Omaha daily bee., 1888-02-12
THE CROP OF CANDIDATES.
A shrewd Politicians Views on tho
Presidential Race.
CHAIRMAN CLARKSoN TALKS
He Thinks the Next Platform should
Accept War Issues as Set
tlcd-How to Break the
Solid South.

| tee of three of the sub committee Of seven
OF the national republican committee, con.
| sisting of Clarkson, Conger and Clayton re-
manned in the city to-day perfecting tho
| plans and details outlined by the whole COM
| mttce. The headquarters of the national
| committee for the convention have been es-
| tablishcd at the Grand Pacific hotel in tho
| same club rooms as in 1850 and 1856. The
citizens committee has been directed that
| the convention hall must be ready and
turned over to the national committee on
| Thursday before the meeting Of the convcn-
ton The seating capacity of the hall will
| not be over 1000 persons. To give this ca
| pacity all the boxes will be dispensed with
and opera chairs replaced by ordinary chairs.
| The citizens committee Of Chicago were
| given l400 tickets four and eight
| years ago, and are now insisting on that
many, but the committee will not
| be able to supply such number.
| Delegates and alternatcs numbering about
seventeen hundred will be seated on the
| lower floor in the parpuettc and circle. In
| the three tiers above this balcony and the two
| galleries, visitors will be reserved for the
more noted guests. The desks for the press
will be Immediately in front OF the stage.
| Each of the delegates will probably have
three tickets for distribution. These will not
| be season tickets, as heretofore, but daily
| tickets, and therefore capable of receiving
| larger number of visitors.
| Mr.. Clarkson, chairman of the sub b-commit-
| tee, was interviewed tonight AS to his inn
prcssons of the indications as to candidats as
| developed during the committee session here,
which drew in many politicians from the diff.
fercnt states. He said:
Everything gives cheering indications Of
| an increasing determination among re-
| publicans to look beyond the convention
| TO the election and to unite on the man, who
| ever ne Is. who can most certainly be elected.
| Their is less factional feeling than for many
| years. All republicans realize now, and ex-
| pcrience can alone teach them, the disad-
| vantage and discomfort OF being out OF power
| TO answer your questions frankly without
regard to the interest of any candidate
| would say that the party now appears to be
divided INTO two sorts of opinion. One class
| believes that there are enough republicans
| in the country still for the party and its
| principals to elect president, and who be-
| lieve that Il non-factional candidate would
| bring back all the republicans who have been
| out of line, except those who are permanently
| gone on account of the tariff, and who would
not return unless the party should practi-
| cally declare against protection. This
| class of men believe that a western
| republican of loyal party record without per.
| sonal or factona enmities and not too high o
protectionist, but more on the line Of Gar
| field as to tariff, should be nominated.
The present drift of this class among civil
ians is toward Allison, who will have his own
| state enthusiastically for him, il he wants it,
| who has great strength all over the west and
among the business interests of the east, and
| is without enmities in the party and has a
tariff record like that of Garfield among SOL
| dicrs.
There is an effort to direct the popular tide
toward Sherman. This is on the surface just
| now, but the undcrtOne is strongly towards
Gresham, who. different from many soldiers,
| seems to be strong in that peculiar union and
fellowship of such soldiers as are united in
the organized form of the Grand Army, the
Loya! Legion, etc, and who is strong also
with some of the clements of dissatisfied re-
publicans in the east and who is also
strong with the anti-monopoly elements
Of the west; If ,.., a soldier is to
ard west together, pretgures q soldier like
Gresham who is strong IN peculiar points
and strong both east and west.
The other class of republicans, and should
say they were greatly in the majority, say
that the situation demands a man who, be-
cause of his strength with the working pcO.
pie aud on the tariff question, can command
more votes than his party now has left.
| They hold that, with such Il candidate, the
party would have double assurance of sue
cess and that such man alone can be sure
of carrying New York, New Jersey, and
Connecticut. These people are all for Blaine,
the republicans who favor an emphatic and
dstinctively American policy in all things.
Blaine has lost no friends in the west, but
rather gained in the cast. He has gained in
Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut,
and held his own in New York among the re-
publcans, and materially gained in that state
among democrats and working men who are
for protection. All these clements think
Blaine is to be nominated Meanwhile, he
makes no sign, answers no letters, and il
evidently determined to leave the whole mat
| ter to the party, without suggestions from
himself, or any organized effort being made
| by his friends.
One good thing is the apparent purpose Of
the party to make such platform as will,
without change from its former position or
principles, accept the war issues as settled,
ana leave the way open for all men who are
| with it in the south on present issues to join
with it for the future. There is .
republican majority, in two or three
of the border states. on such a platform.
and also chance, if the party shall not Sec
tionalize the tariff questions by taking the
tariff on sugar, to carry Louisiana at tho
state election in April, and thus break the
solid south before the national campaign has
didate, representing in himself as sugar.
planter, the tariff interests Of Louisiana and
the bitter fight between the McEnnery and
Nichol democrats and two United States
senators to elect, there next winter, there is
an opportunity for republican union with
the tariff and the McEnnery democrats can
| be utilized to carry that state.
| In regard to the appointment of sergeant
alarms for the national convention, General
Fitzsimmons, who was chosen, was u union
soldier of gallant record and IN every respect
mt for his position on account of his war rec
ord. AS to Colonel Heay, the committee
| meant no dsrespect to the veterans club.
| They expect that General Fitzsimmons will
appoint a large number of union soldiers
among his subordinates and also that he will
| recognize many of the young republicans.
| n ar HUh nj ri "