 "A big convention without 'Jimmy' Montague at the press table would seem scarcely legal," the "World" magazine wrote in 1919.Montague also covered the 1924 conventions and election, which was notable for the split within the Democratic Party.In it, front-runners William Gibbs McAdoo and Al Smith fought a war of attrition until, 103 ballots later, John W. Davis was selected as the compromise candidate.