Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1924-07-12
West Virginian Nominated On
103d Ballot; Choice Ratified
By Acclimation
GOVERNOR CF1AS. w. BRYAN
WILL BE HIS RUNNING MATE

John w. Davis, of New York an,
West Virginia, was named as tn,
democratic candidate for the presi
dency of these United States on Wed
nesday last, one hundred and thre,
ballots having been taken in the con
vention assembled in New York City
since last Tuesday fortnight.
AS the editorial in this weeks is
sue of the Democrat was in type be-
fore the above choice was made, i
can be very readily ignored in part.
Prior to the assembling of this con
vention, when it was generally under
stood that neither McAdoo nor Smith
could marshall enough votes to lane
the plum, it was thought by many
that John w. Davis would be the Sc
lection. There were objections tc
him as well as to all others; the one
argued against him being that he was
a tool Of Wall street-Bryan attack
ing him on that issue. Mr.. Bryan is
reported, however, as saying he would
support the ticket.
John w. Davis is fifty-one years OF
age, and was born in Clarksburg, w.
Va, on April 13, 1873. He received
his higher education in Washington
and Lee University, graduating from
that institution in 1895.
He served one year as member of
the faculty of Washington and Lee
and then went to Clarksburg to prac-
tice law, in which place and in New
York City he is now a practicing at
torney.
Showing early inclinations towards
politics, he was elected a member of
the West Virginia legislature, where
he easily assumed leadership and e.
vinced rare qualities Of statesman
ship.
In 1910 he was elected to Congress
from his native state, and so much
was the late President Will
son with Mr.. Davis attainments in
politics, and legal acumen that Mr..
Wilson, at the. beginning of his Sec
ond term, appointed him United States
Solicitor General.
In 1918 he was a member of the
commission appointed to arrange for
the exchange of war prisoners with
Germany. His service in this ca
pacity was highly efficient and stamp
him as man of brain and good
Judgment.
The next honor conferred upon
him was possibly the highest in the
gift of the President, when diplomat
ic relations are concerned. Before re-
turning to America after the armis-
tice, he was appointed Ambassador to
the court Of St. James, Great Britain,
by President Wilson.
In 1922 he was elected president of
the American Bar Association, a dis
tinction that gave him prominence, of
course, as one of the leading legal
lights Of this country.
Mr.. Davis family consists Of a
wife and one daughter, Miss Ruth
Davis.
The nomination of Davis was made
despite the efforts of William Jen-
nings Bryan and William Gibbs Nc
Adoo. McAdoo, after his complete
upset on the 102d ballot, when he got
only twenty-one votes tried to align
his former followers behind E. T.
Meredith, Iowa, Secretary Of Agricul-
ture in Woodrow Wilson's Cabinet.
Beginning with the Tooth balloting
the movement to Davis gathered a
which could not be retard-
ed and gradually but surely through
the succeeding ballots the votes flop
ped over into the Davis column as
State after State either increased it's
offering to him or turned over it's
whole quota.
When the Davis flood was rising so
fast that all other candidates were
being swept before it, Iowa, Mere
dith's home State, withdrew him from
the contest and voted for Davis.