The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-04-30

VINO call on MIN ABOUT appOlntmentS
feel uncomfortable. He is a suspicious
man.
II have heard q score of senators say
that whereas Arthur and other presi-
dents could deny a mans request in
such u way as to make the man afriend,
Mr.. Harrison is SO unfortunate as not to
be able to grant a request in such a way
as to attach the beneficiary to him. This
is a matter OF temperament and moth
ing else. We all agree, Democrats as
well as Republicans, that Harrison has
made a good president. He is n man Of
remarkable insight and analysis. He
has the power Of sustained labor and
study. He has been clean and strong.
His chief weakness has been in his per-
sonal contact with men-his strange in
ability to get on smoothly with them.
"One thing l admire him for is his
frank stubbornness about this thing. He
knows his weakness, but defes it. To
those who have advised him to make an
too old a dog to learn new tricks, and
that as he is SO must he continue. He
said he would despise himself if he were
to try to change the habits of a lifetime
for the sake Of winning a few more
friends. What senators complain most
of in the president is his abruptness. He
has a way of dismissing them or drop
ping a subject in which they are very
much interested so suddenly rs to be
rather shocking. He doesn't mean to
give ~offense. but does just the same. He
is just as abrupt to members of his fam
lily, but they know him.
A instance of this was told me a
day OF two ago by a friend of the presi-
dents who was ut dinner recently in
the White House. Two or three men,
bers of the family had q little converse
ton about an official matter. They had
their opinions about it and were not
afraid to express them, though their
, opinions did not harmonize with those
of he man who sat at the head of the
table. The president evidently thought
the ladies of his household were trying
10 give him some advice, for he said,
The people elected me president. not
my family"
Then the conversation was changed to
another topic.
Filling the offices is the bale of every
man who occupies the presidential
chair" continued the senator. land |
will tell you that in the senate cloak
rooms we have come to the conclusion
that on account of the friction and trou-
bic arising from this source the day is
near at hand when the presidency will
be a II term office. Either the consti-
t.,tinn will no ,l,.ol -. 49,, - ...ol:1:A
a second term. or it will become the I'M
written law that a man is not to have
two terms, just as it is nov the unwrit-
ten law that there shall not be a third
term"
But you haven't told me whom the
Democrats will nominate for president
at ChicagoT'
81 can't tell you. In the senate cloak
rooms, where we presume to settle SO
many big questions, we haven't any sort
of an idea on this point. All the surface
indications point to Mr.. Cleveland. But
here again comes in this same thing of
friction about the spoils. If Mr.. Cleve-
land were as popular us he is with the
masses of his party. and had never been
president, he would surely he nominated.
No power on earth could stop it. But
the leading men of the Democratic
party are afraid he has so many enemies,
men who became angercd at him while
he was in the White House, that he can
not be elected. Added to this, they say,
is the bitterness between the Hill and
Cleveland factions in New York. AS a
result of these conditions we have large
numbers Of the party throughout the
country crying for Cleveland, while the
leaders in Washington are trying to
agree upon some other nan How it
will all come out is more than finite man
can forcsee.'
"Oue trouble about agreeing upon a
man to beat Cleveland with is that SO
many of the Inc who want to defeat
Cleveland want to be president them
selves. AS soon as one of their number
begins forging to the front the others
begin tearing him down. In this way
the field is kept divided up. with not
much hope of uniting it anywhere. The
masses of the party stop shouting for
Cleveland long enough to near the lead
ers tell them Cleveland can't be elected.
Then they ask who can. And when a
Babel of voices answer them that this
man can, and this man can't, they be-
come confused and go bach to their idol.
That is the way it is going now. In the
cloakrooms | hear Democratic senators
shaking their heads and saying it looks
much like Cleveland.
Senator Hills friends are not nearly
so hopeful as they We're, and ! hear that
the Hill strength will be thrown to Sem
ator Palmer, of Illinois. Senator Brice.
of Ohio, says Palmer can be elected.
But just as soon as the Palmer move
ment begins to make Roadway German,
Morrison, Carlisle and Others go over to
Cleveland in order to head Palmer of.
The ticket most talked about in Wash
ington just now, in opposition to Cleve-
land, is Palmer and Flower. The cham
pions OF this ticket argue that it could
carry Indiana and New York if any
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