The Washington times., 1912-01-08

Early this morning the hotel lobby
gatherings resumed their activities,
which had continued all day Sunday
and till late at night, to be suspended
for only q few fleeting hours of sleep
and then renewed with increasing zest
and fervor. After all. the biggest busi-
ness on hand, far and away. Is the
discussion Of Presidential preferences.
Everything else has sunk into innocu-
Gus unimportance in the presence of
the tremendous fact that the party
thinks It IL going to win, and has q
whole galaxy Of availables holly con-
tending for the distinction Of leadership
and the place which victory would give
In the gallery Of the immortals.
Mr.. Bryan arrived early last evening.
having come in from Raleigh on q
train that got later ana later AZ the
day wore on, and that WAS awaited
with Increasing tmpatience. The delay
gave point anew to the fact that Bryan
IL the ono whose word, though 1t may
not be controlling. must yet be had
rs the starting signal.
The wilsonites were alleging early to-
day that they could count a controlling
Claimed that while they were shy In
the big States of the East, they had
most Of the South, and almost unan-
imous following In the numerous small
er States OF the trans Missouri West
Wilson boomers were cheered this
morning, too, by the fact that MI.
Bryan had delivered himself Of q Del
phic comment on the Joline letter OF
way be found to eliminate Bryan" SEN
timent. Mr. Bryan was profound, mys-
terious, perchance evastve; but he In
smtsd to W sasf has ye scs
to circulate that sort Of letters. Tho
Wilson folks guessed that Mr.. Bryan
pa decided not to conduct J Private
sentiments Of six years ago.
They would have been pleased with a
moro direct and less cryptic assurance,
but the. real politicians among them
concluded that nothing more satisfac-
tory was likely to be secured until
after q conference between Wilson and
Bryan had thrashed out. the whole af-
very definite understanding between the
two men most concerned.
Great Feast.
yAo jackson Day banquet will open at
the Raleigh tonight at 7:30 o'clock. and
will be the biggest political feast in
many a day. There has been some
whispered intimation that Mr.. Bryan,
winding up the oratorical flow. might
turn loose another cross of gold hypno-
tizer, and start something that would
accentuate the undeniable tendency of
things toward himself. Last evening.
following his arrival, his lieutenants
% Sow everybody was really for him; Of
how he had been breathlessly awaited
ali day; of how the reception In the
banquet ha an, Would be bom the hi grs @a,a
have to be nominated unless something
happened to stop 1t.
70 all this Mr.; Bryan listened with
faced. ietch,ng smile that > <sest,
libraries and tells not tn &. But
there wasn't single rep 81 Of g
person being bitten WI lugget
a TSsy All a1 Came back with sssuraDee s
that Mr.. Bryan looked awfully wei
and was In q most amiable frame Of
hut when he was asked about tn,
possibility that he might be can
didate for President again he lapset
into the oracular style. "I'm one maj
who knows how to say no." he wal
Now, Is that equivalent to sayin,
"no?" Or is the manner OF II merel!
the sign that. while confident tina
he knows how u, to say no. ne ISM
Already in their minds eye seein,
Democrat In the White House ate
March 4. 1918. the Democratic clan
are putting in most OF their tim
talking Presidential politics. Detail
Of the AFFAIRS before the committe
are largely overshadowed by Presi
Dental gossip. The pot Is fa,r,
and bubble until tonight. when !
series of speeches by strong men 4
the Democratic party will be woun
up by q speech by William JenninE
Bryan, who, as one enthusiastic al
mirer proclaimed today. Is "The kin
pin o fthem all"
William Randolph Hearst Is du. her
today. and 1t Is learned that MI. Hears
is carrying uhou. with ht large size
Presidential ambition. He is ostensibl
supporting Clark fret ana UEderwCo
second. But II ~ declared that MI
quietly watching his opportunities an
not overlooking any bets. IL the ne
tionai convention should be tangled y
BY reason OF the multiplicity OF eandi