St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-11-20
PRESIDENTIAL PROSPECTS.

been to set in motion the wheels of
discussion regarding probable presi-
Dental candidates in 1892 The
prophets are out in full force, though
the wise men speak cautiously or not
at all, knowing we'll that the man
who stands out most prominently
now may be nowhere in two years
from this time. The CALIFORNIAN
prefers to be with the wise men and
declines to attempt the role of a
prophet. 1t is in order, nevertheless,
to record the present aspects of the
situation.
Unquestionably, the strongest
republican today is Blaine. He alone
of the prominent party leaders has
come unframed out of the wreck of
November f. Recognizing the pres
ent unpopularity of the Mckinley
bill he is working with all his old
fire and industry upon his pet plan
of reciprocity, one of the most states
manlike measures to which he has
ever given his support and destined,
asno one sees more clearly than him
self, to be very popular with the
American people. In an office fitted
up in his Washington residence the
secretary is holding frequent inter
views with the ENJOYS of the Latin
American states Instructions are
given out to the representatives of
the United States in the Latin Amer
lean capitals to enter upon negOtia
tions for the extension of our foreign
trade through reciprocity and with
Mr. Blaine's usual astuteness sufh-
cient hints of these proceedings are
allowed to go out to keep public
interest continually awake and to
arouse distinct Blaine feeling in the
popular mind. Clearly Mr.. Blaine
must be reckoned with, if his health
continues to be as robust as at pres
ent, as presidential aspirant in 1892.
Indeed no other prominent republi-
can seems to have the ghost of
chance as things are at present and
it seems likely to be Blaine or a new
man.
On the democratic side the old
fight between Cleveland and Hill
is on, with the chances in favor Of
Hill. Cleveland as a politician has
always been a blunderer, dependent
on shrewder friends to mani pulate
the wires, and his best friends are
otherwise engaged just now. Hill,
on the other hand, is careful man.
ipulator and a demagogue of the
first water He fights his battles
single handed and has been gaining
strength in the last two years as
steadily as Cleveland has been losing.
There seems now to be little doubt
that Hill will carry New York and
without New York Cleveland cannot
be nominated. Tammany is upper
most in New York and Tammany is
solid for HILL The South has already
begun calling for Hill. Cleveland's
strength, on the other hand, is in the
states that are more than likely to
go republican, whoever is nominated,
and in these states the ex-president
is not SO popular as he has been in
the past The last campaign was
made to work in Hills interests and
the most brilliant democratic
t.riumphs were Hill victories, or have
been shrewdly made to appear SO.
Should an accession of wisdom
strike the democracy, contingency
possible though hardly probable,
both Cleveland and Hill may be
passed over. The victory of Gov.
Pattison in Pennsylvania is menace
to both of these candidates who
have hitherto had the running on
the democratic track to themselves
Pattison is young, clean, able, fortu-
nate in all his political ventures, and
would be a strong candidate with
that conservative element which is
hardly. satisfied to stand on Gov.
Hills one plank platform, 81 am
Democrat" At the same time Pat
tison is not a wire-puller, and his
nomination must come, if at all, as
we have said, through an accession
of wisdom to his party.
Other rumors and ''incipient
booms" are of course in the air, but
the above statement tells about all
there is to the situation that has
bottom to it. Senator Stanford is
said to be nursing an ambition to
run as the Farmers Alliance favorite.
Reed and Mckinley will have to lie
low for at least six years. Blaine,
Cleveland, Hill, and to a lesser
degree Pattison, are the men at pres
ent prominently in the field.
THE MAGEE INTERVIEW.
The comments of Christopher L.
Magee on the result of the elections,