The Washington herald., 1912-06-29
What Is Bryan Aftsri

1 uC dSlOulIulLlS IndgOIllg VI NOACa Dy
which Mr.. Bryan's most remarkable
resolution reading out of the party men
like Belmont and Ryan, was adopted
by the Baltimore convention proves be-
yond a doubt that the progressives are
in full control of the Democratic party.
Yet to our mind the way to keep that
party from nominating a Morgan
Ryan-Belmont candidate" is not to
adopt resolutions, but to go ahead and
nominate a candidate who is known by
all interested to be against a Morgan
Ryan-Belmont power and influence.
But one thing has been established be-
yond argument, the large majority in
dicates that the actual number of dele
gates who will admit that they are re-
sctIonaries is very small The vote
showed that there were 100 against the
Bryan resolution, while $50 favored it
Mr.. Bryan ought to know his own
party. He said that there was not a
single delegate in the convention who
did not know that an effort was on
foot to sell the Democratic party into
the bondage ot predatory interests, a
most brazen, impudent, and insolent at
tempt to make the nominee of this con-
vention the bondslave of the men who
exploit the people of this country"
Roosevelt himself could not have smit-
ten his hearers any harder.
The first ballot in Thursdays all
night session teaches that the conven-
ton is trying to harmonic all factions
by every possible appearance of fair
ness. No pre-oonvention candidate is to
go out after the nomination is made and
shout fraud and robbery. 1t shows also
that our Democratic friends for once
have abandoned their Donnybrook
methods Of heretofore, and that they
mean to profit by the Chicago conven-
ton error to put a chain around the
discarded candidates neck and drown
him.. TO get rid of him. Every one is
destined to get polite hearing But
that will be all there is to it, because
not one of the pre-convention men will
have anything like a sufficient num-
Der Of delegates in the last showdown
TO secure the nomination. Everybody
will be pleased; there will be no steam
roller, and the Democratic party will
60 down to history this year as the one
quiet orderly. well-managed, and wise
assembly, or at least as orderly as such
vast assemblage, boiling over with
partisan enthusiasm and armed with
megaphones to let off the surplus en-
ergy, can be called orderly"
There is talk in Baltimore of team" /"
consisting of two of the pre-convention
candidates, Wilson and Underwood.
Such a combination would command
the confidence of the majority of the
delegates and of the voters at the No
vember polls But, deadlocked as the
convention already is, this would not
settle the contest, because their COM
bined force is 324 (Wilson), and II7
(Underwood), a total of only al, or
not near enough to nominate, 7z6 being
required. Mr.. Harmon with 148 is not
to be counted upon to aid the move
ment, and as to Clark (44o), he surely
is not going to give up. But even if
the Wilson Underwood ticket should
get the votes of all the candidates ex-
cept Clark, there would be only a total
Of 653, still leaving the coalition short
73 votes, and these, being Clark votes,
it never will get The unit rule might
have helped along, but the proceedings
so far have plainly demonstrated that
the delegates do not care to be released
from that Saving" clause on a. show
down.
They appear to be a very determined
lot over at the Baltimore convention.
They are fighters, too. They may stay
deadlocked, especially as Bryan is doing
his level best to further such a thing
It IS a difficult matter to venture a
forecast under such conditions. Is
Bryan trying to fish in the dark? VIII
it all end in a stampede for him? These
are the pertinent questions of the hour