Part 6 (2/2)

Princeton, New Jersey, April 29, 1907

MY DEAR MR JOLINE:

Thank you veryme your address at Parsons, Kan, before the board of directors of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Coreenified and effective, to knock Mr

Bryan once for all into a cocked hat!

Cordially and sincerely yours, WOODROW WILSON

The publication of this letter came at a most inopportune time for the Wilson candidacy, and how to meet it was one of the most difficult problems that the Wilson forces had to face Our enemies were jubilant

They felt that at last they had broken our lines and that ould not be able to ”come back”

At this tira that I co with the leaders of his forces in an effort to find some way to neutralize the bad effects of the Joline cocked-hat story in advance of the Jackson Day banquet, at which Mr Bryan would be present

On ton I went to the Willard Hotel and found the Governor hi a conference with William F McCombs, Tom Pence, Senator O'Gorman, and Dudley Field Malone We discussed the situation fully and the character of reply the Governor should make by way of explanation of the Joline letter Mr Josephus Daniels, a friend and associate of Mr

Bryan, was sent to confer with Mr Bryan in order that Mr Wilson ht have a close friend at hand who could interpret the motives which lay back of the Joline letter and impress upon Mr Bryan the present favourable attitude of Mr Wilson toward hiested that the Governor address an open letter to Mr Bryan, voicing his regret over the publication of this letter and assuring hiorously opposed Mr McCo that no explanation of the Joline letter could be made to Mr Bryan that would wear the appearance of sincerity, or be convincing, and that the letter having been written there was nothing to do to extenuate it in any way and that the wise thing was tonight, when the Governor was to deliver his address at the Jackson Day dinner, he could, in the enerous and kindly way, pay a handsome tribute to Mr Bryan for his unselfish service to the Dehout the dark years he had been its leader; that I felt that he would appreciate a tribute of this kind and that he would resent any explanation of this incident which would appear to be truckling or apologetic in character This plan was finally agreed upon In the very beginning of his speech, in the most tactful way, Governor Wilson paid a tribute to the Great Co, as he turned to Mr Bryan: ”When others were faint-hearted, Colonel Bryan carried the De' which have heartened and encouraged the democracy of the country”

The speech at the Jackson Day dinner was a triue for hied froe enhanced and with his candidacy throughout the country strengthened The Bryan-Joline crisis was safely passed In the presence of the newspaper men at the banquet, Mr Bryan put his arm around Mr Wilson's shoulders in an affectionate way, and thus happily concluded the incident which for a tireat enterprise

On his return froton to Trenton, Governor Wilson told me that Mr

Bryan had bidden him not to worry about the publication of the Joline letter, saying: ”I, of course, knew that you were not with me in my position on the currency,” and Woodrow Wilson replied: ”All I can say, Mr

Bryan, is that you are a great, big man”

CHAPTER XIV

WILSON AND THE OLD GUARD

Old line politicians, like Roger Sullivan of Illinois and Toart of Indiana, were turned to the Princetonian by his notable speech at the Jackson Day dinner and now gave sympathetic ear to the New Jersey Governor's claims for the nomination An incident which happened at the conclusion of the banquet, as the Governor was on his way to make his train for New Jersey, illustrates the character of the victory he had won over difficulties which at the tier Sullivan, greeted the candidate in theto hireat speech, Governor,” and then, drawing closer to him, added: ”I cannot say to you now just what the Illinois delegation will do, but you may rely upon it, I will be there when you need me,” This remark did not seem of importance at the time, but e discussed the incident the next day at the Capitol at Trenton we both felt that, at a critical er Sullivan could be relied upon to support us and to throw the vote of Illinois our way Sullivan kept his proenerous fashi+on When it seemed as if the Baltimore Convention was at the point of deadlock, and after the Illinois delegation had voted many times for Champ Clark, Sullivan threw the full support of Illinois to the New Jersey Governor, and thus the tide was quickly turned in favour of Mr Wilson's candidacy for the Presidency

I had often wondered what influence beyond this Jackson Day banquet speech had induced this grizzly old political warrior to support Woodrow Wilson

Afterward I learned the real cause of it froation during the trying days of the Baltier Sullivan knew the great influence which both his fine wife and devoted son wielded over hiraduate, had early become a Wilson devotee and supporter, and the correspondence between father, mother, and son, contained a spirited discussion of the availability of the New Jersey man for the Democratic nomination The interest of Mrs Sullivan and her son continued throughout the days of the Convention, which they both attended, and at the s of the Convention when a point was arrived at when the Illinois vote was decisive, the Illinois leader left a conference where he was being strongly urged by Mr Wilson's friends to support the New Jersey Governor, to have a final conference with Mrs

Sullivan and their son before he would finally agree to throw his support to Wilson

Everyone at Baltimore knows the result of this conference and how the inner councils of the Sullivan fa to Wilson and he was soon nominated It was said, after the New Jersey ratitude to Roger Sullivan, the le individual in the Convention had brought about his nomination Mr Sullivan's devoted friends in Illinois were particularly bitter at the apparent coldness of Mr Wilson toward their friend and idol The President, as a ation to Sullivan for the personally loyal way he had stood by him at Baltimore, and in every hile he was President he let those associated with him know that Sullivan and his friends, wherever it was possible, should be preferred in the e in Illinois

The thing, however, which irritated Sullivan's friends and made many of them irreconcilable foes of Woodrow Wilson was his apparent unwillingness to say a good word for Sullivan when he announced his candidacy for the United States senatorshi+p of Illinois This presented an opportunity for President Wilson to pay the old debt and ”even up” things with Roger

Realizing the delicacy of the situation and how deeply the progressive elehthis ”okeh” on the candidacy of the Illinois leader for the senatorshi+p, nevertheless, upon considering the enerous and wholehearted letter of endorseood sportsman he was bound in honour to do this for the ht ht about his nomination for the Presidency But there were other and deeper reasons urging hierly and earnestly Sullivan had fought for hi so he had won the en of the Democratic party The old bosses in the party, like Smith and Murphy, had often twitted Sullivan on his support of Wilson and threatened reprisals Sullivan, however, stood like adaiance to the New Jerseyman which earned the admiration and affection of every Wilsonite in the country The President felt confident that should Roger Sullivan be elected to the Senate, he could count upon him to stand by and loyally support him and the Ad to realize in the keenest way the necessity for real, loyal backing in the Senate Many of the men whom he had personally supported for the Senate in the various senatorial fights throughout the country, especially those ere known as progressive senators, like Hardwick and Sia, O'Gorrown indifferent and were reluctant to follow his leadershi+p in anything The so-called Old Guard in the Senate, made up of men like Mark Sinia, Ollie James of Kentucky, John Sharp Williahes of New Jersey, Senator Culberson of Texas, Senator Simmons of North Carolina, and Senator Smith of Maryland, contrary to every prophecy and prediction h every fight in the finest and handso his leadershi+p for a moment