The Clayton news. (Clayton, N.M.) 19??-1954, 1916-05-27
STATEiCONVENTION HONORS
UNION COUNTY DELEGATION


ion county will be one of the delega-
ton of twelve prominent democrats
of the state TO attend the NaiOnal
Democratic Convention in st. Louis.
Duran was named a member of
the delegation by the State Conven-
ton at Albuquerque, Wednesday,
and the loyal support he received
from the delegation from other
counties is fair suggestion of the
popularity of Mr.. Duran as well as
recognition of the Democratic
strength of Union county. -
The State Convention was called
to order Wednesday morning by
Senator Barth, who made an extend
ed speech upon local and national
affairs which was received with
ringing cheers.
While it was originally announced
that the convention would meet at
10 o'clock in the morning, this hour
was later changed to o'clock in the
afternoon, and it was more than a
half hour later still when State
Chairman n. b. Laughlin mounted
the platform and called the convcn-
ton to order. The announcement
that Senator Barth had been select
ed by the central committee for
temporary chairman was enthusias-
tically cheered and the choice of the
committee was ratified without Op-
position
Mr.. Barth's keynote speech was
for the most part a review of the
record of the present national ad-
ministration and a warm defense of
President Wilson's policies. The on
ly issue in the campaign that is
about to begin, hc declared. is the
republican desire for office. The
republican party, ne said, is sub
sitting only on the memory of Alb
raham Lincoln, and is solely a party
of oppositiOn-an opposition he as
serted, which in many instances had
bordered close on disloyalty to the
country and the flag.
The republicans, said Mr.. Barth.
are a party of plenty and prosperi-
ty for the plutOcrat and panic and
pauperism for the people. He refer
red to fromer President Roosevelt
as having welded big stick in one
hand and a fountain pen in the 9th
er, and the one, he said was as dan
gerous to his friends as the other
was to his enemies.
Touching on the question of pre-
paredness, Mr.. Barth declared that
forty years of republican rule had
left the country wholly unprepared
to defend itself against the most in
significant foe, and he said that their
orators are now upbraiding the
president for failing to do in three
years what the republicans neglect
ed for forty years to do.
The greatest achievement of the
entire administration, however, said
Mr.. Barth, was that the president
had kept the country out of war
while preserving he national honor.
He stated that the matter of elect
ing delegates to the convention
which is TO renominate Mr.. Wilson
was a mere formality, for" he ex-
claimed, "the people of the United
States have already nominated
Woodrow Wilson for president"
Closing his address, Mr.. Barth
paid a high tribute TO the admins
tration Of Governor Mcdonald in
state affairs, declaring that the gov
ernor had been tried in the cruicible
and had been found to be pure gold
and without alloy"
Perhaps the most remarkable
scene ever presented to a political
convention in the history of New
Mexico was Wednesday afternoon,
when, at the conclusion Of an ex-
ceptionally able speech in which he
had aroused his hearers TO a high
pitch Of enthusiasm, Assistant Sec
retary Of the Interior A. A. Jones
said:
Il wish, through the delegates TO
this convention TO express my pro-
found gratitude TO the people of the
various counties of New Mexico for
The confidence thew hava aNnrassod