El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-17

0
/ III the Democrats Won the house OF
I representatives in 1910 the Republic
| cans never lost a national electiOn-14
years of undisputed dominance. Yet
the Democrats stood by the action Of
! their convention of that year and, since
I then, Mr.. Bryan has twice been their
choice for president and he still is the
peerless leader TO the great masses
of his party.
McKinIey's Nomination.
The Republican convention of 1896
named Mckinley, who was successful,
but by far greater interest attaches
{ TO the Democratic convention that Sc
! lected his unsuccessful rival The Re-
publicans met at St Louis on June 16.
I Mark Hanna had been in charge Of the
pre-conYention campaign for Mckinley
and he had done his work so well that
! WnlIe a great majority of Republican
leaders In congress were for Thomas
B. Reed, they had no hope Mckinley
was named on the first ballot. receiv-
ing Sol votes as against 81 for Reed,
o. Tor quay 5S for Levi p. Morton, 50
ior Allison and one for Don Cameron.
BeLOre the nomination was made a
platform had been adopted that con-
salned a gold standard plank, forced
upon the unwilling Hanna by T. 9.
PlatL 1t was the end of straddling the
silver question The currency question
mad been crOss-current in politics
Ior 20 years. now it was the main is
sue and nothing could prevent it.
Republicans Bolt.
When the Republican party took
the gold side. "a delegates, led by SEN
ator Teller, of Colorado. senator Du-
Do1s, of Idaho, and senator Cannon. Of
Utah. walked out Of the convention into
the Democratic party. The silver Ques-
ton was soon eliminated as an issue in
politics, but the boilers from the Re
publican convention of 1896 nearly all
remained DemOcrats-Teller and Du-
DolS TO serve for years in the senate,
ana now DUBOIS IS the manager OF
speaker Clark's campaign for the Dem
ocratic nomination.
The Democrats met at Chicago on
July l. The pre-cOnveutiOu fight had
been exciting, but the struggle for del
esates had been between gold men and I
silver men, between CleVelaudites and /
-CleTelandites, rather than in the I
interest Of any particular aspirants for I
the nomination.
Grover Cleveland was president OF /
the United States and the titular leader /
of the Democratic party, but his party 4
had repud1ated him in more than two
thirds Of the country. He had been /
elected as a tariff refOrmer. He found /
ready made panic on his hands when 4
ne went into office. He was forced to /
sell bonds TO buy gold to keep up the !
treasury reserves He called congress /
IN extraordinary session. not to revise /
the tariff, but TO repeal the silver Dur
chasing clause Of the Sherman act
IhlS he accomplished by the help of a 3
majority Of the Republicans and a mi
nor1ty Of the Democrats. The last fill .
lDuster against the repeal in the house !
OF representatives was vainly led by 4
william Jennings Bryan and Joseph I
Quincy Cannon, having behind them
q other silver men, some Democrats
and some Republicans.
The Cleveland gold men came TO 4
Chicago knowing that they were in a
but resolved to save some
thing from the wreck if possible. They
controlled the national committee.
IA frn e~Hf
The national com I
mittee heard the contests from the I
states and made up the temporary roll. /
mere were two rival delegations from !
Nebraska. One was headed by Tobias
castor and represented the J. Sterling
morton or administration faction. The
other was headed by excOngressman /
Bryan, who had just come from report
~ me 81 LOUIS convention for an
Omaha newspaper 1t represented the
silver wing Of the party. The national
committee seated the Castor delegates.
1t also selected David B. Hill, Of
NeW Hork, as temporary chairman by a
vote OF p to %. The minority select
"a senator John W. Daniel. Of Virginia.
-or temporary chairman. William F.
darr1ty, chairman Of the national com I
Illttee' presented Hills nome, Henry D. (
Layton, Of Alabama, the name of DAN
el Daniel was chosen by vote OF I
SO to $40.
The Bryan Boom.
The convention then selected its [
committee on credentials. which |
reversed the decision Of the !
laIOnal committee in the Nebraska |
contest unseated the Castor delega-
ION and seated the Bryan men. But {
II that time only Mr. Bryan his wife I |
md one or two good friends knew that
mere was a such a thing as a Bryan I |
presidential boom. Mr.. Bryan was put /
IN the resolutions committee in the /
llace Of an busted Morton delegate and ! |
mere 70, = nj
ne famous platform of 1896. II
Inc gossips were talking Of silver !
DICK Bland, Of Missouri, of Horace
8oles, Of Iowa, and of many dark
orSes. Bland had the largest follow
ne, but the field was against him
ohm r. Mclean had the support OF
)hlo and the District OF Columbia He Il
vas the most radical of the free silver b
men and wanted the platform confined I f
o the one issue of Is to one. The
enatorial contingent favored the NOM o
nation Of senator Teller, who a few ! q
,eeks before had bOlted the nomination / d,
T Mckinley. But the dark horse who q
vas 70 win the race was yet too far in
he background TO be noticed. E
W nen the platform was reported If Z 4
obtained the expected free silver plank
nd the big fight began Benjamin r. ID
lllman, then the fiery 'Pitchfor1 I a
.en,' led off-frankly avOwing a sec h
ional alliance of the south and west |
galnsc the east The gold men hissed | y
AAu Tx ST. 0L men were NOT Pleased. . q
cmes X. Jones, Of Arkansas. quickly n
isavOwed Tllman's sectional views. :
ut the silver men were still at dis IT
1vantaGe. b.
Platform Attacked.
Senator Hill, CT New York, and gov
rnor Russell. Of Massachusetts, lead o.
rs Of the eastern Democracy. then at { b.
lcked the platform and riddled il with I OF
hot and skcll. The silver men were / 4
ecidedly uncomfortable. The gold mi I H
ortiz was jutilant. pl
Then came Bryan. Thirty-six years I W
Id, slender, graceful and all but IN h.
nOwn, he took the platform When I -.
e reached the end Of his first period / cl
gale of applause swept over me Il
reat convention hall. Then came ab- N.
,lute silence BE had enchanted his | y
ldience. Even the telegraph bows | 50
lrrying copy from the press seats I I'll
Opped to listen. IN
Bryan Captures the Convention.
At last the silver men had found a
hampton who could reflect their sem a
ments and defend their position. At of
p silence came rupt attention and af- ~,
r attention came conviction of the a.
ncerity and earnestness of the sneak ell