The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-09
A BLACK EYE FOR CLEVELAND.

enemies, but is dangerous to his friends.
| Mr. Crisp, like his predecessor Mr.. Reed, is
| capable OF entire self-command under per-
| picking and exasperating circumstances.
Mr.. Mills, unlike either Mr.. Crisp or Mr..
| Springer, had declared for absolute free
trade. Mr.. Crisp and NJ. Springer believe
in gradual reform and recasting of the
| tariff, and while free trade may be their
ideal and ultimate, nevertheless both of
these gentlemen have been careful to say
that they would reform and revise the
readjustment of trade and industry that
would be forced by the enactment of abso-
lutte free trade az advocated by Mills.
An examination of the vote for Crisp
shows that he secured the votes of
Springer, Hatch, Holman and Cultivate,
Democrats of long political experience and
leadership; he was supported by the ma
| jority of the Democrats from the manu-
featuring states of New York, New Jersey,
Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The
most sagacious Northern Democrats know
that the doubtful states cannot be carried
|. upon the radical platform of Mr.. Mills,
and they wisely declined to even seem
to endorse it by electing its evangelist to
the speakership. Finally, Mr.. Mills was
handicapped by his identity with the cam
didacy of Cleveland for president in 1892
Mr.. Mills championship of Mr.. CIeye-
land obtained for him the support of the
Mugwump Democrats from New England,
and the other avowed partisans of Cleve-
land throughout the country, and on the
other hand Mr.. Crisp was supported by all
the anti-Cleveland Democrats United
States Senator Pugh, of Alabama, in an
open letter, recently denounced the can
didacy of Cleveland as ominous of defeat
in 1892, and the Alabama delegation was
solid for Crisp.
The Tammany Democrats, all known to
be hostile to Cleveland's candidacy, all
voted for Crisp. The New York Sun, the
organ of the anti-Cleveland Democracy,
| advocated the election of Crisp with char
acteristic zeal and ability. The Atlanta
(Ga.) Constitution, the leading Democratic
organ of the Empire state of the South, re-
Gently printed letter from its New
York correspondent, which included the
following:
Grover Cleveland is not in the race for the
presidential nomination next year, so far as the
New York delegation is concerned
OF the New York Democrats, Cummings.
Fitch, Stahlnecker, Fellows, Bacon,
Bentley, Van Horne, Rockwell, Dunphy.
Grady, Campbell and Greenleaf voted for
Crisp; while Covert, Coombs, Clancey,
Magner. Cox Tracy, Warner. Lockwood
and Bunting voted for Mills. Crisp had
but twelve out of twenty-one voting. but
he had all the Tammany Democrats, a
most significant fact The Tammany
Democracy were solid against Mills, the
champion of Cleveland.
The election of Mr.. Crisp to the speaker
ship makes two things clear: First, the
Democracy have rejected Mills, who has
more than once placed himself distinctly
on record in favor of ''absolute free trade
and an income tax, for revenue reformer
who has cOntented himself with advoca-
ting merely q reduction of tariff duties:
and, secondly, the election of Crisp over
Cleyeland's champion implies the turning
down of Cleveland as the candidate of
New York before the Democratic national
convention in 1892. The election of Mills
would have been accepted as a reassertion
OF the policy inaugurated by Grover CIeve-
land and advocated by the Mugwumps
with the reluctant consent of Democrats of
the type of Senator Hill, of New York.
and Senator German, Of Maryland, who
are osd-time supporters Of the tariff
views advocated by the late Samuel J.
Randall and Samuel J. Tilden. Mills
stood for the tariff extremists, and Crisn
for the moderates within the Democratic
party, and the choice of Crisp implies that
the Democratic party Will not nominate
Cleveland next year, nor any man who
stands upon the Mills platform of absolute
free trade
The opposition OF Tammanv to Cleye-
land will be fatal to his presentation by
New York, and without the endorsement
OF New York the national convention will
not nominate him, SO il is pretty safe To
consider Mr. Cleveland as a dead cock in
the political pit
In candor, the Democracy have dis
played unusual wisdom in turning down
both Mills and Cleveland. In the speakers
chair Mills would have been as disastrous
rs bull in a china shop; he
has that violent temper which makes
It's possessor demoiish or defle
his own furniture while trying to throw
has enemies out Of the window; his extreme
views would have a!ienated the moderate
Democratic tariff reformcrs in the doubtful
states; his abilities. which are as unques-
tionablc rs his pugnacity. will be exceed
inGy valuable 10 his party on the floor of
the House. 1t was good politics" TO turn
down Mills. 1t was also good politics.
Tor TaDmany 10 serve notice on the
Democracy by voting solidly against Cleve-
lands champion that New York would
not present Cleveland as its candidate De-
fore the convention next year. Why
should New York present Cleveland? The
cry for his candidacy comes from states
tina. voted him down in ISIS and are
morally certain to vote him down in Isa2.
IN ISIS Cleveland lost Iowa by more