The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-06-19
NATIONAL CONVENTION
CENTER OF INTEREST
Stirring Scenes Being Inaugurated ut
Chicago Where Roosevelt is Trying
to Stampede the Convention.
(By p. III. McGowan.)

tallS complete FOR the curtain to rise
on the two biggest shows the country
has ever seen-one at Chicago and
the other at Baltimore-with Roose-
welt In Chicago to get in the fight.
and with President Taft sitting on the
lid at the White House in long dis
tance touch with the bigleaders in the
contest national politicians are eagerly
| awaiting the sound Of the gong. This
refers to such of them as may not
have already taken up quarters near
the training camps of the candidates
In either Chicago or Baltimore, for
1t must be remembered that every
train leaving Washington for the last
three or four days has carried its load
OF orators. spellbinders and camp
followers or one kind or another to
the scene of activity. Little has been
ieft behind to make even the doines
OF congress interesting. Droningly
the clerks In the house and senate
work away while the legislative
wheels slowly revolve and legisla-
ton continues to be the order of the
day, but 1t is not Of the important
Kind. Many days ago "gentlemans
agreement" was reached which prac-
tically sewed up all important mat
ters and scotched the congressional
wheels until the conventions are over
Such a situation left few big men in
either party here.
True, the Democratic hosts will not
land in their full forces at Baltimore
FOR day or two, but all the early
birds are there already and as for
Chicago the big fight started from the
drop of the hat and not a corporal's
guard of the leading men in the Re-
publican party are now to be found
In Washington-that is of the men
who are in the president-making
game.
The remaining lawmakers who have
not yet gone to Baltimore or Chicago
are considering two propositions
which they believe to be of the most
important kind to the Democratic
party at this time: what planks shall
go in the platform and above all the
selection of the best men for president
and vice president respectively. The
nrst OF these is naturally to be con-
sldered before anything else is
thought of. Not a question of sectional
pride. of personal popularity or any
thing of that kind, many of the lead
ing men here say, ought to govern in
the choice of men to lead the Demo
Gratis to victory this year, but a
straightout question of who is the best
man, who is best fitted to carry De-
'nocracy's banner, to rout the Repub-
licans from the White House and CON
troll Of the national administration
after its 16 years record of greed.
avarice and monopolistic control This
is the question that must soon be set
tied.
1t will not be whether Underwood
shall be nominated because he is from
the South, whether Woodrow Wilson
snail be the choice of the Democrats
because he, too, is Il Southerner.
whether Champ Clark shall be. vic
torious because of his "houn dawg"
popularity or whether, lastly "Uncle
Jud Harmon" is to lead because he
holds big hand with certain financial
lnterests-but the best man, the most
available man, the man who is broad
enough and big enough in heart, mind
and understanding of the people and
its needs-the man who can be q pres
ident of all the people without preiu-
dice for, or against section or State
this is the kind of candidate the men
who go to Baltimore representing the
Democratic element of the 10000 900
people in the United States must
choose. Who will 1t be?
The time for personal choice is fast
drawing to a close and while it is true
that events at Chicago during the
coming week will have large influ-
ence on the Democrats when they
assemble at altimore, it still stands
out that for the Democrats to be vic
torious this year they must pick their
hest man regardless of sectional or
other such influences. The battle is
not won yet, in fact, If won at all by
the Democrats it will be a stubborn
one and only by naming a really big
man as their standard bearer will the
followers Of Jefferson claim the privi-
lege of well earned victory. Wilson