Part 13 (1/2)

was that Mr Bryan was not disposed to support him in the matter of the Federal Reserve Act It was evident that Mr Bryan felt a keen sy to find a way out of his difficulties that would enable hiive the President his whole-hearted support He showed real es of the President toward hireeable frame of mind I told him that I would talk with the President, Mr McAdoo, and Mr Glass and report to hi day

I returned to the President's study and reported to him in detail the results of my conference with Mr Bryan I called his attention to Mr

Bryan's criticism of the bill and then ventured the opinion that Mr

Bryan, according to the traditional policy of the Deht in his attitude and that I felt that he [Mr Wilson] rong For a moment the President showed a little impatience with this statement and asked me to point out to him where the party in the National platforms had ever taken the view Mr Bryan indicated in his discussion with iventhe Democratic platforms, and he read very carefully plank after plank on the currency

He finally closed the book, placed it on his desk, and said: ”I areat deal in what Mr Bryan says” We then discussed ways of adjusting the ested that the President allow me to talk with Mr Glass and place before him Mr Bryan's position and that he have Mr Glass confer with Secretary McAdoo and Senator Owen This was arranged I had no way of ascertaining just what took place at this conference, but after the CabinetTuesday Mr

Bryan walked around to where the President was sitting, and said to him: ”Mr President, we have settled our differences and you ht” The President thanked him cordially, and thus the first break in the Cabinet line was averted

CHAPTER XXIII

RENOMINATED

As the days of the 1916 Convention at St Louis approached, it was a foregone conclusion that there would be no serious contender against the President for the nomination and that he would win the prize by a practically unanimous vote While at times the friends of Mr Bryan and Mr Clark were hopeful that the President ht withdraw from the contest, after the Democrats at the Convention were assured that the President was ready to accept a reno of the Convention stage to accoht that the St Louis Convention would be a trite affair; that there would be no enthusiasm in it This anticipation arose from the idea expressed by many of the devoted friends of the Democratic party, that the cause of Democracy in 1916 was little less than hopeless Much of this feeling cah estihes both as a candidate and as a caner Indeed, many Democrats who had canvassed the national situation felt that without a continuation of the split in the ranks of the Republican party the road to Democratic success was indeed a hard and difficult one to travel

There is no doubt that in the opinion of the country Mr Justice Hughes was the strongest man the Republicans could put forward The fact that he was resigning froressive record as Governor of New York added a glae to this nomination I, myself, never lost confidence, however, in our ability to win The Congressional elections of 1914, when the Democratic majority in the House was reduced to thirty-five, had dispirited Dehout the country and made them feel that the nomination at St Louis would be a purely formal matter and without fruitful results

In a letter addressed to Colonel Harvey in 1914 I had expressed the opinion that the reduced Deressional elections of 1914, which was being construed as an apparent defeat of the party, was not a final judgment upon the work of the President and the achievements of his administration; that it was not a reversal irretrievable in character; that it should not depress the Dehout the country, and that the field of conquest for the Democratic party in 1916 _was the West and the Pacific coast_ A calm analysis of the election results in 1914 convinced me that if the Presidential election of 1916 was to be won, our efforts for victory had to be concentrated upon a cultivation of sentihout the West in favour of the Democratic cause

My letter to Colonel Harvey is as follows:

THE WHITE HOUSE, WAshi+NGTON

November 7, 1914

DEAR COLONEL HARVEY:

Now that the clouds have cleared away, letan opinion of last Tuesday's election

It is ains in sections of the country where Deh before this tian, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Washi+ngton and California It now appears froardless of what the Eastern papers may say, that our majority in the House will be approximately from thirty-five to forty; that our majority in the Senate will be sixteen

We have elected for the first time in the history of the Democratic party, so far as I can recall, Dereat Republican States of California, Wisconsin and South Dakota The gains we have hty interesting and show a new field of conquest for the De a majority of the party in power, after a revision of the tariff, is unprecedented Once before it happened, in 1897, after the passage of the Dingley Tariff Act when the Republican majority was reduced from 47 to 10 We are not in the least bit disturbed by the situation We have for the first tiresston, South Dakota and North Dakota

With best wishes, I am, Cordially and sincerely yours, J P TUMULTY, Secretary To The President

COLONEL GEORGE HARVEY, Hotel Chainia

While the Democratic Convention was in session at St Louis the President re in close touch by direct telephonic communication with affairs there

What at first appeared to be an ordinary and rather spiritless convention was quickly turned into a most enthusiastic and fervent one by the notable speeches of Governor Glynn, of New York, the temporary chairman of the Convention, and Senator Ollie M James, of Kentucky, the permanent chairman

The key-note speech delivered by Governor Glynn, contained this ringing defense of the President's policy of neutrality:

”This policy may not satisfy those who revel in destruction and find pleasure in despair It may not satisfy the fire-eater or the swashbuckler but it does satisfy those orshi+p at the altar of the God of peace It does satisfy the oistic war has placed an ehters of the land fro brother to the dissolution of the grave It does satisfy the fathers of this land and the sons of this land ill fight for our flag, and die for our flag when Reason primes the rifle, when Honor draws the sword, when Justice breathes a blessing on the standards they uphold”