(9 of 10)
He excoriated the proposal for a referendum on the League as unconstitutional, ineffective and cowardly:
Let me run a Republican newspaper for you for about five minutes. Tomorrow morning, should you adopt that, there will be the headline in the principal Republican paper, two inches high, clear across the page: THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION REPUDIATES WOODROW WILSON. I cannot claim that I loved Woodrow Wilson any better than you, because I know that I look into the faces of men and women who loved him totally; but I knew him better because of the closeness of my association with him, and I can imagine him looking over my shoulder here and reading that proposal, and you can imagine the fine contempt upon his face when he is asked to give his consent to this proposition, because this is what it amounts to: The Democratic Party says to the people of the United States, "We can no longer be trusted. We are going to bless this proposal, we are going to lift it out of the contamination of political contact with us; we are going to turn it loose; we are not going to be for it, except academically and theoretically; but as a militant party we are not going to fight for it."
My plank is to go into the League the way the Constitution says we are to go. Their plank is one more Mount Everest to climb. Why do men go to Asia to find mountains?
After him spoke Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, also for his proposal, and Senator Pittman against it. Mr. Pittman was subject to howls and hisses at times. From the point of applause and audience support, Mr. Baker had scored a great victory. When his time had run out the audience had insisted that he finish. The whole Convention stood and cheered at the end.
Idealism and emotion are outspoken, whereas expediency goes silently on its work. Five minutes was allowed to State Chairmen to poll their delegations. The roll call was taken. Mr. Baker's proposal went down before the majority report, 353½ to 742½.
It was nine in the evening, dinner having been forgotten. Debate turned to the Ku Klux Klan plank, and raged for two hours with many speakers on each side. Senator Owen of Oklahoma began it and William J. Bryan ended it, both speaking against denouncing the Klan by name. In between spoke Bainbridge Colby and Senator David I. Walsh of Massachusetts, for specific denunciation. Finally the delegations were polled and a roll call taken. The reported votes of many States were challenged and had to be polled by the Secretary. It took over two hours to get the final result. The vote was 542.15 to 541.15 against naming the Klan. One vote margin—the presence of one or two of the 4.7 delegates missing—might have meant a different Democratic platform.
So the platform was adopted.
Balloting. Cheerfully resuming their main business, and with complete equanimity, the delegates turned to voting for a Presidential candidate. The ballots rolled off with even monotony. McAdoo got away at the start, with 431 votes, probably holding some of his strength in reserve to make a good impression later. Smith was second with 241. Others trailed well behind. Stages of the contest:
Ballots: 1st 10th 20th 30th
McAdoo 431.5 471.6 432 415.5
Smith 241 299.5 307.5 323.5
Underwood 42.5 43.9 45.5 39.5
Davis, J. W. 31 57.5 122 126.5
Ralston 30 30.5 30 33
Glass 25 25 25 24