CHAPTER XXXI The Democratic National Convention of 1900-Second Nomination of Bryan-The Republican National Convention and Nomination of McKinley and Roosevelt-Result of Election in State and Nation The Republican State Convention of 1901-The Democratic State Convention of 1901-Nomination of Col. Kilbourne for Governor-Assassination of President McKinley and Its Effect Upon State Politics-Sketch of Col. KilbourneResult of Election. The Democratic National Convention of 1900 met at Kansas City, Missouri, July 5th. William J. Bryan had increased rather than lost in prestige with the party; the silver question was not dead but the Democracy of the nation was not so wildly enthusiastic over it as in 1896. The Kansas City convention nominated Bryan for President by acclamation and Adlai E. Stevenson for Vice-President. Previous to this, on May 10th, the National Convention of the People's Party held at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, had likewise nominated Bryan by acclamation. Another branch of the same party held their convention at Cincinnati, Ohio, on the same date, and nominated Wharton Baker of Pennsylvania for President. The Republican National Convention met at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 25, 1900, and nominated William McKinley of Ohio for President, and Theodore Roosevelt, Governor of New York state, for Vice-President. Both nominations were made by acclamation, McKinley receiving every vote in the convention and Roosevelt all but one-his own. Roosevelt did not desire the nomination. He saw clearly that while it was a seeming honor bestowed upon him by Republican leaders, it was in reality an attempt to obliterate him politically, as the Vice-Presidency has generally been a cul-de-sac for political careers. Fate soon upset the plans of the politicians and allayed the apprehensions of this aspiring man. In Ohio the Democrats nominated a state ticket headed by Henry H. McFadden for Secretary of State, but at the election in November the Republicans won by nearly 70,000 plurality. The result of the national election showed that Bryan had lost in strength, instead of gaining. His popular vote was 6,358,133 against McKinley's 7,207,923. In the Electoral College McKinley had 292 votes and Bryan 155. After the second defeat of Bryan by William McKinley for the Presidency in 1900, Democrats in Ohio began to realize that whatever Mr. Bryan's personal merits might be, his silver theory would never be accepted by the people of the United States. Gold mining in Alaska had already assumed large proportions, the yellow metal was becoming more plentiful, prosperity was returning and Bryanism was on the decline. The Democrats of Ohio did not hold their convention until after the Republicans had held theirs. The Republican State Convention of 1901 met at Columbus, June 22nd. The convention was entirely boss directed. Hanna, Cox and Foraker were all present and the two former allowed Foraker to be rehabilitated to the extent of acting as temporary chairman. His speech was a feature of the convention. He defended everything which the Republicans had done in the state or nation; favored protection, expansion and even imperialism, and declared that Governor Nash's regime had been so perfect that it was beyond criticism; he asserted that it left no issue for the Democrats and that none could be made. The platform was almost entirely devoted to boasting of what the Republican Party had done and ascribing to that party all credit for the return of prosperity. The Dingley Bill was endorsed as the sovereign remedy for all commercial ills. The Republican watchword for the campaign was to be prosperity. All Republican stump speakers and writers were given authority to proclaim that the Republican Party had finally supplanted divine Providence in the United States, and to that party everybody must look for protection, prosperity and good government. Governor Nash was re-nominated and the ticket was completed as follows: County; Attorney-General, John M. Sheets of Putnam; Treasurer of State, Isaac B. Cameron of Columbiana; Judge of Supreme Court, J. L. Price of Allen; Clerk of Supreme Court, Lawson E. Emerson of Belmont; Member of Board of Public Works, W. G. Johnson of Summit. The Democratic State Convention met at Columbus, July 10, 1901. Charles P. Salen was chairman of the convention, Negley D. Cochran, secretary and Thomas H. P. Jones, Sergeant-at-Arms. Judge Brucker of Mansfield, chairman of the State Central Committee, called the convention to order on the morning of the 11th, and introduced temporary chairman Charles P. Salen who made an able speech on the issues of the day and the fallacies of the Republicans. This convention made a departure in its platform from every prior Democratic state convention back to 1896. The name of William J. Bryan was omitted in the platform, indicating the fact that the Democrats of Ohio had abandoned the free silver plank and that Bryan would have to abandon it also and advocate more popular ideas, or become obliterated as a leader. The convention refused to affirm the national platform adopted in Kansas City in 1900 which indicated that new issues had succeeded those of the past five years. Col. James Kilbourne of Columbus, who had received a flattering vote at the convention two years previous, was the most prominent candidate for Governor in 1901. Tom L. Johnson of Cleveland, had a strong following in the convention as also had John L. Zimmerman of Springfield, but neither made any great effort to secure the nomination, as Col. Kilbourne was highly acceptable to the Democrats of the state and had a large, though not obtrusive, following in the convention. Col. Kilbourne refused to have anything to do with dictating the platform or in the selection of minor candidates on the ticket and the Johnson forces took advantage of this condition to capture the permanent organization and dictate the committee on resolutions. Col. Kilbourne was nominated for Governor and the ticket was completed as follows: Lieutenant-Governor, Anthony Howells of Stark; Attorney-General, W. B. McCarty of Lucas; State Treasurer, R. Page Aleshire of Gallia; Clerk of Supreme Court, Harry P. Young of Cuyahoga; Member of Board of Public Works, J. B. Holman of Brown; Judge of Supreme Court, Joseph Hiddy of Fayette. The prospects looked bright for Democratic success. The Democracy was united, Col. Kilbourne was popular with all classes and especially so with labor all over the state, but his campaign was nullified before it commenced. On September 6th, President McKinley was shot while in the Temple of Music of the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, New York, and died from his wounds at the home of John G. Milburn in that city, September 14th. The Democratic campaign in Ohio could not be conducted without considerable reference to the national administration and on account of the assassination of President McKinley, Col. Kilbourne preferred rather to forego being Governor than to bring in those issues under the circumstances. He ran from 20,000 to 25,000 votes ahead of his ticket which was heavily defeated for the reason just stated. George K. Nash was elected Governor by a vote of 436,092 to Col. Kilbourne's 368,525. COL. JAMES KILBOURNE, lawyer, statesman, soldier, manufacturer and philanthropist, was born in Columbus in 1841 and his name is inseparably linked with the history of the Democratic Party of Ohio. He came of distinguished ancestry, and the family is one of the oldest in Ohio, his grandfather, James Kilbourne, having settled in Franklin County at a date prior to the incorporation of the now populous and wealthy city of Columbus. He was a man of high culture and great public spirit and among the honors he attained early in the last century was that of some years service in the National Congress. Lincoln Kilbourne, the father of Col. James Kilbourne, sustained the reputation of the family for thrift and public spirit and was a potent factor in the upbuilding of the interests of the Capital City of Ohio. It was left for Col. James Kilbourne to rear upon the foundation so wisely laid by his father and grandfather a structure of enduring achievements that has caused the name to be known and honored, not only in Ohio, but throughout the nation. Col. Kilbourne had the advantage of a broad and liberal education, having been graduated from Kenyon College in 1862, and from the Harvard Law School in |