The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1912-10-03
WHAT He DID FOR HIS COUNTRY
AND HIS PARTY At eALrl.
MORE CONVENTION.
DEFEATED THE BOSSES
Fought the Peoples Fight, Emerging
the Greatest Individual Force
In the Politics Of the
~ Country.

and and His Doses for Democratic
Samuel g. Blythe. writing for the Sat
urday Evening Post, gives q graphic
history Of the great contest in the
Baltimore convention. The salient
parts Of his story are given. He says:
The bosses triumphed at Chicago
defeating the will of the people SO fal
as that will had had. an opportunity
for expression. The people won al
Baltimore and the bosses were beaten
and demoralized. Wall Street az
typed by Ryan, was bitterly against
Wilson. and so were Hearst and Muir.
ply and Sullivan and Taggart and
many Of the minor bosses. But Bryan
was not against Wilson. Whether or
not he was for him at tic start, or
whether or not he wanted the nomi
nation himself, he was for Wilson at
the finish. Moreover he did a good
deal for the democratic party by vir.
tually dissociating it from the men
who have been handicaps to it for a
long time.
The success Of Wilson at Baltimore
is merely another proof Of the conten.
ton that the day of the political boss
Is over. The bosses made their last
stand in the republican party at Chi.
cago and won by narrow margin.
They made their last stand at Balti.
more and lost. There never will be
another democratic national conven.
ton like that one. Wilson won because
the bosses were against him. The
logic of politics was with him. The
state of public feeling assisted and in
addition he had the mighty influence
of Bryan to aid him. The minute the
delegates and the people, complaisant
enough at the start. fosnd out def.
nitely that the bosses were out to de.
feat Wilson. the nomination of Wilson
became certain. not only because he
was the strongest candidate the dem.
ocrats could name, but because the
opposition Of the bosses made his
nomination quite certain.
Three years ago Wilson was the
president Of university. and WAS
known as a writer on historical and
economic topics. Today he is the can.
didate of the democratic party for
president, with more than an even
chance Of being the next president OF
the United States. The fight made for
him was vigorous. at times spsctacu.
lar and always intelligent. It was not
complicated with affiliations with
bosses. It kept clear Of factionalism.
1t met with reverses and discourage
ments, but it won, as it had to win,
because of all the candidates present.
ed to the convention and to the PEG.
pie. Wilson more nearly than any 9th.
er Of the aspirants typed what the
people want in candidate.
There were times in the Wilson
campaign when there was not enough
money to pay running expenses There
were times when the overwhelming
defeat Of Wilson seemed a certainty.
It vas an uphill tight, and the success
Is largely due to young New York
lawyer. w. F. McCombs, who handled
the campaign, and to his chief assist.
ant. Thomas J. Pence. Washington
newspaper man. who did prodigies Of
publicity and supplied not little good
political judgment.
When you run over the names Of
the men most active in promoting the
fortunes Of Wilson you do not find the
name Of boss in the list. In addition
to McCombs and Pence. the principal
and most active proponents of Wilson
were Representative A. Mitchell. Pal
mer Of Pennsylvania. who is the poll.
teal foe Of Gu1ey and who was very
active for Wilson; Senator O'Gorman.
Of New York; Senator Culberson and
Representatives Burleson and Hery of
Texas; Senator Gore. Of Oklahoma;
senator John Sharp Williams, Of Mis-
sissippi: Representative William
Hughes. Of New Jersey; F. B. Lynch,
democratic national committeeman
from Minnesota, and Joseph e. Dav.
ies. democratic national committee.
man from Wisconsin. OF course there
were many others, but these men were
the leaders and they made the fight.
~ for Bryan, hs not only settled
several old scores notably By his
dsnunciation Of Murphy and Tamma-
ny Hall and his assault on Parker,
Ryan and Belmont, which was the per.
Sonal end Of it-but he left Baltimore
still the biggest individual force in
the democratic party.
Wall Street to the people: "Taft I
win, Roosevelt you lose."
ThA third m rfv third far,n NJ. %Ror,a