Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-28
HOW MR.. PALMER
REFUSED A CHANGE
TO Be PRESIDENT
Writer Tells of Bose"
Offer at aBltimore to Give
Pennsyl vanian Wilson S
Place on the Ticket.

An interesting report. which has had
| limited circulation since the Democratic
! National Convention OF 1912, is repeated
In the gulse Of an apparently authoritative
statement published in this weeks issue
of Harper's Weekly
| In substance, the article tells of the
offer made to A. Mitchell Palmer Of the
| Democratic nomination for the Presidency
| and of his firm refusal OF the honor. The
writer says:
| AS everybody remembers, there were at
Baltimore two outstanding candidates,
Champ Clark and Woodrow Wilson
though whether Champ Clark was to be
allowed to receive his votes on the fnal
ballot is bootless point to consider now.
There is good reason to believe that the
private slate Of the big bosses had an
other name on II than that of the man
from Missouri with a dog,
for 10 ballots Clark led, then when
New York and Illinois suddenly lined I'm
penihd the MISSOURI banner, Bryan flung
MS bombshell. Wilson forged ahead in
the voting, but the deadlock could not
yet be broken.
me wilson leader on the floor of the
convention was big-boned Quaker, Just
turned 40, who had in college spouted
ABOUT idealism in politics, and, what is
more unusual, had continued to speak
from the same text and work for the
same objective after he had got into the
melee of practical life One of the people
OF Penn, birthrlght reformer, A. Mitchell
Palmer, had risen rapidly to power in
his own State.
LED WILSON CAUSE BRILLIANTLY.
when 1t early became apparent. after
dozen ballots, that this young champion
of the Wilson cause, whose voice could
be heard to the uttermost reaches of the
armory's expanse, was really leader and
a personality to be reckoned with, the
big fellows began to try to dicker with
him. Clearly he must be taken into the
camp. or else overwhelmed Every news
paper in the land told day after day
how brilliantly Palmer led the Wilson
cause. He went to Baltimore an un-
known man; he left Il national figure
THE first temptation came early in the
struggle 1t was a cold-blooded declara-
tion from a Clark leader, that II Palmer
would make, Or permit, break for Clark
in the Pennsylvania delegation, he him
self would be straightway nominated for
the Vice Presidency Perhaps 1t did not
take any great self-denial to repudiate
this seduction.
"The real crisis came later. Hour after
hour, day after day, night after night,
tho rnomentous struggle had waged. The
master politicians of the party confessed
themselves unable TO find a solution for
the tangle.
"On the afternoon of June 30 there
gathered In the rooms of Chairman MACK,
In hn
Belvedere. the floor leaders OF all the
candidates, together with the big men OF
the National Organization. Among those
present were Murphy. Mack, Justice
CohaIan, of New York; Taggart, of
Indiana: Ollie James, of Kentucky: Stone
and Francis. of Missouri: Bankhead, OF
Alabama: Sullivan, of Illinois; Burleson,
of Texas; Luke Lea. of Tennessee, and
Edwin Wood, of Michigan.
BIG BOSSES MAKE OFFER,
For three or four hours the discus
sion ragged, and compromise was the
dominant note. Edwin Wood. OF Michi-
gan, took the floor and openeIy proposed
to the conference the name OF A. Mitchell
Palmer as a man upon whom all could
agree.
THE real force of this proffer to Pal
lllGI was tSctI FSu IllNll liNtl' II was III I
a smaller early morning conference. in |
a private home on Mount Royal avenue,
at o'clock the next morning. the word |
came that one Wilson leader was Weaken !
ing. That message, significantly. was |
telephoned from New York.
"At this hour OF physical exhaustion
The big bosses in a group laid down
the facts of the case to the young
from Pennsylvania, his as
sociate in the Wilson leadership, A. Il.
Burleson, now Postmaster General. sit
ing by. After they Lad given him certain
wise admontions about being practical
and reasonable they showed him that it
was impossible for Wilson to wln-ut-
erly absolutely impossible. Item by
TEN they canvassed the situation to prove
hat they were right beyond all per-
adventure. He was madly defending a
ost causes; this they showed him as one
friend to another.
But he had the only key that could
open the deadlock His Pennsylvania
delegation was the keystone of the sit
lation. All of the delegates and the
country at large were tired of this re-
sultless struggle. Everybody was clamor-
ng for a dark horse The convention
strife had grown too bitter for any of
he old Democratic leaders to win the
Some At, rorcefuI flgure
must be found who would appeal to the
American imagination.
Like blow on the heart came the
proposition: You are the man. Pa
lently. subtly, the case was expounded:
'or Palmer TO take the nomination would
'e a real victory for the Wilson cause;
or he was an idealist, a reformsr. an
Exponent OF the Wilson type. He would
vim If he would permit himself to be
nominated.
LEADERS STROKE FAILS.
"QuicHly the surprised Democratic lead
rs learned that their master stroke at
q 90