Part 7 (2/2)

It was clear to me that Bryan anticipated just what replies Underwood, Clark, and Harmon would make to his inquiry Whether he was certain of what the New Jersey Governor would say in answer to his telegram, I never could ascertain Indeed, enerous enough to say that behind the inquiry lay a selfish purpose; that Mr Bryan took this method to reestablish his leadershi+p and to place hiressive forces of the Convention

It is clear, as one looks back upon this incident, that a ht have been fatal to the New Jersey man's candidacy

When I arrived at Sea Girt to discuss the matter with Governor Wilson, I was surprised to find that he had not even read the telegrah a copy of it lay upon his desk, and when he did read it and ere discussing it he did not shareto emphasize its importance I experienced one of the most difficult jobs I ever had in the eleven years I was associated with Woodrow Wilson In vain I tried to impress upon him what I believed to be the purpose which lay behind the whole business; that his reply would deter to line up with the progressive ele in the West, or whether he would take sides with those of the conservative East, many of ere bitterly opposed to him He finally informed n er at Baltiram until he received soard to handling this difficultupon hiressive friends both at Balti word froness to take his position with the progressives

The newspaper correspondents at Sea Girt, realizing the importance of the candidate's decision, industriously kept upon our trail to find out what reply would be made to Mr Bryan The direct wire between Baltimore and Sea Girt was kept busy with inquiries fro in the matter While my relations with McCombs at the time were of the friendliest sort, I feared that the Eastern environ Tammany into cae part in influencing his judgment, and I was apprehensive lest Governor Wilson should be tootelegram came from Mr McCombs, as the basis of a proposed reply to Mr Bryan by the New Jersey Governor:

Baltimore, June 21, 1912

HON WILLIAM J BRYAN Lincoln, Nebraska

I quite agree with you that the temporary chairman of the Convention should voice the sentiments of the deressive However, before receiving your telegra state Sun_: My friends in Balti that affects the organization of the Convention

They are certain not to forget their standards as they have already shown It is not necessary that I should remind them of these standards froht nor the desire to direct the organization of a convention of which I areatly disappointed, of course, at the character of reply suggested by McCoth on what I considered would be the disastrous effects of raested reply was a rebuke to Mr Bryan and a bid for the Eastern vote in the convention Of course, Governor Wilson was ard the advice of McCombs He felt that he (McCombs) was ”on the job” at Baltimore and more intimately in touch with the situation than he hi discussion of the nored and the following telegram was prepared and sent by Woodrow Wilson:

W J BRYAN, Chicago:

You are quite right Before hearing of your e I clearly statedSun The Baltiressives, of ressive in principle and by conviction It ht before the country, express its convictions in its organization and in its choice of the men who are to speak for it You are to be a hts in doing everything within your power to bring that result about No one will doubt where my sympathies lie and you will, I a upon clear conviction and always in the interest of the people's cause I aestion froned) WOODROW WILSON

This reply, ed the whole attitude and teressive forces in it were seeking leadershi+p and Mr Bryan, by his inquiry, had provided an opportunity, of which Mr Wilson took full advantage

An interesting incident occurred in connection with this affair Being unable to induce the Governor quickly to reply to Mr Bryan, and realizing that our friends at Baltiree with Mr Bryan, and thus take his place with the progressive element in the Convention, I was firree to the newspaper roup--those ere favourably disposed to us--that when Mr

Wilson did reply to Mr Bryan he would be found in harmony with the Commoner's ideas This unofficial tip was immediately conveyed to Balti from the Convention, told me how this piece of inspired information had put heart in our men, and that on a bulletin board before the Baltimore _Sun_ offices there was posted the announcement ”WILSON AGREES WITH BRYAN” and before it hundreds of Wilson e of the New Jersey Governor

The reply of the New Jersey Governor was prepared by him while he was seated on the side of a little bed in one of the roo a pad and pencil in his hands, and then wrote these significant words to Mr Bryan: ”_You are right_”

I have often wondered what effect on the Convention McCombs' proposed reply, which contained a rebuke to Mr Bryan, would have had From that time on Mr Bryan was the devoted friend of the New Jersey Governor Mr

Wilson's reply had convinced the Nebraskan that the Governor was not afraid to accept the issue and that he was in favour of supporting a preliressive both in principle and by conviction

McCoation ible compared with that Therefore he wished Mr Wilson in his reply to say soation as a public rebuke to Mr Bryan I afterward learned that McCo the strain and excitement of the Convention, had retired to a friend's house at Baltira across a bed, crying miserably To the inquiries of his friends as to as the , that the Governor had spoiled everything by his telegram to Bryan; that had the Governor followed his [McCombs'] advice, he could have been noe and the Wilson headquarters at Baltiht The telephone exchange in the cottage was so arranged that a branch telephone was kept in the little roo post, which perestion of the Governor himself, to listen in on conversations, not by way of eavesdropping, but in order that we ently confer after each conversation on the various ht have to be decided upon with reference to the organization of the convention Many of theto do with the conduct of the Convention were discussed and settled over this 'phone Thethese days were Colonel Bryan and Mr McCo days of the Convention I made it my business to keep in close touch with Baltimore both by conversations over the 'phone with the activeeachin the New York _Times_, New York _World_, and the Balti advocates of the Wilson candidacy in the country

I was personally, and in some cases intireat journals and knew from previous contact with them that they were on the ”inside” of the situation at Baltileaned which proved helpful in keeping us in touch with thesuccessfully passed through the Bryan-Parker crisis, we decided upon a kind of strategy that would win to our side the various progressive eleested to ourforward the name of Ollie M James of Kentucky for permanent chairman of the Convention While he was a staunch Clark man and a devoted follower of Mr Bryan, we knew he could be relied upon to give us a fair deal as the presiding officer of the Convention There was another reason, too Away off in Sea Girt we gathered the iht of the Convention favoured his selection and that even though we ht fail in our attempt to noard would give the impression to those who looked with favour upon Wilson as their second choice Another reason was this: We were not afraid to trust our cause to a Clark man, and Ollie James for many years had been the idol of convention crowds When, upon the conclusion of the Bryan-Parker episode, Mr Bryan telephoned Sea Girt to discuss with the Governor the reatly surprised and pleased to have the Governor say, in thethe whole situation, he felt it would be an ad to select Ollie James of Kentucky Mr Bryan said: ”But, Governor Wilson, Mr James is in the Convention as a Clark man” ”It does not matter,” was the Governor's reply ”He is our kind of a fellow, and I am sure my friends can rely upon him to treat our cause well” From Mr Bryan's subsequent conversations over the telephone it clearly appeared that he was delighted at the suggestion of his own inti convinced from moves of this kind by the New Jersey Governor that Woodrow Wilson illing to stand or fall with hiressive lines

Years after the Convention the senator from Kentucky, who becauished himself as a member of the Senate, and as one of the staunchest defenders of the President and the Adht lay behind the suggestion of hihtly sensed the situation and that the suggestion of his na else to convince the enuine character of the New Jersey Governor's progressiveness We felt that strategic ht in the Convention and went far to reates had that Wilson was a rank conservative It was plainly perceptible that these acts were quickly turning the progressives in the Convention toward our candidate

In following these suggestions, ere, in fact, acting independently of the New Jersey Governor's advisers at Baltimore It was plain to be seen that the battle at Baltimore would finally siressives, and we decided at Sea Girt that in every ressive support in the Convention McCombs was at no time found in harmony with this action, his principal activities at Baltiiven over to an attempt to win for the New Jersey Governor the support of the conservatives of the East, and, particularly, New York, whose seventy- six votes he thought the great prize of the Convention