The Green Forest tribune., 1912-06-28
DEMOCRATIC LEADERS IN OPPOSITION 10 PARKER Committees Selection of Temporary Chair man Unsatisfactory to Some--Wm. j. Bryan in Active Opposition.
 Sends Message to
 Many
VIM. J. BRYAN AVOIDS BOLT QUESTION
WHEN NEWSPAPER HE REPLIED HYPOTHETICAL TIoNs-slmlLARITY COMPETITIONS.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
 more-Pre-convention talk Of the Democrats in this city was all of the objection of the fight being made by prominent members of the Democratic party on Judge Alton B. Parker who was selected as temporary chairman of the Democratic conven- tion
 William Jennings Bryan was the most active in the matter having sent telegrams to many protesting the committees selection and urging that a fight be made on the conven- tion floor to prevent the committees action from being approved
 A copy of his message follows:
 "In the interest of harmony I su8- gested to the subcommittee of the Democratic national committee the advisabilfty of recommending some progressive acceptable to the leading progressive candidates for the presi- dential nomination. I took it for granted that no committeeman inter ested in Democratic success would de sire to offend the members of a con- vention overwhelmingly progressive by naming a reactionary to sound the keynote of the campaign. Eight mem- bers of the subcommittee. however, have, over the protest of the remain ing eight, agreed upon not only TO- actionary, but upon the one Democrat who, among those not candidates for the presidential nomination, is, in the eyes of the public, most conspicuously identified with the reactionary ele. ment of the party. I shall be pleased to join you and your friends in op' posing his election by the full con- mittee or by the convention. Kindly answer here"
 This message caused much specu lation among many, some saying that a fight would develop over the matter while others said that the action would be sustained.
 Among others to whom MT. Bryan sent his message was Woodrow Vii son who replied as follows:
 You are right Before hearing of your message I clearly stated my DO sition in answer to a question from the Baltimore Evening Sun.
 "The Baltimore convention is to be a convention of progressives, of men who are progressive in principle and by conviction. it must, if it is not to be put in wrong light before the country, express it's convictions in it's organization and in it's choice of the men who are to speak for it. You are to be a member of the convention, and are entirely within your rights in doing everything within your power to bring that result about No one will doubt where my sypathies lie. and you will, am sure, find my friends in the convention and always in the interest of the peoples cause. I am happy in the confidence that they need no suggestion from me.
 (Signed) Woodrow Wilson,"
 Gov. Balwin of Connecticut, re- piled to the same message as follows:
 New Haven, Conn.-Gov. Simon Baldwin sent the following telegram to Wm. J. Bryan. in reply to the lat ter's appeal that the governor oppose Judge Parker as temporary chairman of the Baltimore conventions:
 Replying to your telegram for. warded from Hartford, it does not seem to me that the course you sug, gest would promote harmony at Bal. timore. The Republican party has been visibly destroying itself at Chicago The storm center has been the ac tion of the national committee in plan, ming for the organization of it's con vention. I should regard it as un wise to agitate a similar cause of diff ference respecting action of the Demo cratic national committee
 "The Democratic party of the United States stands for three things:
 q. Opposition to grant of special privileges to special interests.
 "2. Opposition to standardization ol power at Washington by encroach ments on the rightful spheres of the states.
 "All those who believe that the prin ciples should be steadfastly main tained belong in the Democratic party
 NO party can expect or demand success which is not broad enough tc comprehend many who differ widely in their views or minor points. ~--~--~-----~-~---- -----~---------~--