The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-04-26
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Presidential Talk-A Retrospective
View of the Coming Campaign
Hon. John Hancock for Second
Place.

View of the Coming Campaign
Hon. John Hancock for Second
Place.
From Our Special Correspondent
NEW Y DIRK, April II, 1883.
The presidential campaign of 1884
is now but year in the future, and
already the political headlights of
both the great political organizations
begin to prick up their ears and adj
Just the spectacles for the coming
contest. If there is anything new or
specially interesting to be heard or
seen that will aid them in getting on
the strong or winning side they want
to know it as soon as possible.
Quite number of them have
no serious objection to being
struck by political lightning,
and will put themselves in its track if
they can find out the road it will trav-
ell, even though they get unexpectedly
knocked clean through the front door
of the presidential mansion. The in
dications now are that the campaign
will not be free from Side-shOWs. EV-
erywhere there is prevalent spirit OF
independence in both parties, and this
will encourage the side-show bust
ness. The Greenbackers, it is true,
have subsidized, but the anti-monOpo
lists are coming to the front with a
Yell, and then the Butlerists are cut
ting considerable of a swath
in Massachusetts, and there are
some outside precints yet to hear
from that may help along Ben's
boom. III there should be serious
dissensions in the ranks of the two
great parties on the tariff question,
either before or after the nominations
are made. bold Ben may take the
field as an independent candidate,
hoping that the anti-monopolists and
the Prohibitionists may place tickets
in the field and that regular hurdle
race may be the result. In this event
there might be failure to select a
president by popular vote and the
responsibility of electing one might
devolve upon. congress. 1t is quite
probable that Buffers infiu-
ence will be felt in the
campaign whether he is can
didate or not1and it is equally proba-
BILE that the contest will be one of
unusual vigor and uncertainty.
While at present the Democrats are
admitted to have by far the best
chance for success, yet. at the same
time, there is nothing at this time on
which an opinion can be based regard
ing the course the campaign will
take when it opens. On this subject
late number of the st. Louis Repub-
lican says: "The situation in the
Democratic party is peculiar. 1t may
even be called critical. There are no
perceptible preparations for the strug-
gle, still more than a year distant.
The party is in condition of repose,
and averse to the consideration of
the claims of candidates and of is
sues. And yet, there is at least one
issue which the party knows it must
face before the end of the present
year. That issue is found in the per-
son of eX-Speaker Randall
So it seems that Democratic sue
cess hinges only on campaign man
agement and the view the peo-
pie will take of the tariff ques-
ton when the responsibility
OF settling the question comes
directly and prominently before them.
If the election were to take place
now the Democrats would certainly
carry it by sweeping majority, and
what they could do now they ought
to be able to do next year, and they
will do it if there is no change in the
tide. Hence, taking this liberal view
of the situation, their chance is by
far the best, for at the start they have
the inside track, and with good candi-
dates and good campaign management
they can keep it. That Mr.. Tilden
is grooming for the race
is more than likely, and
many shr1wd Democrats believe
him to be the strongest candidate
their party could select. That he
could carry his own state is generally
believed if not conceded, and that he
would get the Butler influence is
claimed by his friends. Perhaps he
stands much better chance of being
nominated than does General Han
cock, if that is saying much, and fully
as good a chance as does Bayard.
Should the Republicans, however,
hold their convention first and nomi-
nate President Arthur or any other
eastern man, that would lessen the
chances of either Tilden, Hendricks
or Bayard and would help along the
Mcdonald or Indiana boom, which is
already somewhat formidable. One
of the strange features of the presi-
Dental campaign discussion is that
no southern man has as yet become
at all prominent for second place on
either ticket, and yet there is an I'M
dercurrent of sentiment favorable to
such a course, both as matter of
| justice and policy. Should the
Democracy nominate an eastern man
for president and incline to elect
man from the south for second place
on the ticket, there is no doubt but
Hon. John Hancock would loom up
as an available man. He was loyal
to the cause of the Union during the
war and has been true to the best in
terests of his party and the country
since. Texas is both a southern
and a western state and at
this time is attracting special
attention. These points will certain
| ly have some weight before the coun-
try if properly and persistently
urged. 1t is hardly probable that the
Republicans will place a southern
man on their ticket, hence it is more
likely the Democrats will, and should
they decide to do SO they would nat
urally go around beating the bushes
in search of a man with the record,
reputation and ability of Hon. John
Hancock. TRAMP.
The car of Russia celebrated his
birthday last month by buying all the
reserved seats in the principal theatres
of st. Petersburg for the matinee and