The Washington times., 1912-06-24
BRYAN POINTS OUT
LESSON TAUGHT BY
CHICAGO CONVENTION
Declares Its Influence Will
Be Felt In Balti-
more.
By WILLIAM ]. BRYAN.
(CopYriRht. 1872. }

BALTIMORE, June 24-The break has
come, and the progressives were happy
in their selection of the time. They
waited until the credentials committee
had made its last report, until the COM
mittee-made majority had voted itself
the convention, until II was demonstrat-
ed that no amount of fact or argument
aNailed to reverse the decisions based
upon the exigencies of the case rather
than upon the merits of the contest,
and then Delegate Allen, of Kansas,
read MIR. Roosevelt's statement and en-
forced its pungent paragraphs with
pointed remarks of his own.
Never before in American politics has
convention witnessed such a scene
man, one of the most forceful figures
OF his time, twice a President, once by
the accident of death and once by the
largest majority ever given to a Presi-
dent. contending against an Admins
tration that he created foe the honor Of
Republican nomination.
Fight Against Odds.
In spite Of patronage. in spite OF the
powerful organization Of dominant
r4rty and in spite of great commercial
influences. he actually secures an un-
disputed majority Of the Republican
vote. Contrary to all precedents he
goes 20 the convention city and cen
ducts his own hight. He finds himself
hed9ed about by forces with which he
cannot cope. If he may be likoned to
| a cagel lion confined in a cage con-
| struCtrd Of regularity, formality, and
orderly procedure, 1t must be admitted
that he was unable, with all his SanIp-
son-lilie strength. to bind a single bar.
But here simle ends. Man is more
than an animal. He lanughs at the
limitations of the flesh. He can appeal
to a power greater than the politician.
and Mr.. Roosevelt mas made his ap-
peal. He brings against the convention
such an indictment as no rarty has
ever had to meet before. He appeals
from leaders inebriateI by prolonged
power. TO :he voters who can iispas-
sionately weigh policies and measure
methods from Philip drunk to Philip
sober.
Stands for Etandpatism.
The platform is such a platform as
might be expected from Mr.. Taft. 1t
points with pride to what he has done
and views with alarm all that Mr..
Roosevelt stands for and threatens to
do. The curious may read II, but 1t will
play very small part in the campaign.
In the Republican mind. Mr.. Taft has
come to stand for standpatism and Mr..
Roosevelt for progressivism. and the
voters will not make any nice calcula-
tions in deciding between them.
The Republican party is passing
through the same convulsions which
the Democratic party passed through
sixteen years ago, when progressive
Democracy was born. In the case of
our party, the mother lived. At present
both a physician and a surgeon are in
attendance. and 1t will be some months
before the fate of the patient will be
known.
Influence Will Be Felt.
As was TO be expected, the Chicago
convention will exert marked infiu-
ence upon the Democratic convention
about to begin at Baltimore. The fact
that more than half of the Republican
party has been shown to be militant in
its progressiveness would seem to make
1t even more imperatively necessary
than before that the Democratic con-
vention should, in its platform and with
it's nominations, respond to the demands
of the progressives OF the nation and
thus make a third party unnecessary.