ABSTRACT
Parker’s defeat was a shattering one for the conservative wing of the Democratic party. The unhappy electoral fact confronting Democratic politicians was that their party’s popular vote for president had dropped from a high of 46 percent in 18% to a low of 37 percent in 1904. The party was vital in legislative affairs, but mainly in the manner of the British parliamentary system. Woodrow Wilson articulated his enthusiasm for the British cabinet and parliamentary system of government during his career. As Democrats available for the presidential nomination began to come forward, Bryan anticipated an open national convention in which the prize would go to the best coalition builder. A fourth candidate was Wilson, a Virginian, political science professor, and president of Princeton University since 1902. The university president was mentioned for the United States Senate in 1907, and, in 1908, was considered by many easterners as an appropriate balance on a ticket headed by Bryan.
