The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-02-14

v%ention of 1912 in Baltimore was one
OF the dramatic spectacles of Ameri
can political history. 1t was a bat
tie royal which brought him victory
after more than 40 ballots.
Champ Clark, the venerable anc
beloved speaker of the house of rep.
resentatives, led Wilson in the early
voting-in fact polled a majority OF
the delegates. For the first time in
history a democratic national con
vention refused to give the neces-
sary two-thirds to a candidate who
had gotten a majority. William Jen-
nings Bryan, himself the nominee of
three previous conventions, led the
fight against Clark in one of the
bitterest conflicts ever waged in Am
erican politics. It broke Clark's
heart-he eve forgave Wilson or
Bryan-and he opposed Wilson's
politics in congress repeatedly. Clark
knew he lost not only the nomina-
ton, but the presidency, for the con-
test between Taft and Roosevelt as
sured such a rift in the republican
vote that the election of a democrat
was all but inevitable.
Return to Democracy
The convention realized this for
the man who nominated Clark de-
clared:
eve meet not only to choose a
candidate, but to choose a president"
At any rate, Woodrow Wilson got
the nomination and win the election
with 435 electoral votes. Roosevelt
got 88 and Taft s. He came to the
White House on March a, 1913, sig
nalizing the return of the democracy
to power after successive defeats of
Is years.
Immediately he galvanized the
country, appearing before congress
in person, publicly denouncing "a
vicious lobby" which he charged was
attempting to influence Washington,
and launched a legislative program
which included repeal of the traiff,
revision of the currency system, new
style of control of the trusts, the
creation of many new government
agencies and such a multitude of
other legislative business that con-
gress and the country had difficulty
in keeping up with it.
First Difficulty
Hardly had MI. Wilson gotten him
self turned around when he had his
first foreign situation to deal with.
1t was with Mexico and was a legacy
from the proceeding republican adj
ministration. The republican chief
tians said they left it for Mr.. Wilson
because they didn't want to embar-
rass him in dealing with it. The
declared the republicans t
had passed the buck. 1t came to a
when Huerta the dictator, seiz- t
I'd the reigns of government and '
President Madero and Vice-President f
Suare were murdered. Mr.. Wilson b
lad very fixed ideas of his w on f
,uccession to the presidency by as [
.,assination. He thought it pretty
in Central America and he '
old confdents that it was going to C
top. He withheld recognition from "
Iuerta and the situation boiled I'M Il
Huerta troops attacked some Am tt
blue jackets at Tampico and Fl
fr. Wilson ordered the occupation I"
f Vera Cruz by the American army. O.
he official reason given for the oc- fl
upation was that the German ship lie
.rpiranga was about to land arms re
nd ammunition for Huerta and the h,
ccupation was to prevent it. The di
United States demanded a salute to di
ne flag. which critics of the Wilson fl
administration took delight in point w
lg out was never given. w
Events in Mexico solved their own de
in a few months when Car
snza, another newly risen leader,
Iected Huerta, who fled. American to
cups were withdrawn from Vera hs
ruz. But Mr.. Wilson had had one 10
xperience with Mexican affairs and w;
} did not recognize Carranza either. 70
fact no government in Mexico was as
.cognized for ten years-long after wi
r. Wilson had gone out of office. he
he Mexican problem came back to co
republican administration for set do
ament. "Watchful waiting" was tel
It alone Mr.. Wilson's. M
Saw World War TIL
Mr.. Wilson was much criticised for to
veakness'' in handling the Mexican rel
;uation, but his friends said he saw
world wal coming and had told in
EN- he "did not propose to have ha
e United States caught with one fri
nd tied behind it's back" He did wa
t propose to be engaged in a war his
tn Mexico at such a time. At all in
ents. the world war broke the same
ar. Woodrow Wilson added his CHI;
peal to the futile effort to stay it, his
ting by the bedside of his dying int
fe on a memorable August 6, 1914. his
IS. Wilson passed away that day, wa
d with a world taking fire about the
n, he took her body to her girl Lie