The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-10-21
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director.
washington, d. C.
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS.

Washington, D. c., Oct. 17.-FiveI
times in the history of the United
States has the viee-president been
called upon to assume the office of
PRESIDENT. Each time the president by
accident has endeavored TO obtain
| election to the highest office in his
| own right. John Tyler, elected vice.
president as a Wing. broke with his
party and attempted to get the Demo-
cratic nomination. Willard Fillmore
! fought hard for the Wing nomination
! in 1852. Andrew johnson, elected
with Lincoln on the Union ticket in
1854. was an ayowed candidate for the
regular Democratic nomination in
/ 1883. Chester A. Arthur used all the
force of the administration to bring
about his nomination in 1884, but was
defeated by Blaines great popularity.
These were the presidents which
men called to mind when Theodore
| Roosevelt became president of the
/. United States upon the death of Will
| liam Mckinley. If there was anything
| in the world which Theodore Roose-
welt did not respect it was a precedent.
| From the beginning it was his purpose
| to break the bonds of the viee-presi-
| Dental hoodoo. No less a captain
| than Senator Hanna began to plot for
| the defeat of Roosevelt in the Re-
publican convention of 1904. The old
| line Republican leaders feared Roose-
/ NelI anu LHey AOpeQ 10 STOP MS pro-
gram. But Mr.. Hanna died, and the
anti Roosevelt politicians could find
no leader willing to be sacrificed.
| Teddy was popular all over the
country, the nation was more pros
porous than ever before in its history
and everybody was saying: Let well
| enough alone"
So it came about that the Repub-
| lican convention which met in Chi
caso was the most harmonious ma
tional convention ever held by that
| party. The nomination of Mr.. Roose-
welt was assured, and everybody had
agreed on Mr.. Fairbanks for second
| place before the convention was well
| organised. 1t was the only Repub-
lican national convention in which not
one single question was contested on
! the floor. The national committee
| had promised to give Chicago a three
| days convention, and it was only to
1 fulfil that promise that the convention
lasted more than two days,
Democratic Disagreements.
| Such harmony was not the portion
| of the poor Democrats. While Mr..
Bryan still hsld a great personal fol-
| lowing among the voters of his party,
| the politicians looked upon him as a
| sure loser. He was not candidate
for the nomination, nor would he
| espouse the cause of any other candi-
| date. He did, however insist that the
/
that faction of the party which had
| been out of accord with the majority
of Democrats since the Cleveland days
Alton B. Parker had been elected
| chief judge of the Court of Appeals
| of New York state by great ma
jority in the very year after Mckinley
| had swept the state. A man of ability,
with good record on the bench and
in politics, the politicians looked to
him as Democratic Moses. Senti-
I nf faII
however. until the southern>and west
ern leaders saw that it was necessary
| TO agree upon some one candidate to
head off the stampede for William
Randolph Hearst. Mr.. Hearst was
making an earnest campaign for the
nomination, and was spending money
and spilling printers ink without stint
/ A coterie of New York Democrats
of great wealth, headed by August
Belmont, backed the Parker boom
with plenty of money.
When the convention met at St.
Louis it was practically certain that
Parker would be nominated, but it was
also certain that there would be "a
great fight on the platform. In the
committee on resolutions the radicals
and the conservatives once more met
in pitched battle. Mr. Bryan and ex-
Senator David Bennett Hill were the
generals of the opposing forces. After
| long drawn out fight it was agreed
that the platform should be silent on
| the question OF the gold standard. A
tariff plank prepared by Mr.. Bryan
was inserted. The committee was
Unanimous on the report. Out of
what seemed to be implacable enmity
there had come perfect peace.
The silver Ghost Again.
Next day the peace and tranquility
turned into anger and chagrin. The
convention was preparing to nominate
its candidate for vice president when
it was thrown into whirl by the ru-
NOR that Judge Parker had tele-
lgraphed that he would not accept the
4 nGIliI,ation unless the platform de-
elared for the gold standard. A group
OF leaders were comforting excttedly
when a newspaper extra with All i'm
perfect account of the Parker telegram
was scattered over the hall. In a mo-
mept the place was bedlam. Champ
Clark was chairman and he proved
equaI to the emergency. THE gentle
! man from Texas moves that the con-
: vention stand adjourned until 9 o'clock
tonight" he screamed. 'Th5se i'll
favor of the motion say aye" There
was not an aye. '"Those opposed say
no." There was a thunder of noes
!, like the thunder of Niagara. 1.-The
ayes have it and the convention stands
Il adjeurned!" 1t was arbitrary and un-
fair, perhaps, but it was the only
thing that prevented riot.
The convention soon found that
Judge Parker' had only declared his
own position in favor of the gold
| standard and that if his views should
be unsatisfactory to the majority OF
the convention, he authorized William
F. Sheehan to decline the nomination
in his name. Peace was patched up
; among the leaders and 1t was agreed
to send a telegram to Judge Parker
saying that the convention did not re-
gard the money question as an issue
in the campaign and that his views
, did not preclude his taking the nomi-
nation on the platform already
adopted.
Mr.. Bryan led the fight against
sending the Williams telegram ssto
, Judge Parker. He rose from a sick
bed. eluded his nurse and appeared in
the conver, ton in the wee sna, hours