Eight names were placed in nomination : Alton B. Parker , William Randolph Hearst , Francis Cockrell , Richard Olney , Edward C. Wall , George Gray , John Sharp Williams , and Nelson A. Miles . Representative Williams thanked the North Dakota delegation for its generosity but declined to be a candidate . Over the objections of Bryan , Parker defeated New York Congressman Hearst on the first ballot . In a further defeat for Bryan , the Democrats adopted a conservative platform far different from the policies espoused in 1896 and 1900 . However , Bryan would re-take control of the party in the 1908 Democratic National Convention
1908 Democratic National Convention
1908 Democratic National Convention
1904 Democratic National Convention