Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-09
Our Little President.
New York Times.

It is an unusual form OF ambition. bat
there are some of Mr.. Harrison's friends
who declare that the one object OF his
efforts Just now is to make the nomina-
ton in 1892 so nearly worthless that no
one but himself will care or dare to take
it. Men of ordinary shrewdness in
politics will reject this story "on
grounds, as the eminent subject Of it
would remark, "of repugnency." it
might be tempting to Mr.. Harrison TO
make the prize he covets undesirable TO
his rivals, but what, may be asked,
would he gain by that il at the Same
time he made it equally undesirable to
himself? This line OF reasoning seems
to us 80 strong that we should hesitate to
give publicity to this story il, as we have
already remarked, it had not originated
with Mr.. Harrison's own friends. And
they are not his false friends either.
They are not the Blaines and the In
gallses who really delight in the discom-
future OF their party so far as it loads Mr..
Harrison's puny shoulders with heavier
weight. They are men like Mr.. Huston
and Mr.. Miller, and, We might add. Mr..
Noble. who may he said to have been
discovered, or invented, by the Presi-
dent, who look upon him with all the adj
miration due to that surprising achieve
ment. aud who really believe that he has
future, and fine one.
OF course these enthusiasts DO not put
the facts in quite the bold fashion that
for the sake of brevity and cleasness we
have adopted. But it amounts very
much to the same thing. What they do
say in substance is that in the severe
trial to which the Republican party is
being subjected Mr.. Harrison will stand
firmly by the policy and principles Of
the party, will urge upon Congress as he
has already done not to abandon them,
but to press them to still greater lengths,
will steadily grant the prizes of Execu-
tive patronage to men who will stand
by him il this course, and then when
the time comes for choosing the next
candidate for President he will be the
necessary choice, since the party cannot
renounce policy thus forced upon it,
and since he will be the logical and prac-
ticaIly the sole representative of that
policy. It may be inferred that these
gentlemen, as we'll as the President him
self, must think that the people will
again change their minds and accept
and approve in 1892 what they have re-
jected and condemned in 1890, and it is
on this view that their amazing pro-
gramme is based. The Presidents
message of this year fairly responds to
this reasoning. We submit that it also
confirms the description of the scheme
that we have proposed.
No one, we suppose, imagined that
Mr.. Harrison was capable, not only of
seeing the real meaning Of the elections
in November, but of pointing it out to
his party and directing his party in the
way that alone could lead it toward any
hope of success in the presidential cleo
ton. But it was not wholly impossible
that he might see the propriety, the
decency of taking the punishment adj
ministered by the people in silence,
Of making his message plain. bust
ness document, and leaving tie real
leaders of his party free to do what they
could TO recover from this great disaster.
That would have been o course consist
ent with self-respect and with the Dig
nity of his high Office. Tho American
people would have 30 regarded 1t, and
would have recognized its merits. But.
ms the slang OF the day runs, Mr.. Hsrri-
son is "not built that way" His small
mental power is coupled with great vani-
tv. his narrowness Of vision with IN
bounded confidence in himself. He is
quite equal to entertaining the no.
ton that the crushing defeat OF
his party was due TO tactical mis-
take OF the party or to hssty impulse
OF the voters. that time alone is needed
to vindicate his policy and to bring the
American people TO the conviction that,
he is the wisest leader of his party and
its only hope for the future. And there
is n certain number OF men in public
life-placed there by him-who also
cherish this notion. Probably il is they
who, as the --latest Washington story
goes. have invited designs from eminent
sculptors for ''kis-siss statastts Of the
Prendenk'