The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-03-08
CLEVELAND AND HILL.
An Impending Struggle for tho Demo.
cratic Nomination for President

An Impending Struggle for the Demo.
cratic Nomination for President
The battle is on between the Cleve.
land and the Hill factions over the
| Democratic nominal for President
The initial skirmish was the struggle
the other day in the New York Senate
Committee to fill that States vacant
place in the Democratic National Com
mittee. The State Committee was a
tie, and the place is still vacant Mr..
Cleveland. with all the strength of the
Federal office-holders at his back-and
their power is greater in New York
than in any other State-could not
control but one-half the committee.
The other moiety were in solid phalanx
for David B. Hill, now Governor OF
New York, and ambitious to step
from the Executive chair of the Com
monwealth to the White House, as
Grover Cleveland did.
1t seems that the matter of filing the
vacancy in the National Committee
practically forced Hill to Show his
hand prematurely. He has been
quietly at work-or his friends have,
for him-for a year or more. The
scheme was deep and dark one, and
the public announcement of his as
piration to compete with the lumpy
Grover was not to be made until after
the delegates from New York State
were selected. Hill would then have
shown a clear majority over Cleveland
from the latter's own State. And it is
not at all certain that he will not still
be able to do so. One thing is clear.
Cleveland can not get the New York
delegation without tremendous fight,
and Hills friends declare that the
thing has gone too far already, and
that their champion is reasonably GER
tain of the control of the Empire State
delegates.
Of course, it is clear that Cleveland
must have his own State solidly be-
hind him if he expects to win. There
seems no doubt but that, if Cleveland
had been as anxious for second term
when he was inaugurated as he now
is, be would have the New York DEM
ocrats to-day solidly at his back. with
out single dissenting voice. He has
made the mistake OF trying to sit on
two stools at once, and seems very liza
bic to meet with the traditional mis-
fortune of such persons. He paid too
much attention to the mugwumps
when he began his official term. and
too little to the demands of the spoils-
men. Latterly he has reversed his
policy, but the mischief has been done.
The Democratic workers are disaffect-
ed. They fear that, if he is re-elect-
ed, he will get over on the Civil-Service
reform stool again, and leave them out
in the cold.
The Democratic party is essentially
a spoils party. Its cohesive force is
the hope of getting the offices. 1t
cares not what happens, so that the
spoils are divided around, even to the
uttermost crumb. Hence the blank
dismay that filed the breasts of the
men who had upheld the torn and
tattered banner of Bourbonism for a
quarter of a century, against over
whelming odds, when Cleveland was
put in cffice. to find that he proposed
to carry out law which deprived the
party of a portion of the spoils, and
that he was moving with provoking
slowness in changing the others!
They lost faith in him, and they will
never regain it. They distrust his
present apparent surrender to the de-
mands of the hungry and thirsty.
They will not believe in him so long as
the Mugwulnps stick to him. They
believe his present attitudinizing as a
spokesman to be trick to gain re-
nomination, and that, were he re-elect-
ed, and without the motive of working
for denomination again, he would 90
back to his Civil-Service reform ideas.
Hill, on the contrary, has always
been consistent upholder of the doc
trine that to the yictors belong the
spoils. They have no fear of his Co
quoting with the mugwumps, or of
his upholding Civil-Service reform.
And there is another thing which
makes Hill strong in New York, and
that will find him supporters in many
other States. There are at least
dozen Democratic applicants for every
official position. The majority of these
have been filled. There are very few
left in Federal positions
Hence, if Cleveland is re-
and reelected, there will
be no chance for these fellows. Their
only hope is in a "new deal" The
men in office are Cleveland hot parti-
sans. Let Hill be nominated and
elected. and the Cleveland men will be
tumbled out and Hills friends 90 in.
Hence it will be seen that all the
elements are present for nice little
family row. Let the circus proceed
Toledo Blade.
PUBLIC OPINION.