Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-17
The PresidentiaI Contest in Sight.

We might repeat our words Of YESTERDAY
and say that these be lively times indeed
Speculations akin 70 those INDUCED IN
yesterday by our regular Washington cor
respondent may be styled forecasts made
by experts. The very air of Washington
city Is full Of politics. There IS never
time when there arc not thousands OF
ofice-holders and ofhce-seekers in that
city, TO say nothing of tho rest OF that po-
litical community. and never time When
speculation is not rife as to what Is gong
20 take place in the future.
Mr.. BLAISEs physical system appears
really to be In such q condition as 20 make
A. seem at least that he cannot be the next
Republican nominee for President OF the
United States. BLAINE out OF theway, no
body is left for the Republicans except
HARRrroN, who has already been con-
demned by the people at the ballot-box,
and n nun Der Of other mediocre statesmen
or rather professional statesmen. SHER-
MAN is too old. MCKINLEY went down with
his bill But we need not catalogue the
list of the Republican aspirants. All of
them are men of the HARRIsoN cali
bre. and perhaps no one Of them would
be Imore popular with the people than
HARRISON himself. 1t may be said there
fore, that as Mr.. BLAINE, If he were well,
could have the Republican nomination If
he would intimate to his friends that he
wanted il. so in the absence of BLAINE
from the field of aspirants, Mr.. HARRISON
stands better chance than any other man
of having placed in his hands the banner
of tho Republican party. In q word,
BIArsE in the field, HARRISON is nobody.
BLAME out of the field, HARRISON has no
competitor who can overcome the hosts OF
ofice-seekers and place-holders who will
OF once proceed to use all the patronage
of the Government in behalf of Mr.. HAIR
BIsoS's nomination. But We cannot yet
assume that MIR. BLAINE Is certainly out OF
the way.
Now as TO the Democrats. We did not
mention Ohio yesterday in our articles on
New York and Kentucky. But Ohio has
a man for whom the fates seem TO fght as
. once they didfor Mr.. CLEVELAND. We never
doubted that Mr.. CAMPBELL would be re-
nominated for Governor. and so we were
not surprised by the telegram in our yes
terday's issue stating that that nomination
would be his if he wanted II. Tho CAMP
BELLS are coming" unless New York does
better than she now promises TO do. As
Mr.. WArTKRsoS says, the national Demo-
crscy cannot afford to nominate either HILL
or CLEVELAND unless the friends of both
of them agree TO rally unanimously to the
support Of whichever of them, if either,
NAV be put forward as the Democratic
candidate for President. The nomination
of an opponent of free-coinage upon
free-coinage platform would not DO moro
Inconsistent with good policy than would
the nomination Of New Yorker who
could not get the electoral vote OF his own
State. We do not say that either HILL or
CLEVELAND is 80 unpopular in New York
that he cannot carry that state; but we do
say that If either of them Is out OF favorat
home then that one ought not to be our
standard-bearer next year. Such men as
GoRMAs, of Maryland, and BARBOUR, of
Virginia, would hardly consider nomina-
ton of that sort practical politics"
There is no man in the Democratic party
who is superior TO the Democratic party
itself. One mans fortunes are rs nothing
when compared with the fortunes of the
only national party in existence. One
mans claims" are as dust in the balance
when weighed against the supreme claims
of the people. We must nominate a man
who could beat Mr.. BLAINE If he were we'll
enough to run. And even if we concede
that BLAINE will be out of the way and
that the Democrats will be strong enough
TO beat any other Republican, either with
or without the vote of New York, it would
be unwise in the highest degree for the
Democrats TO rely upon the appropriately
Of the Republican nominee instead OF
upon the popularity Of their own.