The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-04-09
THE GREAT PRIZE.
PRESIDENT Making the End of ALI
Things Says "Gath.o
Legislation and Executive Action
Thereon Determined by Their
Effect In NOvembcr---Hu-
mors of the Campaign.

down some glimpses of affairs. The presi-
dency is the objective point of three-fourths
of the political movements now. Take tho
tariff question. 1t was brought forward IN
the first place for the purpose of electing
speaker who should be one of a series OF
presidential candidates Carlisle, Morrison
and Mcdonald all expected to be the bene-
flciaries of this act
was talking with very eminent Dem
ocrat from Pennsylvania the morning after
the Morrison tariff caucus was held, and he
said to ME: "Don't you put my name in the
papers, and l will tell you what will become
of that Morrison bill 1t never will be con-
sidered at all by the house of representatives.
The Republicans have only to vote solidly
against taking it up, and enough Democrats
will unite with them to put it altogether
out of the way during this congress" Ny iu-
formant added, "Now, the Republican may
choose to bcther the Democratic party by
dividing on that bill or absenting them
selves and allowing it to be debated, in the
hope that it will hurt the Democrats in the
presidential election" Here you see again
how the presidency gives form to nearly all
the legislation here.
Another instance of how the presidency is
on everybodys mind A very prominent man
said to me: "Will the president sign the Fitz
John Porter billf' Said 1: a do not know,
because he does not know" Said my inform
ant: "Gen. Slocum thinks it his duty to press
the bill, and | tell him he ought not to do it,
because while it may be of benefit to him, he
will hurt his friend" Here 1 may incident
ally add that Gen. Slocum, too has got the
presidency on his mind. The Ftz John Porter
bill is his little kite flying toward the presi-
dency. Said I to this last informant:
"Why should not the bill be passed."
Because" said he, mo man has had the
pre- si!ency so much on the brain as Arthur
since Salmon P Chase. He might sign the
bill after he got the nomination, but before
the convention meets in June he will veto it.
There are three members of his cabinet OPP
posed to the bill, Lincoln, Chandler and
Teller Arthur will be afraid to antagonizs
Logan. The bill ought therefore to be laid
over until after the presidential convention
1t is of the greatest interest TO Fitz John Por-
ter, because this Acknowledgement he has I'M
dergone for the past twenty-five years has
been a source of the direst modification to
his family. He is a man of honor, and his
family have felt his degradation so much
that they have not gone into society at all
Gen. Porter is a man without country, be-
cause the verdict of the court-martial dis
qualified him from holding any office under
the United States government
So here you see that this bubble of the
presidency will prevent the chief magistrate
of the ma ton, according to my informant,
from acting up to his convictions.
Next, YOU come to Mr.. Hewitt. He took
advantage of the whisky bill to fire himself
into the presidency by expressing the
opinion that alcohol was as much used in the
arts as iron. Mr.. Hewitt, you will observe,
was hedging toward the whisky interest
met a senator from one of the southern
states the night before the Morrison bill was
to be caucused on. Said he: payne will be
the }ogatee of Mr.. Tilden, and Randall will
support this Morrison bill for the sake of har-
mony in the party, and that will reconcile
him with the voters, and they viii remark at
the presidential convention; Perhaps we had
better nominate Payne, SO asto appease that
Randall interest Them" said my senatorial
friend, "our side of the question will naturally
want the vice president and | think he Will
be Bayard, of Delaware"
Where Brother McDOnald's chances come
in at the present juncture it is impossible to
say. He was here not long before the caucus
was held, and may have been here that very
night wiping his magnificent bald head with
napkin. He is above all others the candi-
date who is backed on his judgment It is
said that he no more ever made an error Of
Judgment than George Washington ever told
lie. He was always sound on every thing,
including the goose. He was for hard money
when money was hard, for war when there
was war, and he squared the Knights of the
Golden Circle by telling Governor Morton
all the particulars
Coming now to the presidential issues on
the Republican side, Mr. Blaine is writing his
book to the extent Of four minutes day, and
giving the rest of his time to his campaign.
He has house on the Presidents square, and
a powerful telescope trained on the White
House, and is making an effort to study how
many drinks day Arthur takes in order to
be able to carry on this government. Every
night or two Arthur gives dinner to about
| fifty members of congress and their wives
| Blaine has his scouts out, and they capturs
| all the Republicans and effective men, it is
said, at the dinner and bring them over to
| lunch afterward.
| / must not omit Randall among the list of
| presidential candidates. 6e lives in small
house on Capitol hill maintains beautiful
equilibrium, looks out of his soft black eyes
| like one of the Christian martyrs at the
stake, and is meantime roping in delegates
| all over pennsylvania for himself He goes
to see Uncle Sammy Tilden every week Oh
two, and tenderly inquiries for his
health, Mr.. Tilden is then called upon
and is heard to exclaim: Randall i.
a noble fellow" Then there is Governor
Cleveland up in New York, signing
all the bills the Republicans pass to extin
| guish John Kelly and if John is entirely
wiped out by the first Of next July we may
hear of the Cleveland boom slowly coming
up the sky like one of the more distant con
stellations that, being near the pole, is occa-
sionally obscured from this quarter of the
earth. One of the most animated mote
now to be seen is our old friend Sam Cox
who has turned cynic, like myself, and OBJ
serves that this entire government is given t.
nothing but president-making