Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1912-03-28

fContinued from last week

After Issuing his Statements Mr..
Wilson went to the little town Of Lyme.
Conn, where he has been Ia the habit
Of spending his summers, and-spent
his summer. He moved not one Of his
ten fingers in behalf Of the nomination.
Certain other people, however, were
moving everything movable to that
end. The fact that the Smith crowd
were advocating him puzzled many who
otherwise would have beenhis foremost
supporters. TWAS only Gas Mr.. Wilson
afterward learned to his amazementl
by Sharp dragooning that 2 majority
sufficient to make him the choice Yves
seated in the Trenton Convention on
on September fifteenth.
The speech made in that body by
Clarence Cole, formally putting Prince
toms President in nomination. was in
terrupted by jeers. cat-calls, and sar-
castle questions. A few remarks made
by Mr.. Smith were, however, closely
listened to. The Big Boss said that ne
had no personal acquaintance with Mr..
Wilson. Mr.. Wilson and he did not
move in the same world. He had never
conversed with him. Had conditions
been different, he should have preferred
a candidate identified with the 0rgani-
zatlon. But it was necessary to find q
man who could be elected. Mr. Wilson
was Democrat and he could be elected;
he knew nobody else who for certain
ty could be. Therefore he was for
Wilson, WHO had consented to accept q
nomination without any private obliga=
tions or undertakings whatever -he was
for him on the ground that it was time
New Jersey had a Democratic Governor,
These were sagacious sentences and
had the incidental merit of telling the
truth. It Is undeniable that Smith or.
ganized the Wilson candidacy; it Is the
curious fact, however. that he could en-
sure its success only by publicly separat-
ing himself from it as far as he could.
On the first ballot, 700 votes being
necessary to choice, Woodrow Wilson
received 749 and was declared the nom
inee for Governor, Hastily summoned
from Princeton, eleven miles away, he
appeared on the platform and made a
speech of acceptance so ringing in its
assertion of independence and SO trpm-
pet-toned in its utterance of the prinei-
pies of progressive democracy that the
convention was fairly carried off its
feet Few OF the delegates had ever
seen or heard Mr.. Wilson. Had he
made that speech before the ballot
there would have been no ballot. Hav-
ring made it, he became the candidate of
a united and enthusiastic party.
The language in which Mr.. Wilson
made clear to the convention the cir
cumstances under which he was accepts
ing the nomination was as follows:
4 did not seek this nomination.
have made no pledge and have given 10
promise. Still more, not only was no
promise asked. but as far as know,
none was desired. If elected, as ! ex-
pect to be, am left absolutely free to
serve you with all singleness of pur-
pose. It is q new era when these things
can be said.
i In the first speech of his campaign
at Jersey City, September %, the can
didate said:
Some gentlemen on this platform
can tell you more specifically than can
that did not seek the nomination as
Governor. They were generous enough
to offer it to me, and because they Of
fered it to me they were generous
enough to let me understand that / was
under no obligation to any individual OF
Il group of Individuals
| Now this story of Mr.. Wilson nomi.
nation is worth telling in some detail
because, in the 6rst place, it is funny
story, in the light Of it's sequel; and be
cause. in the second place.Sit has to dc
| with the charge of :.ingratitude !" 1.-The
gravest brought against New Jerseys
i Governor. what do You think Of
Woodrow Wilson" . New York re
porter asked Mr.. Richard Croker or
the latest Of those brief visits which the
ex-Tammany chieftain designs occasion
ally to pay to the land and city, now
bereft of his political leadership
Nothing to say. replied Mr.. Croker
After few pulls at his cigar. however
he brought out: '.An migrate is no goot
m politics. /"
Which is sound political sagacity. Il
Wilson an.ingrate?
After few speeches in which it wa
apparent that the nominee had littl'
difficulty in bringing himself to ask any
body to vote for him, Mr.. Wilson de
veloped unusual power as campaigner
The speeches required of candidat.
are not of the nature Of those in whicI
. college president or polished occas
ional orator is practised, but this candi
date had things to say on which his con
victions were so strong and his sense o
their Importance 30 great that be SOL