The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1912-05-24
DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION AT
BAY CITY LARGEST AND MOST
ENTHUSIASTIC IN HIS
TORY
ATTEMPTS TO TIE TO ANY CANDi-
DATE FAIL; DELEGATES
UNiNSTRUCTEp
Wilson Men, on First Test Of Strength
Fall, and Seek Compromise
Ia Which was Quickly
Aq4sz, Arranged

The convention at Bay City was the
largest and most enthusiastic that
the Democrats of Michigan have ever
held. 1t was fraught with much man.
ipulating but at the end every one
went away seemingly happy, the Will
sonites more than content with what
they had been able to obtain and max
ing predictions that they would corral
several more delegates before the
time for the national convention is
reached.
AS far as the state convention Is
concerned the 80 delegates elected are
not instructed or bound by the unit
rule. Eight of the district delegates
are pledged by their counties to sup
port Wilson. The remaining 16 dist
riot delegates and the six delegates
at-large will be free to vote for the
candidate they favor, when they reach
the Baltimore convention.
Those who wanted to have the del
egates instructed for Gov. Wilson are
entirely satisfied with what was done
in the convention. So, too, are those
who for weeks had been working to
have an uninstructed delegation chos-
en-, but a delegation that could be
unit rule. AS to how the delegates
which was approved by the conven-
ton without a dissenting vote stands
cannot be told accurately.
Both Satisfied
Neither side have won a victory over
the other. In fact each Is telling that
they are satisfied. There is no appar-
ent reason for doubling that each
means it. That there were no Will
son instructing resolutions offered, al
though resolutions of that kind had
been prepared by four Of the twelve
members of the resolutions commit
tee, is explained by proceedings I'm
he last hour of the convention. When
the first test vote was taken which
showed little more than 100 majority
for Judge Patrick Henry OBrien, of
Houghton, for delegate at large over
Elliott G. Stevenson, of Detroit, the
olive branch appeared. Ex-Mayor
John Bailey, of Battle Creek, and a
few more who were running things
for the anit-Wilson side, addressing
themselves to the Wilson board of
strategy said:
eff you people will suppress the min
ority report indorsing Wilson and
keep that question out of the conven-
ton, we will agree not to try to force
through a resolution to bind the dele
CATION to vote as unit at the Balti-
more convention"
Ends In Harmony
The proposition was accepted. This
explains why the convention terminal
ed with nothing but harmony, and
with Judge O'Brien, who smashed the
Twenty-Five of Michigan's 30 delegates
to the Democratic national convention
will go to Baltimore uninstructed,
the remaining eight will go bearing
positive instructions from their dis
| tricts caucusses to vote for Woodrow
Wilson, of New Jersey, for the demo
cratic nomination for president. One
OF the 20 sent down uninstructed is
a declared Wilson man.
Judge Patrick II. O'Brien, OF Hough-
ton, is the only delegate at large that
the Wilson men in the state conven-
ton succeeded in electing.
Instruct for Wood
In re-electing Edwin o. Wood chair
man, the convention took an unusual
action to express confidence in him.
The question arose as to whether the
convention or the delegation to the
national convention was empowered
to elect the national committee. So
the convention reelected him and
then formally instructed the national
delegation to Baltimore to re-elect
him over again If any question arose
as to the legality of his reelection.