The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-08-17
How Woodrow Wilson Won

the convention be the instrument o
the warnings of the people? Their,
was the issue defined and 1t burned
itself into the heart and stamped
itself upon the mind of every dele
gate in that great body Nay, 1t was
not confined to those walls. 1t pen
trated to the remotest recesses of the
republic, from ocean to ocean and its
echo was waited across the waters
to foreign parts.
Talk about Bryan's eloquence at
Chicago in 1896 and elsewhere. 1t
was at Baltimore that he smote err
ror like Titan and gained the great
est victory for the Democratic party
and the American people in our en-
tire political history.
When Bryan took the platform
that day the bosses had that conven-
ton in the basket and they were con-
fident of 600 votes. When he closed,
though beaten on the ballot. but by
less than 100, William J. Bryan was
master of that convention and the
bosses We're completely demoralized.
This struggle offered Woodrow VIII
son opportunity to show that he is
consummate politician in the class
of Abraham Lincoln himself. as we'll
as a profound statesman in the front
rank of the guild. Champ Clark fail
ed to take the tide of the flood, and
unmerciful disaster took him. Not a
single one of his managers had a par
bcle of that instinct that makes the
leader. Their cource was suicide. !
Their man was a progressive" can
1idate seeking the nomination at the |
hands of the "reactionaries"-an i'm
possibility and an absurdity in this
lay.
But the Wilson craft had a rough
'assage all the voyage. A thousand
angers beset it. Here is one. There
yas a certain delegation two-thirds
II whose delegation was bitterly
ostile to Wilson though the
arty at home was overwhelming
for him as we'll as one-third of the
elegates. The boss of this delega-
on was for anybody to beat Wilson.
e and his squad were voting for
lark, and he was told to his face
lat If Clark was elected president
was to be boss of his state. After
'ilson's vote began to climb, and
Iark's to recede, this chap, who hat
Bryan nearly as bitterly as he
d Wilson, resolved to cast the solid
tie of his state for Bryan, arguing
lat Minnesota, the Dakotas, and
her states would follow and thus
eaken Wilson until his case would
hopeless. A young newspaper
an, Republican, but then, as now
enthusiastic Wilson man, heard of
e scheme. 1t carried dismay into y
2 Wilson camp. for he had to be
on that flood tide if at all.
OUR young newspaper friend knew r
1t the next to Hearst the Tammony
IS hated Bryan most, so he advised
1t the story be carried to Murphy /
a venture. Murphy thought he
a conspiracy to nominate Bryan .,
he strobe up to the little boss who d
l set the thing on foot and Kissed:
you cast the vote of your delega-
n for Bryan, I'll cast New York's
ety votes for Wilson and see that ~
is nominated before the setting i'
ournes." A few ballots thereafter %
lson was nominated, yet until the
louncement was made there were
gravest dangers besetting the Oh
lson cause; but his managers were CT
only capable. they were young, tn
olute, enthusiastic, and the other
nps made mistakes of which the
lson folks took instant advantage. lei
full and true story of that con- mi
Ition would read like q thrilling HI
pier of Dumas.