The Days of a Man {^1920 



with Knight and his family, meanwhile speaking in 



the Brigham Young University, where two of the 



professors are from Stanford. 



Demo- In July I was asked by a press syndicate to attend 



cratic ^^ Demociatic National Convention in San Fran- 



National . . . (. . i -i i • i 



Convert- CISCO to wtitc it up itom a non-partisan, philosophical 

 ^^'on Standpoint. This was my first experience of the sort. 



As the Republican Convention of a month before, 

 following the line of least resistance, passed appar- 

 ently into the hands of the Senate "overlords," so the 

 Democratic gathering was seemingly ruled by the 

 "underworld" of the great cities. Its notable feature 

 was a speech by Bryan pleading for the insertion of 

 a clause in the platform upholding the existing 

 national prohibition law. Facing certainty of defeat, 

 he made one of the great efforts of his life, and was 

 warmly applauded by hundreds who no longer 

 recognized him as leader. 



In my first letter I laid stress on the party's oppor- 

 tunity to choose a man whose character and talents 

 should give promise of real statesmanship. Never in 

 our history had there been greater need of wise and 

 patient direction; never before had the world so 

 yearned for our help. Of the various candidates 

 Senator btought fotward only one, Senator Robert L. Owen 

 of Oklahoma, seemed to me fairly to measure up to 

 the demand of the time. But on the forty-fifth ballot, 

 after a long-drawn-out contest, James M. Cox, 

 governor of Ohio, was nominated. 



The proceedings, as usual in such assemblies, were 

 punctuated by horseplay, with prolonged and point- 

 less cheering. I was especially struck by the atmos- 

 phere of good nature pervading the entertainment. 

 In our game of politics everybody is a "good loser," 



C 77^ 3 



Owen 



