The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-15
OUR LITTLE PRESIDENT.
Trying to Make the Next Nomina-
ton Valueless to All Save
Himself
The Story Originated by Some of
Harrison's Own Close
Friends.
He Entertains the Notion That His Policy
May be vindicated In Course
of Time.

It is an unusual form of ambition, but
there are some of Mr.. Harrieon's friends
who declare that the one object of his eff
forts Just now is to make the nomination in
1892 SO nearly worthless that no one but
himself will care, or dare, to take it, says
the New York Times. Men of ordinary
shrewdnsss in politics will reject this story
Ton grounds" as the eminent subject of it
would remark, ''of repugnancy." 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
if at the same time he made it equally I'M
desirable for himself? This line Of reason
ing seems to us SO strong that We should
hesitate to give publicity to this story if, as
We have already remarked. it had not origin
ated with Mr.. Harrison's own friends. And
they are not his false friends either. They
are not the Blaines and the Ingalls,
who really delight in the discontinue Of
their party 80 far as it loads Mr.. Harrison's
puny shoulders with heavier weight. They
are men like MIR. Huston and Mr.. Miller
and, We might add. Mr.. Noble. who may be
said to have been discovered, or invented,
by the president. wholook upon him with
all the admiration due to that surprising
achievement, and, who really believe that he
has a future, and o fine one.
Of course these enthusiasts do not put
the facts in quite the bold fashion that. for
the sake of brevity and clearness, we have
adopted. But it amounts to very much the
same thing. What they do say in substance
10 that. in the severe trial to which the
republican patty ia being subjected, Mr..
Harrison viii stand firmly BY the policy
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 executive patronage to men who
will stand BY him in 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 re-
nounce policy thus forced upon it. and
since he will be the logical and practically
the sole representative of that policy. It
may be inferred that these gentlemen, as
we'll as the president himself, must think
that the people will again change their
minds and accept and approve in 1899 what
they rejected and condemned in 1890, and
it is on this view that their amazing pro-
gramme is based. The presidents message
ing. We submit that it also confirms the
description of the scheme that we have pro-
posed. -.
No one, we suppose. imagined that Mr..
Harrison was capable. not only of seeing
the real meaning of the elections in Novem-
",
directing his party in the way that alone
could lead it toward any hope of success in
the presidential election. But it was not
wholly impossible that he might zee the
propriety, the decency OF taking the pun
!shment administered by the people in 81
lence, of making his message plain bus !
mess document, and leaving tho real lead
ers Of his party free to do what they could
to recover from this great disaster. That
would have been course consistent with
self-respect and with the dignity of his
high Office. The American people would
have 80 regarded it and would have recoc-
nized its merits. but, as the slang of the
day runs. Mr.: Harrison il mot
built that way His small mental
power is coupled with great vanity.
his narrowness of vision with unbounded
confidence in himself. He is quite equal to |
entertaining the notion that the crushing !
defeat of his party was due to tactical
mistake of the party or to hasty impulse I
of the voters, that time alone is needed to |
vindicate his policy and to bring the Amer
lean people to the conviction that he is the |
wlsest leader of the party and its only hope |
for the future. And there is a certain num-
Der of men in public life-placed there by
hlm-who also cherish this notion. Prob
ably it is they who, as the latest Washing
ton story goes, have invited designs from
eminent sculptors for ''life-size statuette
OF the PRESIDENT