The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-06-01
pLATT ON HARRISON.
The Ex-senator Discusses tie
Presidents Merits.
PRAISE FOR HIS ADMINISTRATION.

put Blaine. Says aIr. Piatt. Gave
the Administration Its Most Pop
ular Feature, the Scheme OF Reel
procity, (which Has Saved Mill.
ions to Our People"
New YORK. June 1.-Ex-United States
Senator Thomas G. Plat, whose oppasi-
ton to President Harrisons renomina-
tion is no Secret, was asked If he had
read the report printed in The World
on Friday of an interview with the
president, in which Mr.. Harrison was re-
ported as saying that he did not believe
that individual dlSappointments" would
control the action of the convention at
Minneapolis. 'Yes," Mr.. Platt replied,
81 saw the interview. At first / felt in.
clined to doubt its authenticity not be-
cause Of anything in it, however, for
nothing was attributed to the president
which he has not said in one form or
another TO many persons. But did not
suppose he would use leading Demo-
cratic newspaper to address the Repub-
lican party However, as the interview
has not been questioned from Washing
ton, suppose it must be genuine.
The Wisdom Of Change.
"The remarks about individual dis
appointments indicates how thoroughly
the president misapprehends the nature
Of the opposition to his candidacy, and
also how wise is the American system
of frequent changes in the personnel of
the government. 1t is astonishing how
quick and easy is the process by which q
man comes to look upon the office he
holds as his private property. He be-
tn q nf
power and to the homage which fol-
lows In the train of high authority. and
he soon regards it as little less than
impious to suggest that he would better
make way for another. The president
cannot understand how man can be
good citizen without offering prayers
night and day for the reelection Of Ben
jamin Harrison. He does not conceive
it to be morally possible for any one to
oppose him except from bad, selfish and
gevengeful motives
Praising IIarrison's Administration.
s'Now | am what our mugwump
friends delight to stignatize as n 'prac-
tical politician | look at things as
they really are. The president says in
this interview that he has acted con-
gcientiously in the discharge of his pub
lie duties 1t is far from me to question
that | am more than willing to sub
scribe to really enthusiastic praise Of his
administration. 1t has certainly done
great things. But the president should
not assume that he is the only man who,
since 1889, has contributed to the Re-
publican party's splendid achievements.
He is ouly one OF many statesmen who
conformity have labored to the country's
honor and advantage. Blaine gave us
the most attractive and popular feature
of our policy-the magnificent scheme
of ciprocity-which has saved to the
people $50, 600, coo of taxation here and
20 their exports half as much more in
the foreign countries where they are
sent. II has extended our foreign trade
not less than 5000, 600 and promises
soon to do vastly more than that.
The Party's Achievements.
at might be said perhaps that the
credit of the achievements wrought by
Republican statesmen belong especially
to the president, on the ground that he
gave those great men to the party. But
did her Certainly it was not Harrison
who made Blaine, nor did he make
Thomas b. Reed. nor William Mckin-
ley, nor John Sherman, nor Allison, nor
Aldrich, nor Frye. nor Hale. l guess
maybe he did make Noble and Miller,
and shall not object to his having all
the credit which attaches to their Illus
trous careers. But the point | wish to
bring out is that ours is government
of parties and not q government of men.
The presidents error lies i'll assuming
that he has done it ALL He attributes
to himself all the glorious achievements
of the Fifty first congress. quite ignor-
sing the superb genius whose strong arm
and clear head has turned havoc into or
der and made the feeble Republican
majority of three or four the most pro-
life and successful body of lawmakers
that ever sat III congress- The Mckinley
bill, the customs act, the shipping bill,
the pension law, the navy construction
laws, the Notifications laws, the army
reform acts, all the wonderful leyisla-
tion which the Republican majority of
that congress formulated and which
Thomas B. Reeds resolnte will enabled
them to enact Mr.. Harrison gives to
himself and says, See what l hive done2
I'm seeking to correct this misappre-
hension on the presidents part do not
seek to take from him that which does
belong to MIN. He has been a good,
strong, wise president, and as such he
will go into history Animated as he
has been by purely patriotic motives he
will admit the force of the proyerb thut
virtue is its own reward 1t indicates
a false notion of the dignity and ex.
ultation of the presidency TO say that
any man, no matter how good or great
is entitled to it. The man does not live
in whom that expression would not be
presumptuous If Mr.. Harrison has
done his duty, l am glad. But he hai
65,0G0,000 of fellow citizens, and it i.
their presidency not anybody's."
Eikins' Positive Statement.
M Itina