The 103rd Ballot: Democrats and the Disaster in Madison Square Garden

by Robert Keith Murray

Book Overview

The 103rd ballot: Democrats and the disaster in Madison Square Garden This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060131241
• ISBN13: 9780060131241
• Release Date: January 1976
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Gripping Look at Politics and Division

This gripping narrative of the 1924 Democratic Convention is well worth reading. Author Robert Murray shows how the Democratic Party was bitterly divided that year over prohibition, Catholicism, the Ku Klux Klan, and big city versus rural influence. These divisions plus the then-required 2/3rds vote for nomination made consensus difficult, and doomed the nomination chances of front-runners William McAdoo of California (but southern born and backed by the Klan) and Governor Al Smith of New York, a Catholic. Readers see how finally after two weeks, the exhausted and often cash-short delegates finally agreed on John W. Davis of West Virginia as a compromise choice on the 103rd ballot. This little-known attorney would lose to President Calvin Coolidge by a landslide (54% to 28%) with third-party candidate Bob La Follette (17%) getting more votes than Davis in several states. The author shows that Franklin D. Roosevelt emerged from the convention with greater stature. The future President impressed with his nominating speech for Al Smith and his brave battle with polio - but more important was his influence with fellow delegates and his ability to craft compromise. This is dramatic political history despite an occasional error (Champ Clark was from Missouri, not Illinois), lack of footnotes, and presentation of William Jennings Bryan's buffoonery without noting his earlier accomplishments. Trivia note: Mr. Davis later represented the losing side in the Supreme Court's 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision against segregation.

Holds your attention!

Mr Murray tells a very interesting story. The unbelievably chaotic 1924 Democratic Party Convention at Madison Square Garden. Anyone interested in the history of American politics, the 1920's, or American culture would like this book. It is written in a very breezy, fast flowing style. Like the previous reviewer, I must say that this is not a scholarly work. No footnotes or references for the quotes. I did notice at least two factual errors in the text. One is that the author identifies Senator Champ Clark as being from Illinois. No, he was actually from Missouri. I also think that he misses the historical context of WJ Bryan's life. Yes, this was a pretty dismal period in the life and career of the Boy Orator. But his life's work should not be judged just by 1924-1926. He did make a buffoon of himself at the 1924 Convention. But in 1896 he fought to improve the lives of industrial workers as much as the farmers and small businessmen. In 1900 he waged an heroric campaign against imperialism. You would never know anything about that just from this book. If anyone of the principal players typified the get rich quick mentality of the 1920's it would have to be William Gibbs MacAdoo. His petty, self centered, me-before the party or country mentality was the main factor in causing the fiasco. Most of the delegates left after 15 days of convention totally disenchanted with the process. Murray's quote of"the party nominee was more a receiver in bankruptcy than a candidate for the highest office in the land" is very apt. That unfortunate was John W. Davis of West Virginia. The 2004 election is showing that the Conventions are a thing of the past. What a Past!