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

Flood again wended his way to the
speakers stand.
~ did not come to Mr.. Bryan,
cried out that angry voice. I'VE OF
Virginia do not ask favors of the gen.
tleman from Nebraska. What said
was this: In the name of the SOW
ereign state of Virginia, we accept
the insolent challenge of the only man
who is determined to wreck the demo-
cratic party"
It was solarplexus blow. Bryan
was staggered. He had risked his
prestige on last card, and the card
had failed. SO without the spirit of
a dictator he expressed his determin-
alton to withdraw the offending sec
ton. New York, in loud voice, cried
mo" But Bryan withdrew it.
That which remained to the resolu-
ton was the simple declaration that
the convention would not nominate
any man on whom there was reason
to suspect that Wall street had a
claim. It~was simple in appearance.
But it contained the cog on which the
nomination of some other than Clark
was destined to be turned. For Bryan
had previously declared that in his
: pinion Tammany would support no
man who had not made Tammany
promises. And Tammany was about
to cast it's 80 votes for Clark.
There the delegates had their Sec
ond opportunity to destroy Bryan.
Had they defeated that resolution,
simple in appearance but inwardly
dynamic, the impression would not
have been conveyed that the conven-
ton was determined to nominate a
man according to the dictates of Tam
many, but rather that the convention
held the opinion that no one of the
candidates was so lacking in force OF
character as to permit himself to fall
into the claws of the tiger-and the
impression would have been conveyed
that the convention was, by defeating
that resolution, determined to obey
its own conscience and not the COM
mands of Bryan in nominating can
didate.
But the courage was lacking.
Alabama had the right idea when
it cast its "a votes against the reso-
luton. Alabama knew that Tam
many had no influence strong enough
to sway Oscar w. Underwood ano
knew that the nation knew; but Ala.
bama Irietermined that Mr.. Bryan
shout Is every footstep.
Az 80 And ther
eral excited II labams
congressional de1seG nl4zlll
asked to be passed. y61
Alabama voted Eyes" The resoIutf61
was adopted. But for the change b
Alabama, it might have been defeated
Alabama's vacillation sustained
Bryan in his domination. But Bryan
was not thankful. In one of his
syndicated articles, in regard to thai
incident, he referred to this state as
poor Alabama" and by so doing
very cleverly left the impression thai
he had set trap, and that Alabama
had fallen into it's clasps, pell mel
and headlong; and, furthermore, by &
broad insinuation, left the further i'm
preston that Underwood was one Of
the candidates who had come under
the influence of Tammany.
During the storm which broke fol
lowing the introduction of the notori
Gus "Ryan-B Belmont Murphy" resolu
ton, the general expression in tn,
press gallery was this:
Bryan has at last made mistake.
But he had not. AS in the tenn
porary Craftsmanship incident, h,
emerged from the jaws of disastrous
defeat with shouts-and colors flying
Practically, he had pledged the con
vention to nominate no man who di,
not measure up to his standard O
"progressiveism."
He eliminated Harmon and Under
wood-for neither, in the opinion O
Bryan, is progressive" He mex
eliminated Clark for the reson tina
New York cast it's votes for him
Therefore, by the process of elimina
ton he made the nomination of Will
son certainty-unless the APPARENT,
unbreakable deadlock would result il
the success of clark horse" Bryal
might have dreamed that he would fl