Omaha daily bee., 1912-07-06
LEADERS AFRAID OF BRYAN
G, J. Smyth Says the Commoner Was
the Whole Show.
CLARK GETS BAD START
Attorney Says that Speaker Made
a Mistake When He Fell I'm with
Those who Would Crush
Bryan.


c. J. smyth, one of the delegates from
Omaha who took part in the democratic
convention In Baltimore, arrived home
yesterday afternoon. When the conven-
tion was mentioned to him he warmed
up bit in his enthusiasm for the way
Bryan manipulated the affairs of the big
fight.
Bryan" he said, has been misunder-
stood by great many people A great
many hold that Bryan does not feel a
proper obligation to the men who have
supported him in the past, and they point
to the fact that he opposed Clark, who
had stood by him through thick and thin
for sixteen years. Now. l believe that
Bryan feels that when man supports
him he Is simply supporting the things
he stand for, and do not believe that
Bryan ever felt under obligation to any
paaiticalls .sl,I believe that
Hfy1h fe&n that d man who supports
MIN Tor the principles he stand for gets
his reward out of that support. And the
quicker people understand that the
quicker they will understand Mr. Bryan.
believe he appreciates favors and I be-
lieve he is not ungrateful, but he holds
principle above everything else"
should Except Some.
Speaking OF the Bryan resolutions, Mr..
Smyth said: Some Of us felt he should
have excepted some of the New York del
egates from the charges for there were
a number Of very good men In the dele
CATION, but In general we favored the
fight he made against them. A blind man
could see that the interests were on the
ground. They had to be dealt with, and
Bryan was the only lhiving man who
could fight them and fight them success
fully. The leaders seemed to hate him,
but they were afraid of him, every
mothers son of them, for they knew the
people were behind him.
The matter of how Roosevelt, II he
gets avtlvely into the field would affect
the campaign, Mr.. Smyth says was very
much discussed by the delegates at
Baltimore. Some, he says, felt that
Roosevelt in the field might be a good
thing for the democratic ticket while
others thought II would not. The general
feeling, however, he says, was that
Roosevelt could not now get the follow
Ing he might have had IL Wilson had not
been nominated on the democratic ticket,
There was general feeling of sym
pathy for Clark" Mr.. Smyth said. 1--WE
were sorry he was brought so near the
crown and then could not take It, But
we all felt that he was sacrificed in the
house Of his friends. If he had lined I'D
as Bryan wanted him to at the outset
he would be the nominee today. But il
was rumored from the outset that Clark
Or at least those who had lined up with
him, had determined that Bryan must
be crushed, and of course history tells
he result"
Mr. Smyth, like other delegates, con-
,edes that Bryan was head and shoulders
above any other man In the convention.
He says there were many men there
who are big In public affairs but they
'ame into the building unnoticed. while
Bryan. when he came into the hall. had
@ be protected by the police from people
'ushing to him to shake hands and con-
him. I'VE ally felt" Mr.. Smytb
'aid, that this was the greatest battle
II his life and the greatest victory"