Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-11
MONDAY, APRIL II, 1899.
HARRISON AND THE REPUBLICAN
NOMINATION..

NOMlNATlUNs
The Times Yesterday contained some
remarks not at all complimentary to
Benjamin Harrison, and which indicate
that the weight of that journal and the
personal influence OF its controller are
to be cast against the presidents re-
nomination at the Minneapolis conven-
tion. The personal ana official peculi-
arities of the president are correctly de-
scribed. He is arrogant, cold, narrow
minded, opinionated and repellant in
manner. He has many other and even
more serious drawbacks, which would
be more apparent to Democrat than to
a Republican. He would be willing to
wrest the constitution of the United
States to the extreme tension in order
to increase the power of his party and
minister to his own peremptory in
stincts.
Mr.. Harrison is not in any sense Il
popular man. Very few people ever
leave his pres ence with cordial feeling
towards the occupant of the White
House. On the contrary, the almost in
variable impression left on the visitor
from a personal intercourse with the
president is highly disagreeable. He is
almost the only one of our chief execu-
tives of w.iom this could be said. His
immediate predecessor, Mr.. Cleveland,
was characterized by the extreme of re
ndblican simplicity, and he was decid-
Ill o1 hiE Eonn rol
Arthur was urbane to punctilio and
was universally liked. But there is this
distinction between Mr.. Harrison and
Mr.. Arthur. While the New Yorker was
personally very popular he had no po-
litical strength, while, in the case OF Mr..
Harrison, though he has no personal
popularity he is politically strong.
Ghe two things are by 40 means cor
relative. 1t is absurd to say that man
is not strong when state convention
after state convention, ranging through
all the states OF the union, meet and
pass resolutions endorsing his admins
tration and instructing for his renomin-
alton. This may not be, and is not
popularity in the case of the present
executive, but it is an indication of force
that is not to be despised.
AS the case looks now all the indica-
tions point to his denomination by the
Minneapolis convention. He is politi-
cal manager OF no mean ability. He is
in no sense great man, but within the
lines OF his powers he is active and en-
ergetic. w hat he lacks in intellectual
power he makes up in cunning. He
plays for the support OF the real
manipulators OF corrupt politics. Mr.
Hill has been ondemned by many per.
sons without reflection because his
enemies have acused him OF being q
machine politician. Harrison is the
very beau ideal of machine politi
clan. He risked much in the appoint
ment of Woods, the protector OF Dudley
to seat on the circuit bench of the
United States, and it required all hi:
influence with the senate to secure that
persons confirmation. He appointed
Stephen B. Elkins, one of the greatest
jobbers in the land, secretary of war to
gain that powerful connubiator's sup
port. He has rewarded every partici.
pant in the foaters and blocks OF fve''
enormity by which he was elected, and
he is said to have supervised the dis.
tribution of the corruption fund in Indi-
ana himself. He is a practical politician
. to his finger tips.
The real source OF his strength lies in
the fact that he stands in with his party
through thick and thin. Republican
politicians do not like him, but they are
obliged to admit that he represents the
tendencies and aspirations of his party.
A few OF them, who are statesmen, and
all of them who have red corpuscles in
their veins, will be very restive at the
idea of being obliged again to accept him
as their standard bearer, but at the
present writing there would appear to
be no escape from his candidacy. His
office-holders are a solid phalanx, the
colored man and brother from the south
will be a unit for him. and there is nc
two-thirds rule governing a Republican
national convention. His strength with
his party is in his Republicansm-sim-
ply that and nothing more. He was al
lowed to gain headway when the Re
publican managers looked upon the
chances for his election as much poorer
than they now regard them, and they
will be obliged to play the game out as
it started. Even our stalwart contem.
porary, the Times, will be whipped into
ranging itself in line, and will doubtless
do some tall shouting for the Indiana
''icicle."
We have confined ourselves to Harri
cons strength with his party. When
it comes to the country at large the case
will be entirely different. His Demo
cratic opponents will have ample ma
terial with which to compass his undo
ing. He not only stands for all that is
vulnerable in the Republican party, but
the lack OF enthusiasm on the part of his
followers will greatly initiate against
ho~ of ouococc He will no ~