The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-07-07

= Baltimore the belief was gen.
eral that the cards had been so ex.
cellently stacked that William Jen.
nings Bryan would have no oppor.
tunity to dominate.
Because of this general belief, the
conclusion was reached that the gath
ering of democrats would be so har.
nonious that no single clash would
occur as result of which the dove
of peace would seek safety in flight
And there was great rejoicing. The
nomination of candidate as a result
of only few hours of balloting was
predicted Everyone felt confident
that in November the people would
get in the saddle and ride to glorious
victory.
And the democrats gathered.
On the first day, there was sensa-
tional clash. On the second, it be-
came certain that harmony would not
prevail. On the third, the smoke of
Chicago in the presence of the fire of
Baltimore became obscure.
Then laughed the republicans.
Mr.. Bryan was astride of the donkey
which for sixteen years he had cruelty
ridden. He remained astride even
unto the end.
It was Mr. Bryan's convention. He
not only dominated but he dictated
He not only met and repulsed every
open attack, but he strayed from the
beaten path in Quixotish effort to
arouse dormant opposition.
He held the delegates in the hollow
of his hand. He thought for them.
He planned for them. Blindly they
followed. He used his matchless gift
of speech in sweeping away every
vestige of antagonism. He employed
his masterful skill as politician in
laying deadly traps of innocent APP
pearance-- and having sprung them,
deigned to pity the squirming victim.
He was as CULVER among the Lilli-
putians, big of body, big of speech,
big of thought He had keen APP
probation of the size of the men about
him. He knew when to sit silent, and
when with intrepid fortitude to fling
into the very teeth Of those who op
posed him the most heartless villifica
ton.
Man or devil? Demigod or dema
gogue?
OF honest purpose flecked with fan
tastic ideas? Or is Mr.. Bryan, in the
guise of purity, a money-seeking, self
loving, hypocritical marplot?
Bryan was an enigma. No mar
could grasp the meaning of his state
ment, or of his action.
Probably a majority of the dele
gates considered him candidate fol
the presidency. Now, no one, say,
Bryan, is aware of the facts in tn,
case. The truth is, however, that i
the Nebraskan planned to active tn,
nomination, his failure IN this regart
was the only one he encountered.
He is responsible for the nomination
of Woodrow Wilson. But this was no
his greatest accomplishment. AS al
actor he reached the sublimest pin
nacle of fame when he impressed th'
mind of every delegate with an ides
that there is more than an imaginary
line which separates the progressive
from the conservative" The accom-
plished strategist, considering those
to whom he spoke as the mother the
child to whom with bated breath sh.
tells of COLLINS, painted "conserva.
tive" as dangerous, as dependent or
the bounty of "big business" "preda.
tory wealth." and the Infamous
agents of Wall street." And thus by
innuendo, he blasted the hopes Of
Speaker Clark-for the time came
when had an individual labeled econ
servative" entered the hall, the dele
gates, grown timid of shadows, would
Z have abandoned the trenches and pur
sued the shortest homeward route.
Bryan, in his plan to gain contro
of the convention, successfully estab
lished greater difference between
the conservative" and the 'progres
sive" than this-the one moves for
ward slowly and only after CAREFUL.
examining the ground, and the othe
rushes headlong in pursuit of "isms
and "band wagons"