National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-05-21
Chat With Joseph B McCullagh on Politics
and Candidatol
He Is Bitterly Opposed TO the Nomina-
ton Of Nj. Blaine.
President Arthur he Strongest Man he National
Convention Can Mama
Reasons why the Republicans owe Hin,
Reasons why the Republicans owe Him
the Honor OF n Nomination.

returned from drive with the postmaster
general, and was In excellent humor for n
chat. Being asked what he thought about
presidential prospects, Mr.. McCullagh said;
president Arthur is in tho lead for tho
nomination, beyond o doubt. And why
shouldn't he bo9 He has received the indorso.
ment of the republicans Of thirty eight states.
That number Of republican state conventions
put themselves equarely on record by adopt
ing resolutions expressive Of confidence In tho
President and warm approval Of his public
acts. President Arthur's administration
Is without a blomish. lie has repre-
Iented tho republican party In tho
presidential chair az we'll as any man could
have done, and the republicans aud democrats,
too, for that matter recognize that fact. For
the republican national convention 10 throw
him over would BIO confession Of weakness
that It will hardly mako aftor admitting that
he Is the strongest man in the party, for
that Is what has boon DONE President Arthur
will carry the full strength Of the party In
November and more. If VIC cannot elect him
we cannot elect anybody. That may as well
be understood and honestly admitted at the
outset"
"As between Arthur and Blaine, what have
you to say2 Who would be tho strongest
before the pooplc?"
"rhero is Just this difference, one can DO
elected and tho other cannot. Blaine cannot |
carry tho full strength of the republican |
party, to begin with, and his repulsivc, rotten |
record will repel the Independent or detached |
voters. He is an unclean man, aud tho peo-
pie will not have him. To nominate him |
would be to court defeat. Ho stands self |
convicted Of prostituting the high offices ho
has held to build up private fortune, of
eohabiting with corruption for dishonest
money o, no; his record would damn him"
but would it, thought Why should q
rotten record damn Blaine and not damn
Tilden, who seems likely to be tho demo-
:ratiC nominee"
"The two cases arc not parallel. Nothing
very disreputabe can be brought against
Tilden. There is nothing really bad about
the old man."
what about the cipher dispatches and his
attempts to buy electoral votes2"
HE will got out of that business on the
ground that he was merely guarding against
the commission of fraud. To BIO sure he had
some worry queer people about him, but tho
exigencios of the occasion may have made it
necessary for him to employ the services of
queer people. With Blaine it is different.
His record is VIGOROUSLY bad, and the more
it is stirred up the worse it stinks."
How do you account then for his seeming
popularity"
''In passing through Pittsburg last night I
noticed q great light not far from the track.
'Do you see that Lightly inquired gentleman,
seated near me. Yes answered. That
comes from natural gas woll,' said he,
and There is enough beside what you see
burning to run two large mills why don't
they run another mill with what is going to
wastor / asked. They can't, for tho
reason that there is not power
enough in it, 1t is 80 por cont. air.
That is what's the matter with Blaine's
popularity. 1t is 30 per cent. wind and 10 per
cent. gas. There is nothing substantial about
it."
Now, as to tho strength of candidates be-
fore the convention ~
Arthur will have commanding lead
there, am confident and, as l said before,
believe no will DO nominated. He represents
the full strength of the party, aud is the only
man who can carry New York. He will poll
the party vote north of High bridge, and he
is $4,000 votes stronger in the city than any
other man the convention can name"
Can he carry Ohio?"
"Unquestionably. Tho Germans will sup
port him and the conservative business
interests and influences will be for him.
Local issues will not cut much Of figure In
the national election"
What Shout Indiana and the northwestern
states2"
Indiana is not Blaine state. 1t is more
Arthur than Blaine, and Arthur will poll q
heavier vote there. Iowa hos been bowling
for Blaine for several years, just what for it
cannot explain. Arthur viii have fair
support from Iowa in convention when he
ncedsit He will have u majority of Mis-
souri, delegates. The northwest feels very
kindly toward President Arthur"
81 SEQ Wayne MacVeagh is out in q card
against tho President"
THE more opposition of that sort the pres
ident can inspire the better IL will be for
him. MacVeagh was one of Garheld's
gushy mistakes He never did anything to
eutttlo him to cabinet position, and he
did not amount to anything when he got
there. His influence for harm
is nil. The ground upon which much of the
opposition to Arthur Is based is untenable,
and the objections argued against him arc
weak. In his letter accepting the portfolio
OF secretary of state three years ago, Blaine
declared that he would do all that lay in his
power TO assist Garfield to second nomina-
tion. He assumed that tho Garfield admins
tration was to last eight years. Now, Arthur
was rs much part OF the Garfield admins
tration as Garfield himself The President
was killed aud Arthur took his place. and has
given the country n better and
cleaner administration than Garfield
could have DONE Garfield would have shat
tered tho republican party into u million
pieces, aud left US at the m0rcy of tho enemy
He had already broken it, into several
fragments, which Arthur found scattered
about when he went into the white house,
and which ho has carefully gathered up. lie
would have made wreck Of the party to
certainty"
He did appear to possess genius for that
sort of thing"
"Io certainly did. Arthur, on tho other
hand, has united the party aud created very
few antagoni5ms. The only thing that can
be said against him IL that ho has not given
Office to every man who thought no had
right to expect iayOrs of that kind. That
was probably owing TO tho fact that thoro
are not offices enough to 90 around. SO far
as l can learn his appointments have been
acceptable, llo has never appointed man |
asked him to during his entire term,
but he appointed good mon to
the positions applicants of my
choice in Missouri wGro after. ! do not
feel justified in turning against him because
he didn't appoint the men l favored so long
as good men got the places, Disappointed
ambition Is the inspiration OF the strongest
and the loudcst-mOuthed opposition 10 Prosi-
dent Arthur Blaine has n slight advantage
over all other aspirants lilo became II candi-
date for president fourteen years ago, and ho
has been u candidate without ceasing ever
since, including Sundays and holidays, Other
candidates have taken nm occasional rest
"What do you think on the subject of
democratic possibilities ~
Until | came to Washington / had sup
posed that Tilden had u walk over, but
discover thoTe is powerful sentiment in the
democratic party arrayed against him. He
Will not DO unanimous nominee of tho con-
vention by any means"
"Why this opposition-b because no il dead?"
MAINLY daudr yes! and because in tho