Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-06-25
The Baltimore Convention.

AS 10 WHETHER lleIS 10 W pc q iSPS-
tition at Baltimore of the strenuous
fight that was waged at Chicago last
week, it Is rather too early to predict.
There Is not much sign of such trouble
at the present writing. There is no
question, however, that Democratic
sentiment is divided along exactly the
same lines as Republican sentiment
and Conservative, Radical
and e-actionary, and whether there Is
any serious clash between these senti-
ments at Baltimore, or not, they have
both been in evidence and they will
continue in evidence.
The flowers and thistles Of this world
are not equally divided. Everybody
knows that. The good things Of life
are not distributed in proportion to the
burdens that have to be carried. Ev-
erybody who knows anything knows
that. People who have what seems to
other people an undue proportion Of
the good things are generally disposed
to claim that they came by them be-
cause Of superior intelligence, superior
merit, superior other things, and have
only their just due. Others claim diff
ferently. They hold that superior in
telligence does not necessarily imply
superior merit, and it is up to those who
are able to get away with an over
abundance, to use their intelligence
and ability and divide with those who
are not so fortunate. That Is
part Of the trouble; but necessarily
only an incomplete statement-onet that
would be generally recognized as such
is next to impossible.
But here is enough TO suggest the
difference between Conservative and
Progressive Politically speaking, there
Is a lot of selfshness in both. With
both; the main chance is success. The
Conservative, generally speaking, is the
man who is either already comfortably
supplied, or sees comfort Immediately
ahead. The Progressive Is the man
who thinks he would have a better
show for comfort If he had square
deal. The Progressive Is naturally In
the majority. The main object of the
Conservative politician is to keep the
inclined citizen satisfied
by making him believe ne Is getting
all that is properly coming to him,
while the purpose Of the Progressive Is
just the opposite.
There are Conservatives and Pro-
gressives among both Republicans and
Democrats. Mr.. Taft led the Conserva-
tive crowd at Chicago and Mr.. Roose-
welt led the Progressive crowd. The
Conservative crowd won by a narrow
majority. There Is a big Progressive
element in the Democratic party.
Woodrow Wilson is it's principal expo
nent at present, and Mayor Gaynor
comes a close second. Harmon, I'm
derwood, and Clark, in the order men,
toned are inclined to conservatism.
OF course 1t is not intended to omit
Bryan as a Progressive. He is to the
Democratic party Nwhat Roosevelt Is to
the Republican party, only more hon
est and sincere man. He Is Progress
sive to the core, and has never been
else.
The. first signs Of real trouble at
Baltimore developed few days ago
when Chairman Mack, a Conservative,
let it be known that he had in mind
the idea of making Judge Parker,
temporary chairman Of
the convention today This did not suit
Mr.. Bryan at all, nor did 1t suit Gov
ernor Woodrow Wilson, because 1t
meant that a keynote speech by Con-
servative was calculated to modify the
sentiment Of a convention that seemed
to be overwhelmingly Progressive.
Messrs. Clark and Underwood had no
objection to Chairman Mack's arrange
ment.
Surely everybody understands that
while the people as a whole are moved
by sentiment-conviction Of right and
and injustice-political
leaders seldom allow themselves to be
with such things. Political
leaders regard sentiment only when 1t
is so strong as to be an unmistakable,
practical concrete thing. They treat
as machines-machines to
be manipulated, and generally calcu-
late on the power of the machine to
brush aside sentiment. OF course the
public does not fully comprehend this
not yet, but to the experienced polit-
ical manipulation it is almost as simple
as rolling a wheelbarrow, except when
political manipulators of equal expert
ence happen to be working on the 9TH
er side. and then the problem is more
difficult-as may be the case at Balti-
more.
OF course a convention like this
must necessarily start in by the elec-
ton of a temporary chairman, and
equally of course that temporary chair
man must be proposed by the execu-
tive committee. There appears to be
no other reasonably certain method of
getting things started.
If Mr.. Parker is the temporary chair
man despite the opposition of the Pro-
gressive element the fact will not
have other significance
than that the Conservative sentiment
has dominated the retiring national
committee. This, of course, provided
there is no contest in the convention.
If there is q contest in the convention
over the temporary craftsmanship, the
result will indicate the comparative
strength of the Conservative and Pro-
gressive elements of the party.
Good Democracy requires the minor
ity to submit to the will of the major
ity. There is no other reasonably
practical way of securing party sue
cess. If the Progressives therefore
win, it is the business of the Conserva-
tives to take their medicine and help
to elect the nominee and the same rule
applies in the event of the success of
the Conservatives. An element that
cannot carry it's point, inside one of
the great parties stands a very poor
show of success on the outside.