The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-02-23

ing, although GREATNESS ADVISERS
to Wilson gasped over the tele-
phone awful tales and direful
threats of what would happen if
he did or did not do this or that
thing. He sat at Seagrit with
Mrs. Wilson reading aloud, walk
ing along the shore, riding in the
cars of his friends, talking to the
reporters camped on the lawn, q
perfect picture of the pose which
the country afterward came 20
know so well as Wilsonian detach-
ment.
Early Indications.
Three times in the convention
before his name was formally pre-
scented, explosions Of genuine en-
thusiasTn burst out during the
routine work of the delegates. 1t
was evident that the Wilson spirit,
quite apart from Wilson the man
was moving deeply in the heart of
the convention. When the. first
ballot came during the third day
of the convention, Underwood ard
Harmon. together had something
over three hundred votes, at least a
third of the convention, and could
dominate the convention IL Clark'S
men were as conservative as Har-
mons and Underwood leaving
Wilson's strength a little more
than a third.
Thus Wilson could have pre-
vented a nomination that was not
progressive because, under the
two-thirds rule under which all
Democratic National Conventions
are held, he could have vetoed a
conservative. Ballot after ballot
went by, Wilson gaining little,
Clark gaining considerably. Clark
at last polled more than a
majority of the votes of the con-
vention, but not the necessary
two-thirds majority. He was in
the lead strongly.
Bryan was in. a fighting mood
all the fourth day OF the conven-
ton. And Friday 1t became evil
dent that he would not support
Champ Clark. Clark began to
break after the fifteenth ballot.
At the end of the twentieth bal
lot, Wilson was slowly gaining.
Harmon had all but passed out;
Underwood was failing. Obvious.
ly it was contest between Clark
and Wilson. Clark dropped be-
low 500 on the twenty-fourth bal.
lot. and Wilson'S vote rose above
400. There the deadlock stood
over Sunday.
Wilson Stands Firm.
That Sunday the Governor and
Mrs. Wilson went to church as
usual. Coming home. they fell
in with former Governor Fort
and Mrs. Fort, OF New Jersey.
and said Governor Wilson, by
way of making talk:
bryan tells me / should with
draw, and McCombS also advises
that. What do you think?"
The families Of the governor and
the ex-governor had been friends
of long standing. Their wives
were walking on ahead. Fort
considered for moment. .
Wilson said:
MRS. Wilson thinks should
stay in. She says I've nothing
to lose"
Fort agreed, and Wilson laugh
ed and said: 80
''Well, I believe / shall"
So in a casual monday stroll
down the pleasant streets OF Sea-
grit, far from the madding crowd
at Baltimore, as an incident OF
small talk of old friends, Will
son made one\ Of his momentous
decisions. Upon what trivial
hinges do great events swing
their doors! Did Bryan try to
might win? Bryan often did things
-: fnoliHnd tn
misconstrue. \
RumOrs Are Rife.
They would have said that Bry'
an, seeking to eliminate Wilson,
was playing sly hand for Bryan
which is probably not the truth.
That Sunday at Seagirt, when
the convention was adjourned and
the hotels at Baltimore were rife
with rumors and seething with
intrigue, Woodrow Wilson read
his modicum Of poetry, had his
spiritual frolic with his friends
and family, and went about the
orderly routine Of his daily life.
He was gay as an ordained
ruling elder Of the Second Pres
byterian Church at Princeton
might be on the holy Sabbath;
told such stories to the reporters
as comported with the dignity
OF a potential President; chatted
with his callers, and, with such
ardor as man might exhibit of
Sunday, damned the telephone
when 1t rang. II the Wilson spirit
was to win in Baltimore it had
no aid or comfort from Wilson
the man. The Wilson spirit was
in a current that had passed far
out Of his control.
SO the days dragged on, and
the balloting continued through the
twenties, through the thirties,
into the forties. Gradually Clark
sank, after a Tammany demon.
stration for him in the early
part Of the convention. Gradually
the Wilson spirit became more
and more manifest. 1t was odd
to see that spirit feeling its way
into control of the convention as
Clark disintegrated. Underwood
remained stationary, Harmon
grew negligible.
Wilson did not pass five hun
dred until the thirty.ninth bal
lot. Among the Clark delegates,
who in the forty-first ballot
numbered 424, were men who
sympathized with Wilson. but were
held to Clark somewhat by the
unit rule, somewhat by State
loyalty.
Force Adjournment.
1t was late at night when the
forty-second ballot was taken
and an adjournment was forced
by the friends OF Wilson. Over
night Wilson developed a majority
of the cOnVentiOn hut not the