Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-05-14
date for governor be. would accept the

by many men Of both parties. Yet
there were not lacking those who
were so suspicious Of Smith and his
associate bosses that they could not
believe the nomination was to be CIV
en- Mr.. Wilson without pledges from
him. Again, some Of the best and
most intelligent men Of the Democrat
ic party, while they did not doubt the
integrity Of the proposed nominee, did
fear that his inexperience in practical
politics would make him an easy In
strument of the gang. Mr. Wilson had
been assured that only his consent
was necessary for his unchallenged
nomination, but in fact opposition to
it at once arose and continued until
the convention balloted. Three other
Democrats - Frank S. Katzenbach.
George S. SilZer and FL. Otto Wittpen
Immediately entered the ring.
After issuing his statement Mr.. Will
son went to the little town Of Lyme,
Conn.,, where he has been in the habit
of spending his summers, and-spent
his summer. He moved not one Of his
ten fingers in behalf Of the nominal
ton. Certain other people, however,
were moving everything movable to
that end The fact that the Smith
crowd, was advocating him puzzled
many who otherwise would have been
his foremost supporters. It was only
las Mr. Wilson afterward learned to
his amazement) by sharp dragooning
that majority sufficient to make him
the choice was seated In the Trenton
convention on Sept. Is.
The speech made in that body by
Clarence Cole, formally putting Prince
tons president In nominat ton, was In
terrupted by jeers, catcalls and sarcas-
tic questions. A few remarks made
by Mr.. Smith were, however, closely
listened to. The big boss said that he
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 con-
ditions been different he should have
preferred candidate identified with
the organization. But it was neces-
sary to find a man who could be
elected.
These were sagacious sentences and
had the incidental merit of telling the
truth.
On the first ballot, 700 votes being
necessary to choice, Woodrow WILL
son received 749 and was declared the
nominee for governor. Hastily sum-
moned from Princeton, eleven miles
away, he appeared on the platform and
made speech Of acceptance so ring
ing in its assertion of independence
and so trumpet toned in its utterance
Of the principles of progressive de-
mocracy that the convention was fair
~ carried off its feet. Few of the dele
gates had ever seen or heard Mr.. Will
son. Had he made that speech before
the ballot there would have been no
ballot. Having made it. he became the
candidate of united and enthusiastic
party.
Now, this story Of Mr.. Wilson's nomi-
nation is worth telling in some detail
because, in the first place, it is a fun
ny story, in the light Of its sequel,
and because, in the second place, it has
to do with the charge of ::ingratitude"
the gravest brought against New
Jerseys governor. ~ - s...- :. -; =:
After few speeches in which 1t was
apparent that the nominee had q little
difficulty in bringing himself to ask
anybody to vote for him Mr. Wilson
developed unusual power as a cam
pa1gner. This candidate had things to
say on which his convictions were so
strong and his sense of their impor.
tance so great that he soon learned
language that caught the ear and won
the warm attention of the great body
Of the plain voters Of New Jersey. He
talked to them of the need Of drag
cling public business out Of private
rooms, where secret interests and pro-
fessional political jobbers conspire. into
the open air where all might see what
is being done; of the need of new po-
lltical machinery that the people
might resume the control of their own
affairs; he talked Of the vast social and
industrial changes Of the past twenty
years, making necessary the renova-
ton Of all our old social and indus
trial ideas; Of the need of new rela-
tons between workingmen and their
employers, now that these are days Of
great corporations; of the need of reg
ulating strictly those corporations:
talked simply, straightforwardly, Of
all manner of specific public things in
way that brought them home to the
individual voter with new sense of
his own personal concern in them and
awakened in him a new realization Of
his duty, his power and his opportu-
nifty. He not only did thi.;-he lifted
political discussion to new plane till
at every meeting the audience was
thrilled with the consciousness. that
the problems of today are gigantic,
critical, big with the purposes Of Prov.
idence, as they heard this man picture
them on the broad background Of his.
tory In the inspiration OF soul afame
with love of common humanity and
faith in its progress toward splendid
futures. n.. =.
| One incident Of the campaign was
the candidates reply to a list Of ques.
tons, presumed to be embarrassing,
asked him in an open letter by Pro
gressive Republican,, Mr.. George +
Record. Mr.. Record put into careful
form nineteen queries, requiring Mr.
Wilson to declare himself on such sub
jects as public service commission
with power to FIX rates, the physical
| valuation Of public service CORPORA