Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-25
WILSON CONSIDERED BOLTING
DEMOCRATS AT BALTIMORE
AS CLARK LED IN BALLOTING

for the vice presidency, the then
governor of New Jersey remarked
that circumstances might make
such a development possible"
Strange as were the incidents
which led to the nomination OF
Woodrow Wilson for the presidency.
stranger still are the tales of how
it was accomplished. The Wilson
forces seemed like crusaders. They
had responded to William Jennings
Bryan's outcry against boss control
They refused to make trades AMI
political bargains. They refused to
yield even when Champ Clark had
passed the majority mark-never
before had a candidate gotten so far
without winning the necessary two,
thirds National political Conven
tions are rarely susceptible OF prs
else analysis. Too many things hap
pen at once as the numerous tao.
ticians concentrate their subtleties
and cajolery. Confidently the floor
leaders are working in a half dozen
places to accomplish the same gen
eral result.
w. j. Bryan; p.
The newspapers at the time gave
William Jennings Bryan substantial
credit for bringing about the noru'-
nation of Mr.. Wilson but ever since
then prominent delegates have in
sisted that in the many secret con-
ferences of that convention; Mr..
Bryan, after successfully blocking
the nomination of Champ Clark.
really favored himself, proposing
from three to five other candidates
on the Monday morning following
the Sunday adjournment on the
theory that the convention was
"hopelessly deadlocked." Irrespec-
tive Of what really happened, the
country was given the impression
that Mr.. Bryan played an effective
part if setting the stage for the
nomination of Woodrow Wilson.
And Mr.. Wilson, not unmindful OF
the Bryan Influence in preceding
Democratic conventions, was in
clined to share that view.
Without doubt the fact that the
third party convention would mee'
a week or so later and nominate
Theodore Roosevelt as the nationa!
pro 9rt .3sive candidate WAS con stanS
lv in the minds of the Democratt.
delegates who. as usual, We're not
a little influenced in selecting a can
ddate by the thought that he de
served the nomination who had the
best chance of winning the election
Would the Democrats permit the
third party to draw progressiVe>
from the Democratic party? The
nomination of a progressive Demo
crat like Woodrow Wilson, his cham.
pions at . Baltimore argued, would
checkmate such a possibility and
give the country a new view OF the
Democratic party. There was some.
thing fascinating, if not sensational
about the spectacular rise of the
college president to fame as a
courageous administrator and fear.
less spokesman of Democratic prin.
ciples. Also, he had carried New
Jersey by approximately $4,000 ma.
jority only two years before and his
strength was undiminished by the
record he had made as governor in
a state depressed heretofore by boss
management of bipartisan effective
ness.
Convinced that he won the nomi-
nation at Baltimore on principle,
Woodrow Wilson endeaVored to con-
duct his campaign on the same high
plane. Not once during the 1912 con-
test, for instance, did Mr.. Wilson
mention the name Of Theodore
Roosevelt. Never during his eight
years of the presidency did he make
a direct reply to any statement by
Colonel Roosevelt. He tried to avoid
personalities in politics, He was
much more interested in principles.
preferring always to deal with per
sons implicitly rather than explicitly
Thursdays chapter tells OF Mr..
Wilson'S singular notions about
party platforms and campaigning.