnacular of the street was not actually propounded but that there was some consternation in the party was apparent.
 When MT. Bryan and the senator parted there was another show of good feeling. MT. Bryan then explained tersely that Senator LaF ollette and he had talked about the resolution pending in Congress proyiding for the election of senators by popular vote senator EaFollette fopight gave the same explanation by telephone but in the minds of some there remained e little skepticsm.
 It was reported that Senator LaFollette had gone to the station to meet MT. Bryan. When telephoned about this re- port the senator said that the meeting was purely accidental, resulting from the fact that their trains happened to get In d the same hour.
 We only talked about the direct elec- ton of senator's" said the senator. We are both deeply interested in the subject, and Colonel Bryan agrees with me that the resolution should be passed"
 Colonel Bryan drove from the station to the home of Cotter T. Briden, his closest friend in Washington. He declined 10 talk about any of the problems the na- tional committee will have to solve. It was evident that he wanted to get his bearings before plunging into what prom ises to be a stirring gathering.
 After removing travel stains, Colonel Bryan drove to the hotel apartment of Norman F. Mack. chairman of the na- tional committee, and with whom he dined.
 At the hotel Mir Bryan was met by large number of newspaper men. He would not discuss candidates, contests, presidential primaries on any of the mat ters pending before the committee. He would not talk of the letter said to have been written by Woodrow Wilson few years ago, urging inc party to rid itself of the Nebraskan, but he was arable as ever as he edged away from the persistent group and slipped into the elevator which carried him to MT Mack's apartment.
 w F. McCombs, manager of the Wood- row Wilson headquarters, charged that the report of friction between Wilson and Bryan was inspired in Wall street and that other stories of the same char acter might be expected from that source He did not deny the existence of alleged "Joline' letter. however.
 There will be gathered here tomorrow nearly every man who has been men, toned for the democratic nomination. or at least all of the active and receptive candidates will be represented In per- son there will be Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey Governor Floss of Massachu- setts, Speaker Champ Clark and former Governor Folk of Missouri Governor Dix of New York, Senator Kern of Indiana, who is supposed to he the representative of Governor Marshall, but who is regard- ed by many as being a dark horse prob ability, and Senator Newlands of Nevada, who has a progressive platform.
 Senator Pomcrene of Ohio Is looking after Judson Harmon's boom, Represent tative Underwood of Alabama is within
 
 day banquet, and then there will be Will liam Randolph Hearst, WHO IS spoken of as 8 possibility, although generally cred tied a Clark man. and Colonel Bryan, who does not lack supporters.
 St. Louis and Baltimore seem to be struggling hardest for the convention. Chicago, it seems, does not offer any financial inducement beyond actual ex- penses and the democratic committee feels that the city which receives the convention should provide something with which to start the campaign Dem yer and New York also aspire to enter tain the convention, 1t is said but the race seems to be narrowing down to the cities first named. If was declared to- night that Baltmore's chances were in- creasing.
 There is little doubt that the commit- tee will be compelled to face the oues- ton of primaries for the selection of deI- egates. although the majority sentiment appears to be against It. Many mem- bers of the committee are opposed to, primaries on account of the cost and therefore will urge the voting down of general indorsement of the primary plan It now appears likely that the demo- cratic committee will follow the example of the republican committee which left the states having primary laws free to follow tho plan of clecting delegates
 Little attention is being paid to the de- mapds of tlie representatives of some candidates for the abrogaton of the rule of the party which requires a two-thirds vote of the convention to nominate can didstes for President and vice president It is asserted that if the question is pro- posed 1t will be voted down. Many con