Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-07-17
New York Tribune.
Cleveland's Support at Chicago.

The friends of Stephen Grover Cleveland
profess, in the language of General Bragg,
''to be proud of him for the enemies he has
made" The Times, The Post and the other
democratic organs exultingly reiterate that
statement in referring to the detection Of
General Butler, John Kelley and the work
ingmen. A man, however, is best judged
by the company he keeps. How does
Stephen Grover Cleveland stand the test:
In this city his chief supporter was Com
missioner Hubert o. Thompson, in
whose interest the Governor vetoed one of
the most important reform measures passed
by the legislature. Thompson was de-
nOunced bv The Times as second only TO
Tweed" and grand jury charged him with
gross dereliction Of duty. Thompson controls
the county democracy. and has been con-
suited BY the Governor in making appoint
ments. His friends are already asserting
that should Cleveland be elected President
Thompson would be made collector of the
port, and boss OF New York, for the purpose
Of ''wiping out John Kelly.
Next to Thompson the Governor derived
his greatest support in this city from Sheriff
Davidson The character of this official was
fully exposed by the Roosevelt committee.
Grave charges sustained by documentary
tflItNCt were pEeotnlru 10 lit
against Davidson. No action was ever taken
on them. Among the Governors fast friends
and warmest supporters both at Saratoga
and Chicago, were Civil Justice mike"
Norton and Senator Tim" Campbell. They
were well known as active lieutenants of
Tweed, in Albany and in this city, and by his
aid accumulated money and political expert
ence, which has been made useful to the
Governor. The men who were conspicuous in
bringing on the stage at Chicago a portrait
Of the Governor were Fatty Walsh and
Jimmy" Oliver. The former is under in
dictment for keeping gambling house. and
the Indictment has been pigeOnholed by the
District Attorney appointed by the Governor.
Everybody familiar with city politics since
Tweed's days knows who Jimmy" Oliver is.
Mike" Murphy, John Keenan, and the other
supporters from this city with few excep
tions) of the Governor at Chicago are of the
same character as Thompson, Norton and
Campbell. The Governors support was
wholly from an office-holding machine, to
which he has always deferred.
In Brooklyn the Governor relied for his
support altogether upon Boss Mclaughlin.
He was the head of a ring that in a smaller
way did for Brooklyn what Tweed did for
New York. 1t is a name that is a stencil in
the nostrels of Brooklyn taxpayers. For him
the Governor nominated Murtha for emigra-
ton commissioner. With Cleveland as
President, Boss" Mclaughlin would con
troll the Brooklyn patronage. The branch of
this odIous machine at Albany is led BY Dan
iel Manning, who since he became the head
of it has grown rich. He represents machine
politics and nothing else Marshalled under
him at Chicago were all the State officers
who deserted their posts while under pay
from the people, to carry out the Governors
idea of civil service reform, in working for
his nomination. Two of the Governors del
egates were well-known lobbyists
These men form the most tyrannical ma
chine known in the history of the State.
They discovered and nominated Stephen
Grover Cleveland for Governor because he
was vouched for by their Buffalo representa-
tives. He has been true to them and they
have, with the assistance of McLeans Ohio
machine and with the aid of such men as
"Seven Mule" Barnum and the leaders of
the solid South, nominated Cleveland for
President. What a contrast there is between
the methods which gave Cleveland tine nomi-
nation and the way in which James G. Blaine
was chosen. In Cleveland we see the triumph
of despotc Offce-hOlding machine, which
tyrannized over its opponents by the out
rageOus unit rule. But Blaine stands as the
representative of the freely expressed will of
tn people in opposition to offce-holders and
machines.