The Detroit times., 1912-06-25
SPECIAL PRIVILEGE CROWD
is ON HAND WORKING FOR
HARMON AND UNDERWOOD
Would Accept Champ Clark il
They Can't Get Either of
These Men
BRYAN'S SHADOW HAUNTS
Nebraskan is Prepared to Make
Battle of His Life for Pro-
gressive Principles
BY O.. @. LYON.


BALTIMORE, June 25.-Convinced
cago has made certain the election
OF Democrat as president this year,
the leaders OF special privilege are In
Baltimore. fighting frantically for con-
troll OF the Democratic party.
Thomas Fortune Ryan, the New
York finance baron, will be In Balti.
more personally. directing the fight
for their kind of candidate and
their kind of a platform.
Boss Murphy, OF Tammany; Thorn
as Guffy, OF Pennsylvania; Norman K
Mack, OF New York; Roger Sullivan
OF Illinois, and Tom Taggart, OF In
diana, are Ryan's chief lieutenants.
The one great force opposing them
is William Jennings Bryan. Between
them and him will be fought the hard
est battle the party has known within
it's borders since 1896.
Judson Harmon, of Ohio, Is the frst
choice OF special privilege for presi
dent; Oscar Underwood, of Alabama
the second and they would accept
Champ Clark II they can't get ethel
OF the other two
Harmon and Underwood are both
opposed TO the initiative and referen
dunn and the recall and most of the
other progressive measures that Bry
an has been advocating. Clark's posi-
ton on many OF these is so colorless
that the special privilege crowd feels
he would be playing their game be
fore he had been president very long
The Ryan crowd of reactionaries
number following in the convention
OF approximately $50, which includes
the 80 that are instructed for Under.
wood, the SO instructed for Harmon,
and the 200 that come uninstructed
but which, for the most part, are dom
mated by special privilege men.
II doesn't look very hopeful to cut
across either Harmon or Underwood
unless, OF course, Champ Clark should
quit after a few ballots and advise
his followers to go to one or the other
OF them. Clark isn't likely to do that
however, because he Will start ofs
with more than four times as many
votes as Underwood, and more than
seven times as many as Harmon, and
he would naturally expect them TO
COiue 10 HlH.
II wouldn't be a tremendous sur.
prise, In view of the chickering's that
are now going on, II the reactionaries,
in the end, would turn TO Clark.
II they do, II is safe to put it down
in indelible ink that Clark has made
a deal with Ryan and Wall-st. in re-
turn for the delegates they furnish
him from New York, Indiana, and
other states that are dominated by
Ryan's lieutenants.
Even then the special privilege
crowd would probably not be able 10
win, because-Bryan stands at the
bridge with big battle az in his
hands, ready to cut the head of at
every Ryanite who comes along.
Bryan endorsed Clark as progre s.
sive and Bryan as a delegate -at-large
from Nebraska, is under instructions
to vote for Clark. Clark got a whole
lot or his delegates, particularly In
the west, on the strength OF Bryan's
endorsements.
1t isn't at all certain that Clark
would lead many OF his delegates
most OF them Bryan men at heart
over to the Wall-st. camp and vote
them solid or any considerable por
ton OF them, for Harmon, Underwood
or any other Ryan candidate. And
It's doubtful II he could hold them
for himself II Bryan should tell the
delegates about a Clark-Ryan deal