St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-01
d. b. HILLS STRENGTH.

Belmont Says 1t Is Owing to I'm
just Villification.
New YORK. April 5O.-Before sailing
for Europe today eXCongressman Perry
Belmont was asked in regard to his
preference among the candidates named
for tie nomination at Chicago. Mr..
Belmont promptly answered that his
first choice is Senator Hill, not only be-
couSe the New York Democracy had so
decidedly pronounced for him, but be-
cause he believed Senator Hill to be in
every way the best and safest candidate.
do you really think Senator. Hill
will be nominaIed?' he was asked.
MIR. Belmont said that he did, and for
the reason that he is confident the dele
gates from the West and the South will
give Hill their support after forming
their opinions from the facts presented.
"What will be the character OF those
facts and OpinioRs?"
Chiefly the record of Mr.. Cleveland's
inability when candidate to enlist the
full Democratic vote of New York
said Mr.. Belmont.
Nobody, at least no Democrat, doubts
the competency and experience of Mr..
Cleveland fitting him to be president,
nor will any New York delegate at
Chicago question the fitness of German,
or Carlisle, or Gray. or any one.
ut is not question of fitness for
Cleveland. German, Carlisle or Palmer
for each is fit and competent to be
preSident-but the real question is,
what Democrat can most surely carry
New York, and with New York carry
New Jersey and Connecticut. There
will not be at Chicago any occasion for
bad temper or ill-feeling. Democratic
politicians in the South and West know
what Democratic organization in a
state means, and they will respect the
meaning. What the Chicago convention
has to do is to nominal a candidate who
can preserve Democratic control over
the Southern states by reasonable at
titude toward the Farmers Alliance,
and can carry the four Northern states
of New York, Indiana, New Jersey and
Connecticut. That is the problem. In
diana will speak for itself, and New
York, having a tenth of the population
of the country, and nearly tenth of all
the presidential electors, will answer
for ITSELF"
But" was asked, don't you really
believe that Cleveland can carry New
York in Noyember?"
You must find the answer in the
record OF Mr.. Cleveland's campaigns in
New York." replied Mr.. Belmont. Il
cannot discover anything 10 justify me
as delegate to tell any one at Chicago
that Mr.. Cleveland will be evan as
strong in New York in November, 1892,
as he was in 1885. l may regret it. and
do regret it, but facts are not to be ig-
nored, and the responsibility of each
delegate required him TO consider them.
1t is notsof much avail to go into the
causes of Cleveland's falling eff in New
York, even since 1888, but it may be
said. and will be said, that the unjust
and unmeaSured condemnation by Mr..
G1eveland's partIsanS of Senator Hill
and Tammany hall, the New York legis-
lature and the New York Democratic
organization, explains much of it.
Every Democratic politician knows
how the Democratic rank and file re-
ceive abuse of their leaders who Head
to success. When the Tammany voters
hear themselves arraigned by what are
known as the MugWumD newspapers,
and denounced as members OF the
Semi-criminal classes. they naturally
resent it, and even Mr.. Croker cannot
overcome or succeed IN allaying oppOSi-
ton to any candidate i'll whose interests
these attacks are made. In my opinion
one powerful reason why Gov. Hill has
been SO popular at the ballot boxes
since 1882 is that he has been so UNI
justly Villified by Republican and Mug
Wump newspapers"