The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-02-18
WATTERSON TO HILL.
A STRONG LETTER ON THE PRESl-
DENTAL SITUATION.

The Democracy of the Country Want
Cleveland te be the Nominee OF the Par
ty in IS92-A Chance for Hill to Prove
Himself q Warwick.
BALTIMORE, Feb. 10.-The Sun to-
morrow will publish letter written
by Henry Watterson to Governor Hill
which the Sun says was probably in
strumental in bringing about the
meeting between Governor Hill and
eX-President Cleveland, and also Of
Hills taking the New York Senator
ship. Watterson's letter was promp5-
ed solely by his own convictions and
without the least consultation with
any one. 1t is as follows:
"COCRIER-JO OJRNAL OFFICE,
LOUISVILLE, Nov. 81, 1880.
My DEAR SIR: | take leave to ad-
dress you this letter as one of some
millions of Democrats who never
sought or held Office, and who could
not be induced to do SO, but who are
deeply concerned in the party welfare
and who believe you to hold the key to
it. OutSide Of the State OF New ork
there is a well nigh unanimous demand
among the rank and file of the Demo
cra:s for the nomination of Cleveland.
This is too strong for party leaders and
managers to resist. | think | have
some influence in kentucky, but on
that point l should be overwhelmed IN
the State convention. If you should
come to the National Convention with
the New York delegation solid against
il, you would be overwhelmed. You
are powerless to prevent it; but you
can defeat the election of the ticket.
There are Democrats in every part
of the Union who believe that you did
this in 1888. I know that to be false.
| know exactly what happened and
have steadily defended you in public
and in private. But it will cling toyou
as long as you live-even as the bar
gain, intrigue and corruption story
chung to Clay-and will meet you III
every national convention, if it be not
dissipated by some act on your part
great enough to blot it out. In defense
of this, if you have any hope Of the
Presidency, it will defeat that,
"My Judgment is clear that if you
could reconcile it with your judgment
and feeling to make peace with Cleve-
land and to take the delegation to the
National Convention in 1892, to put
him in nomination, you will save the
party and place Yourself upou an eleva-
tion you can never attain if you fail to
Go it. You would be received by the
country with enthusiasm; be accepted
at once as a Warwick, and l do not see
how you could he kept out of success
sion. On the other Land, even if you
succeeded in defeating the nomination
Of Cleveland, you will stand upon sin
iSter and dangerous ground, with a
stormy future before you.
"These are plain words aud ! have
no relations with you which give ME
the right to offer you counsel. They
may be disagreeable words and | have
no desire to obtrude upon your privacy:
But they are true words, and | claim
the right Of a Democrat who has some
knowledge of the country at large and
has given some proof of intelligent de-
votion to party interest to ignore cere-
mony and send them to you. In con-
clusion, let me say that shall in any
event be glad to know you better, and
that meanwhile am most sincerely
your friend.
"(Signed) HENRY WATTERSoN.
"The Hon. David y. Hill