The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-10
JUNGLE RUFUS HATCH
He Is Still Candidate for the Presidency
Proposed Governmental Reforms.

quite as great as it was week ago
Mr. Hatch" said the reporter, II want to ask
you if you are a native of the West or the East
great many people believe that you are from
Illinois, because you are so constantly booming
the West Others say that you are from the
State of Maine"
Il really belong to both States. | hoed corn
at twenty five cents day in the State of Maine
before Jim Blaine was ever heard of. After that
L went out wheat-raising in what are now the
suburbs of Chicago since then I have been
farming down here in Wall street"
"As you and Mr.. Blame, then, are both ma
tives of Maine. how do you propose to divide the
honors in this canvass"
We'll, just at present the honors are even, but
as soon as the game opens mean to take every
trick. You see Blaine is working and engineer
ing for the Republican nomination; Tllden,
Payne, Hendricks and others are working for
the Democratic nomination. / fancy that am
the peoples candidate, and expect to carry, off
the honors at both conventions. Mr.. Tllden
wants Tilden nominated; Mr. Blaine wants to
see Blaine pull through. The people want me.
Then you don't suppose that yourself and
Mr. Blaine will come in conflict at alp
Not in the least | have no objections to let
ting Blaine carry his own State. l don't pro
pose to have any Esau quarrel with him about
our birthright-if he wants the State Of Maine,
let him take it,
'Do you think Mr.. Blaine is really making an
earnest canvass for this Nomination.
II don't think he is. The last heard of him
he was writing book l think the only sort of
eanvassing he will do this summer will be book
canvassing. Some of his friends are beating
drums and tin pans, and getting up regular
Chinese war over him, but l don't think he
means to be a candidate. Of course as Re
publican leader he has got to carry the State Of
Maine for the Republican candidate, whoever he
NOV hsa lyr1nxr yl1ar1o b1cp
anything, he would sooner carry it for himself
than for the other fellow. That is human ma
ture.'
''What do you think of the chances as between
Edmunds, Blaine and Arthur
well, really, am SO busy with my own can
vasS that don't have much time to give to
these outsiders noticed, however. that they
are making raid on both Edmunds and Blaine,
on the score of some old stock transactions.
think this is infamous. Surprising somebody
should undertake to bring up my twenty-five
years of dealing in Wall street. Perhaps 1T
would upset my canvass. 1t is not fair to rake
up any mans Wall street record, particularly
when he is busy running for the presidency.
Further than that, don't think any man, how
ever humble in life he may be, should ever be
called on to explain a stock transaction. 1t is
against public decency. safe rule in regard to
all Wall street transactions is to forget them-if
you can. / know l should like to forget some of
my own speculations, but some people have
more useful memories than Others. l have
they had left whole set Of books"
Glow do you proposeito run your canvass, 1lr.
Hatch-with cash or on the literary planF
THAT all depends, as the girl said when the
fellow asked her to marry him. The cash plan
is the dearest, but believe it is very safe and
effective one. The literary plan is the cheapest,
and it is amazingly aggravating to some people.
think my campaign will be run on the literary
plan unless can borrow some money. l know
half a. dozen newspaper prCpTietors who will
cheerfully lend me their papers for a month or
two. Then / know "a good many millionaires,
but don't think they would lend me their mill
ions for month or two; but 1 am going to try
some of them first"
How much money do you think you would
wantp
"How much should actually want 1 don't
know. The amount l think l should want is
about ten millions. If | am elected, as l expect
to be, will blow in about 900 to the
boys. If l fail to be elected l don't propose to
blow in cent So, with this declaration of my
platform you will readily understand that the
boys know what they have got to work for"
Speaking about platforms, Mr. Hatch, I
haven't heard you say what your platform
is"
''Why. haven't I explained to you the prinei
pal plank in 1.-THE financial plank The next
plank in it is the civilservice reform. propose
to work that one for all it is worth"
''How do you intend to apply it!'
II intend to applyit just the same as the other
fellows do The Republicans admire civil-ser-
the Offices. Now, so far as l understand, the
Democrats think the thing is beautiful in theory
too but they want it to go into practice after
they get their men into office. They want to
make clean start, with new set of Democratic
office holders, and then let the civilservice re-
form keep them in Office forever. Ishould want
to make a clean start also, but would give it a
send-off new plan. If l We're President
should want the Democrats and Republicans to
nominate man for every Office. Then l would
let these rival candidates be blindfolded
and led into a dark room. On the floor there
should be sheet of white paper and sheet of
black. After the doors were locked | would
move the blindfolds and let them grope for the
paper. The man that came out of that room
with the white sheet could have the office. You
see what an elegant test of the qualifications of
the men this would be-"
But, Mr.. Hatch you would still have an i'm
mense horde of dissatisfied people-the unsuc-
cessful candidates"
Not by any means. don't propose to allow
any discomfort. The solution of the difficulty is
quite easy. propose to have the unsuccessful
candidates 60 West and work farms. In this
way they would be more valuable as citizens
than they would if they we're successful in get
ting the Offices
''In what way9'
''Why, they would become producers, they
would be adding every day to the wealth of the
country. They would take rank in the noble
army of taxpayers. They would be toiling to
earn the money to pay the taxes for the other
fellows to squander Now, no man can be in
doubt as to which is the more useful function of
the two"
"What sort of governmental reforms would
you propose to introduce, Mr. Hatch"
II should reform anything that needed it, To
give New Workers a taste of my mettle, I'd
clean the streets for once. don't know whether
it would be appreciated, because it is so long
since they have been cleaned that people have be-
come accustomed to the dust and mud. 1 would
repave the streets, and after had got them well
paved would compel all vehicles of every kind
to have wider tires on their wheels. The best
pavement in the world would give way with
such narrow wheels as we use here. would
remove Castle Garden so as to take the emgrant
landing place away from this choice location
and put it on one of the islands in the harbor
themselves, as we'll as TO the city. | would
restore harmony among the rival cT7-
ratio managers by consolidating the rival