The record-union., 1891-03-02
THE MAN OF 1892.
Prospects of Different Candidates
for the Presidency.
Points for the People Who Are Calcu-
lating on the Chances-A Romance
Of the Rebellion-Measuring the
Earth.
Especial correspondence of the REcoRD-Ux1oxl

Especial correspondence of the REcoRD-UNIoNl
WASHINGTON ID. .NC.), Feb. q, 1891.
The national gossip foundry has been
running on full time ever since Mr..
Cleveland published his RECKLESS free
COINAGE letter.
That public document necessarily ere
ated great commotion among the Demo-
cratic aspirants for the Presidency be-
cause it lessened their already limited
number of 'availables' by one. In that
party it presents a frightful chasm.
That little episode did not pass by, how
ever, without producing sultry effects on
the Republican pulse among those who
are interested in the same line of goods.
1t is extremely difficult to-day to de-
ternine which wing of the foundry is
turning out the most work. Between
the two one can hardly find time to mas
ticate mouthful of Washington toughloin
without involuntarily pitching headlong
into dispute and with some wholly un-
known person about who's got the best
chance in 1872.
1t can be readily seen how embarrass-
ing the situation must be for your CORE
spondent to hold his own, with only one
available arm to add demonstrative effect
to an equally crippled method of political
reasoning.
RELATIVE DATA.
1t will be recollected that in the year
1887 Mr.. Blaine made visit TO Europe
for recuperatlon. While there he wrote
letter from Florence, Italy, SubStanti-
ally announcing his final retirement from
public life. The campaign he had passed
through against Mr.. Cleveland was the
first time he had been beaten before the
people for President of the United States.
I-4e
express his sincere convictions, and 1t
was so taken and accepted by leading
partiSans throughout the country.
Pursuant to this letter preliminary
skirmishing for the Presidential nomina-
: ion of 1888 began without his name be-
ng entered on the list OF ''possibles.''
When Mr.. Cleveland issued his fatal
I 'free-trade message" Mr.. Blaine was in
Paris. Copious comments from his pen,
antagoniZing Mr.. Cleveland's argument
on that subject, were duly cabled to the
United States, but nothing however, in
dicated any change in his political posi-
ton already defined in his Florence let
ter. When in April, 1888, the telegraph
and cable announced to the world that
the great New York statesman, Roscoe
Conl<ling, had died, the Presidential door
suddenly flew wide open with IL terrible
bang. 1t resulted III MIR. Blaine's formid-
able political presencelat the Chicago Con-
yention in the following July, although
he was personally still in Paris, France.
After tying up the National Convention
for over a week, Mr.. Harrison broke the
? spell.
1t may be stated in the interests of ac-
curacy that Sherman Of Ohio, Alger of
Michigan, Allison of Iowa, Depew of
New York, Gresham of Indiana, Phelps
of New Jersey, and other prominent Re-
publicans will probably recall these incl
dents before mentioned, and possibly
testify to their correctness if required.
This was Mr.. Blaine's third defeat for
the nomination. The first was by Hayes
in Cincinnati in 1876, the second by Gar
field at Chicago in 1880.
AGAIN IN POLITICAL LIFE.
To the average individual, those cumu-
lative wayward instances would seem to
be practically enough for one lifetime, ii
we place any reliance in those Carlisle
tables SO popular among insurance COM
panies. Not so with the gentleman from
Maine. Accepting the portfolio OF State
from Mr.. Harrison, he entered politics
again with rejuvenated nerve on the 4th
day OF March. 1889, and everybody was
glad. During the early part of Mr.. Har-
rison's administration, it has been alleged
that Mr.. Blaine attempted TO set up for
himself in the appointment of foreign
Ministers and ConSuIs, but got his comb
cropped pretty short. This was another
of those untoward incidents liable to be
encountered in active political life-but
he did not resign.
Last summer he reappeared before the
House Committee on Ways and Means
with an attachment, called reciprocity, to
the Mckinley bill They sat down on
him, but when that bill got over to the
Senate, he wrote an open letter to Senator
Frye, of Maine, finally got it into the bill,
and at the same time recovered the seri-
GUS losses sustained among the ministers
and conSulS.
oil bn oh a.lo
which have gathered around the Presi-
dental panorama, in the shape OF the Nc
kinley bill, the force bill, the silver bill
and the "cloture," our ubiquitous Secre-
tary OF State seems to have occupied HIM
self in turning the crank, appearing only
ut times in the enlivened coloring OF pros
perity, but grouping in the obscure pros
pective whenever the scenery changed.
1t is claimed here in official circles that
Mr.. Harrison is entitled to whatever ben
efits grow out OF reciprocity, because his
administration is responsible for its mis-
takes. But Mr.. Blaine got it all the
same. Since the reciprocity promises to
yield some valuable fruit into our COM
mercial sack, it looks to the casual OBJ
server that Mr.. Harrison hasn't been
watching the board, while the willy Sec
Tetary seems to have been studying both
plays and isabout ready to check"
AS an all-round hypnoti2er our Secre-
tary of State is entitled to the bakery, and
il is not deemed prudent Tor any one TO
let that fact slip their memory.
The way things look to-day in Wash
ington, it is thought by his friends, that il
the California delegation to the next ma
tional convention can be 8Ssassinated on
the road, or in case they get through can
be legally enjoined from reproducing
their great pyrotechnic act of IS, Blaine
will be nominated in '92 sure.
on THE OTHER HAND
The hopes of Mr.. Harrison's friends rest
entirely on his record. Seriously speak
ing no one can say a word truthtully
against the honesty and sincerity of his
motives Next, his zeal for the enact
ment of the "forcen bill. and lastly, the
assiduity he has manifested in trying to
pull Wall street gold" chestnuts out OF
the devastating "silver" fire.
George Gorham says he Will get the en-
tire ladies' vote to a man. That no good
worthy woman could see him pulling the
Mckee baby-carriage round the White
House lot without thinking he was nice
grandpa and ought to be reelected.
There are times when the sack can't
win. Twenty millions of dollars could
not have changed the result last Novem-
Der. Political disintegration is going
on. History fails to furnish stronger
proof of this fact than the result of the
elections in Kansas and South Carolina.
There is positively no truth III any re-
port OF concerted movement of any
kind, in the National Committee, having
for its object the retirement of Mr.. Harri-
son. Those reports emanate iromsunin-
formed sources and are actuated by rev
enue only
During the time the representative men
of the Farmers Alliance and their labor
allies were in Washington. l talked with