The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-07-03
CHAIRMAN SOUNDS REAL KEY
NOTE OF PROGRESSIVE
DEMOCRACY.
WHAT CONVENTION Is DOING
Delegates Came Prepared For a Long
and Excited Session.-Was Expect
ed to Be Day Of Climax.-Boomers
Ready to Start Demonstration.

JUL ~
gates to the democratic national con-
vention filed into the convention hall
Thursday prepared for a long and ex-
cited session. It was expected to be
the climax day, the end Of the long
CAMPAIGN waged by the presidential
aspirants. But as they came into the
hall these delegates apparently were
as much at sea as ever as TO who
would be the nominee. Boomers OF
the various candidates were ready to
start demonstrations and counter de-
m~onstrations and 1t seemed certain
that the delays would be such as to
throw the actual b~alloting late into
the evening.
All sorts Of rumors were afoat as
to .leals and combinations during the
forenoon, but not one Of these seem
ed to have a trustworthy foundation.
The supporters of Woodrow Wilson,
heartened by the so-called Wilson
Bryan victory in their fight for abro-
cation OF the unit rule that would
have bound all the members Of a state
delegation to the views Of a majority,
were claiming that the New Jersey
governor would sweep the convention
and secure the nomination. They ex-
pressed the hope that Mr.. Bryan
might be induced to come out square
ly Tor Wilson and felt that i this
could be brought about ultimate vic
tory was certain.
The order of business as the con-
vention met was further consideration
of the report Of the committee on
credentials. The majority report was
presented Thursday night, the minor
ity findings being delayed until Friday.
Then the report Of the committee on
permanent organization was scheduled
to be taken up with the convention
ready to ratify by reclamation the
choice Of Senator-Elect Ollie M.
James, of Kentucky, as permanent
chairman. These things disposed OF,
the delegates looked forward to the
long series of nominating and second
ing speeches and finally to the ballot
ing on the presidential candidates.
Senator-Elect Ollie James of
Kentucky, who is permanent chair
man of the national convention, in
his keynote speech Thursday, spoke
in part al follows:
"The Republican party, flushed with
many victories, imperious as a tyrant,
%unheeding the demands Of the people,
took the reins Of the government in
1908 under the solemn promise that
they would revise the tariff in the in
terest of the consumer. Instead OF
keeping this promise as they should
have done because it was their bond
of honor, they betrayed it. They rails
ed the tariff higher than ever before
until it reached it's maximum Of pro-
lection, being At per cent.
"The story of this base betrayal is
known to all men. The Democratic
party appealed on their record in the
sixty-frst Congress on the Payne-Al-
drich tariff bill to the American peo-
pie and we received from them a YER
dict of guilty against the Republican
party and the bestowal Of power upon
ourselves. How faithfully we have
kept our promises to them is but a
resume Of our official action"
Mr.. James reviewed at great length
the tariff revision legislation passed
by the Democratic House and referr-
ed to the bills vetoed by President
Taft. Referring to the veto Of the
wool bill, he said:
And today the wool trust stands
not behind a majority Of the law