The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-12-27
Running In Advance.

The competition between the various
Democratic Presidential candidates is
waxing close and warm. Last week
Mr.. Cleveland came to this city, was re-
ceived by the Manhattan Club, and;
made a speech which was universally:
rega ded as a masterpiece of it's kind. 1T
was sonorous, harmless, and so thor,
oughly commonplace that every mem,
Der of the party recognized every idea
in it as an old frien and was mighty
glad to see it Democrats, mindful of
their unhappy experience with candi-
date with poorly regulated mouth in
1880, rea1 the speech with much de-
light, and remarked to each other that
that was the kind of a candidate the
party wanted-a candidate who could
talk fluently and yet say nothing. Mr..
Cleveland success was SO great that it
has aroused his rivals to fresh activity.
No sooner did the speech reach Indiana
than the friends of Senator McDon aid
were heard from. They realized that a
crisis was at hand and that nothing but
immediate and energetic action could
meet it successfully. They met, con-
suited, drew up a plan of battle, and
issued an informal manifesto.
This document is worthy of them and
of the crisis. 1t sarts off with the bold
announcement that there has been
reached between Mr.. Cleveland and
Senator Mcdonald an understanding
that the former shall decline to be a
candidate for President and shall con-
sent to accept second place on the ticket
and support Mr.. Mcdonald for the first
place A manifesto which opens with
declaration like that is sure to be read.
There is a boundless improbability
lnk1 .al =, r.. IL
whole United States there is in all prob
ability no human being who believes
that Mr.. Gle eland or any other possi-
BILE Presidential candidate would deliver
himself of speech like that of last
week simply to advertise himself as u
candidate for the Vice-Presidency. Yet
the Indiana gentlemen have the i'm
pressive assurance to say that this is
precisely what he did make the speech
for. We have never observed that the
Vice. Presidency is an Office which men
with Presidential possibilities about
them are eager TO seek. 1t may be be-
| lieved in Indiana that Mr.. Cleveland,
with nearly 10000 majority to back
him, has generously consented to
take himself out of the way of
Mr.. Mcdonald, who has smoothing TO back
him, but we do not think it will be
credited anywhere else. Two years
( hence Mr.. Cleveland may consent 10 ac-
| cept the tail of the ticket, may indeed
| be gla to let even that, but we are not
prepared to believe that he has so little
faith in his own destiny as to pied e
himself to be satisfied with it now. To
be sure, there are Democrats hereabouts
who are telling him to go slow. that he
is young yet and can ord to wait, but
these frank-spoken advisers are not his
most intimate friends.
But the Indiana boomers are going
straight ahead. They not only put Mr.
Cleveland aside. but they go further
still and declare that If Mr. Hen tricks is
able to be present at the Convention he
will put Mr.. McDonald's name m nomi-
nation. That, they say, would secure
both his nomination and election. and
they are so certain of both that they have
picked out his Cabinet for him, with
Mr.. Hendricks in the State Department,
and MIR. August Belmont in the Treas
ury.
We do not want to appear as disap-
proving this Indiana method of running
| for the Presidency a year and a hall in
advance. Indeed, it strikes us as an ex-
eel ent idea 1t is much easier and
much more p easant to run as Demo-
cratic candidate now than it will be in
1884. There are no obstacles now and
no opposing candidates. The new
Democratic Congress has not met, and
the crop of blunders which is certain to
be harvested when it does meet has not
even been sown. When 1884 arrives
the face of things may be so changed
that neither Mr.. Cleveland nor Mr. Nc
Donald may care to run at all, and they
show great discrimination in running at
the top oftheir speed now while the con-
ditions are favorable.-M y. Tribune.