The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-21
a Political Corpse.


Less than two years ago ex-Gov. Fora
ker, Of Ohio. was frequently mentioned by
his admirers as the probable candidate OF
his party for the presidency. He was
Z Young ambitious, was governor Of great
state, was believed 10 possess extraordinary
ability as a party leader, and had a strong
and enthusiastic personal following. He
certainly had reason TO think that he would
receive at no very distant time tie highest
honor in the gift Of his party. To-day,
! probably, if any one would predict in Ohio,
or any whore else. that Mr.. Foraker would
be heard OF again in politics he would be
laughed at Mr.. Foraker has no more
/ chance Of rising again than if he were dead
and buried. His party has no use for him
! He is more of load than it could carry.
/ A shrewd rascal wac avoids detection,
/ though known to be rascal, may have a
| fair share of success, though he is sure 10 be
/ exposed sooner or later. Nobody wants
/ anything TO do with q rascal whose rascality
has teen exposed Mr. Foraker posed As a
good young man, and nothing appeared to
grieve him so much as the alleged treatment
the blacks received in the south Much Of
which he denounced the alleged wickedness
OF the southern people 1t is doubtful If he
believed the charges he made against the
people of the south, but he led others to be-
lieve them, and his purpose, therefore, was
accomplished
II Mr.. Foraker had been the pure and
guileess young man that he pretended to be,
be might now be governor Of ohio, with fair
prospect OF being nominated for Presi dent
In his anxiety to injure his opponent. how
ever, in the campaign for governor, aud
also a few of the leaders OF his own party
who had not profound regard for him,
and who were unable TO conceal their real
sentiments with regard to him, he became
party to a transaction that not only helped
to prevent mis- election as governor, but
brought his name into disrepute throughout
the country.
Mr. Foraker said the other day to the
committee that is investigating the ballot
box forgery, that he did not know that the
names to the alleged ballot-box contract
were forgeries. He made some admissions
on crOss-examination, however, that tended
to create the impression that he was not so
ignorant with respect to the forgeries as he
pretended to be. His explanation of his
failure to show the contract to Mckinley,
whose name was signed to it before allow
ing it to be published, was so lame that it
was not credtable to his intelligence. There
were other things in his testimony that are
rather suspicious.
But if Mr.. Foraker desired TO be relieved
of all suspicion of being connected with the
forgery he ought TO have taken care that
the testimony of his tool, r. g. Wood, who
had the forged document prepared for him,
was in harmony with his own. Perhaps he
couldn't control Wood, or was afraid to at
tempt to do So Ia either case he showed
that he lacked the qualities that it is neces-
sary for Il successful schemer to have The
man Wood said enough TO convince every
body that Mr.. Foraker was not without his
suspicious that the names signed to the bal,
lot-box contract were forged. That witness
said that Gov. Foraker certainly knew from
what he 1.-THE witness) had told him that the
papers were not genuine.
There never was such a political BOOM
erang as that forged ballot.box contract
proved to be. Mr. Foraker hoped to defeat
his opponent with it, and to bring about
the political death Of three of the leaders in
his own party who stood in the way of his
advancement, viz, Senator Sherman and
Representatives Butterworth and McKin-
ley. 1t didn't hurt those it was aimed at.
but it defeated Mr.. Foraker aud made him
political corpse. 1t did even more than
that. 1T made gap in the Republican party
through which the people are able to see
how corrupt that organization is. What
they see is not calculated to increase their
respect for it.