The Washington herald., 1920-11-04
MAY DEMOLISH
WILSON PARTY
Conference of Democrats
Promises Entire New
Organization.
BRYAN LIKELY FIGURE
Troubles Began Piling Up
Before Disaster of Tues
day, Says Abbot.
by WILLIS j. ABBOT.

Among Democrats the nrSt ana
most significant result OF their dis
aster OF Tuesday is a very well de-
fined demand for the reorganization
of what is left of the party ma
chinery. Indeed, that demand pre-
ceded the disaster which every
candid Democrat admitted long be-
fore the election was inevitable.
was told a week before election day
of preparations that were being
made for a conference in this city
about the middle of this month at
which the question of reorEanizing
the party will be considered.
And more than that. The confer
= 20 '-SoIf to the con-
sideration of methods of reorgani-
p The aL-
Visibility of abandoning the party
altogether and attempting to build
up a new party. 1t is argued that
the forces now in control of the
Democratic organization are too
strong to be readily dislodged and
that they are in such disfavor with
the voters that no movement which
included them could possibly COM
mend itself to public favor.
This Washington conference is to
be composed in the main OF Demo
Gratis. and Mr.. Bryan's name is
mentioned as one of its promoters
with how much authority l am un-
able to state.
Bryan to Figure In II.
1t is not however, improbable
that Mr.. Bryan will interest him
self actively in such a movement.
The situation today is mot unlike
that In 1904 when the Parker nomi-
nation went down in just about such
crash as has befallen Cox. The
St Louis convention which nomi-
mated Parker was dominated from
wall street and next to putting
over its chosen nominee seemed to
take especial delight in reviling and
Illuminating Mr.. Bryan who, at it's
close, was commonly referred to by
the friends of the nominee as "a
dead one. The subsequent cam
palgn ieft Judge Parker politically
dead and Mr.. Bryan so very much
alive that within two years he was
again In control of the party ma
chinery and in four was once more
the party nominee
At San Francisco this wear oi--
cumstances were singularly remi-
niscent of that St Louis conyention
Although in his one opportunity to
address the convention Mr. Rrvan
carried the galleries by storm. the
convention itself was stacked
~, iLst LIN. To such an extent had
-" o. N nittee in charge of the ar
rangements carried this antagonism
that II was found that the band and
the performer on the pipe organ.
who had diligently helped along the
demonstrations aroused by every
other public man. had been instruct
ed to maintain silence after Bryan's
speech.
After the nomination had been
made the most common boast on the
part of the triumphant organizers of
defeat was that they had killed
Old Bryan" / myself heard il un-
counted times from men who should
have had enough political sense to
have kept quiet.
Discomfort Widespread.
In view of these facts it is only
reasonable to suppose that Mr.
Bryan will be a ready participant
," any lot DernOCTaIlC
reorganization. But that movement
did not, originate with him nor will
IT be dependent upon his presence.
The fact is that the outgoing ad-
ministration has carried things with
so heavy a hand. and left so many
Democrats outside the sphere Of in
fuence that there is a large array
of the discontented ready for op-
position. The systematic blacklist
ing of the friends OF Champ Clark
at the beginning Of the first Wilson
administration has not been forgot
ten by the victims. nor has the strin-
gency of the rule for their exclu-
sion been in any way relaxed. And
it is not only among those to whom
participation in the affairs Of the
has been denied that
the desire for an entire new deal Is
strong. Indeed, two of the men who
first told me of the project were
former office holders. and are, so far
as I know, without personal rancor
against the President.
But as a curious fatality has led
Mr.. Wilson to estrange a very large
proportion OF his early friends, II is
probable that the conference of in
surgents will to a great extent be
made mp of Original Wilson men.
Headquarters Inefncient.
Much of the antagonism to the
present Democratic organization
has grown out of the headquarters
maintained by the Democratic Ma
tional Committee in Washington
during the entire period of the Will
son administration.
1t was supposed that, with so long
period in which to organize, and
with the abundant funds which the
managers had. there would be turn
ed over at the beginning of the last
campaign a very complete organ
ization. and a considerable nest-egg
wherewith to start the work. Nei-
ther was forthcoming.
The mailing lists in possession of
the committee proved to be anti
quated and worthless, and the
funds, which had been diligently
collected, had been expended in
maintaining costly headquarters
with salaries paid far in excess of
anything the recipients had ever
enjoyed before.
\ A curious story a to the effect
CONTINUED ON tAeE TWO.