The Washington times., 1912-06-28
MURPHY MOVE
MAY KILL PLAN
TO NAME CLARK
Ambition of Speaker Killed
BY Maneuver of
Leader.
MACK COMPELLED
TO SHOW STRENGTH
Once Receiving Order, Buffalo
Man Is Forced to Deliver
To Chief.
By JOHN SNURE.

BALTIMORE, June 2s-When the his
tory Of this convention is fully written
it will probably be set down that Boss
Murphy, of Tammany, is the figure to
whose selfish and sinister maneuverings
is due the defeat of Champ Clark for
President.
The shadow of Murphy has fallen over
the Clark movement almost from the
beginning. Early in the game the
Speaker began to fiirt with Murphy, who
listened to the protestauons of Clark
emissaries and remained owl-like aud
silent. 1t was Murphy who forced the
election of Judge Parker on the national
convention. He did this to serve his
own particular ends His exact reasons
are only known to himself and cabinet
The Clark leaders did not want Parker.
, They had decided on Congressman Ollie
James. In the conferences OF the Clark
leaders over the Craftsmanship there was
no support for Parker.
At the same time they feared to offend
Tammany by not selecting Parker. Mur-
ply was insistent. He holds Norman E.
Mack, national chairman and commit
tceman from New York, in the hollow
I of his hand.
| Murphy said to Mack in effect: II
! want Parker fer temporary chair
man. Deliver it or get out" Nothing
remained for Mack, but to deliver. He
paid as the price for the retention OF
his position as national committee
man, the securing of the temporary
| chairmanship for the man who led
the Democratic party in 1904 to hope
less, hapless defeat.
1t is doubtless true that Murphy
"a al
ditions in the country at large. did
not understand that the Parker cleo
ton as chairman was as judicious
| thing for the Clark campaign as
hurting a fircbrand into a train of
powder. Doubtless he did not think
OF this.
| Doubtless he cared nothing. He was
considering only his own immediate po-
litical sphere and what 1t meant to
| Tammany.
| The Clark leaders weakly gave way to
| Tammany. Then what happened? Every
| body knows. The Wilson leaders and
| Bryan seized on the Parker selection
and used it as a weapon, against Clark:
! Bryan processes to be friendly to Clark
and to regard him as a progressive. But
from the day he has stepped into Bal
| timore he has fought the Clark forces
| by indirect methods more effective than
a frontal attack would have been.
Clark Could Have Won.
Had Murphy not told Mack he must
deliver the Craftsmanship to Parker
and had the Clark people not yielded to
him, doubtless the Presidential nomina-
ton would have been won for Clark by
this time.
| AS it is the country Is ablaze with in.
dignatson over what It regards as a deal
between Clark and Murphy and Ryan
and Sullivan. To be sure. Murphy Is
showing signs now of leaving Clark
In the lurch. But his desertion will not
efface the memories of the election OF
Parker and defeat of Bryan for chair
| man.
Now, after getting Clark forces into
deep hole on the Parker business,
| Murphy Is showing signs of giVirS
Clark the death stroke. To be SUR
the Clark leaders say they will win
without Murphy. but no one believes it.
and some of the Clark folks think
Murrhy will at the right time line UP
tor Clark But this is also dubious.
The Clark leaders have felt for sew.
eral days there was no question what
Murphy would do. Some of them en-
pected New York to shift to Clark al
the end of the first ballot. 1t develops
that at the conclave at which the
Clark leaders talked the thing over with
Murphy and his counselors. Murphy die
not give his uncondiHona' promise tc
| ouppOIl N.ldih tIIOu6H lill'h al tiili
One version of the agreement is that
Murphy indicated a purpose to go tc
Clark when 1t was seen New York !
vote would put his man across the two
thirds line
Clark Leaders Too Sanquine.
1t appears that all the while Clark
leaders took a more sanguine view OF
Murphys plan as respects their candl'
dates than they were justified in. The
crafty leader Of Tammany kept some
thing in the back of his head which the
Clark leaders did not fathom.
1t will be one of the stranSest trag'
edies of politics if the political career
of Speaker Champ Clark is drawn to
close bordering close on the iSnominious
by the hand of Boss Murphy. This Is
Wkhat is threatening. 1t Will be wortt
while to see what the outcome will be.
No end of guessing and conjecture
was indulged in this morning as 10 the
purposes OF Tammany. The Harmon
people professed to know that Tam.
many would stick with them. On the
other hand. Clark leaders admitted they
did not know what Murphy would do.
To add to the interest of the situation
some of the prominent Tammany mel
said Clark would get the New York vote
} on second ballot. Congressman Little
ton was of this opinion.
1t is admitted on all hands that in thi
mix-up Tammany is in a position o
great power. II Murphy wants to com
plicate the situation, IT Is clear that n
; can do II by switching about among tn
. various candidates.
nlI-I M-xx@.