Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-22
THE SAME QUESTION is CLEVELAND
OUR STRONGEST MANp

Pursuant to our promise of yesterday,
we recur to the problem, "Is Grover
Cleveland the strongest man the Demo-
cratic party can nominate for presi-
dent?"
The HERALD answers emphatically
that he is not. Through the aid of Gen.
Pat Collins he succeeded in beating
Blaine in the state of New York by
HOO votes. OF course General Collins
built his work on the rum, Romanism
and Rebellion" business of the Rev.
Burchard. That alliterative utterance,
and the millionaire's banquet to Blaine
which preceded it, gave the Empire
state to Cleveland by the narrowest ma
iority known in its history, and made
him president.
In his second race Mr.. Cleveland was
beaten for president in his own state
which meant his leaving the White
Houss-by decisive majority.
His friends have contended that there
was something special in this, and that
the friends of Governor Hill were at the
bottom of the detection.
Mr.. ]. s. Hackley has taken the trou-
BILE to compile number of figures on
this point. He has taken them in
every case from official sources, and they
show that in twenty-five ofthe then thir-
ty-eight states of the American union,
excluding New York, Cleveland ran be-
hind his ticket-in most cases in
larger ratio than characterized his craw-
fish running in New York. The vote of
the Empire state, in 1883, of itself was
curious study. Hill received 1904
more votes than Cleveland-but Hill. of
course, was a very popular man. No
body will accuse Lieutenant-G Governor
Jones of being popular, but even that
eccentric individual received 14,647i
more votes than Cleveland. In the
same election the Democratic candidate
for mayor in the city OF New York re-
ceived %, AGA more than the Democratic
candidate for president, and the Demo
cratic candidates for congress in the
same city poiled 1885 more than he.
That there is something significant
and instructive in such result
no man not fool will con-
cede. 1t demonstrates tue fact, with
the clearness of calcium light, that
Mr.. Cleveland. with his Mugwump
friends added on, is unpopular in the
city and state Of New York.
The strength of the ex-president has
been supposed to lay in the south. Yet
in Alabama Governor Seay led Cleve-
land by 3S,653. In Arkansas Governor
Eagle led him by l3,267 votes. In
Colorado and Connecticut Mr.. Cleve-
land was led by the congressional tick
cts. In Florida, Illinois and Iowa
Cleveland's vote was behind that OF the
state candidates. In Kansas the Demo-
cratic candidate for congress received
IL ,59S more votes than Cleveland, while
in Louisiana Nichols for governor re-
ceived 1877, ,257 votes, while the Cleve-
land electors only scored 85,032. In
Maine the emocratic congressman had
10, ,496 more votes than the Cleveland
electors-a much heavier ratio against
the Democratic nominee than existed in
New York.
Not to enter into fatiguing details, in
Massachusetts,, Michigan, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New
Hampshire, North Carolina, Rhode
Island, South Carolina. Tennessee, Texas,
Vermont and Wisconsin, Cleveland ran
behind the state tickets of his party. OF
the remaining states, Cleveland beat
Matson, the Democratic candidate for
governor in Indiana, nineteen votes only.
Cleveland beat Francis in Missouri 6210
votes, and only because Francis was go
unpopular at the time in his own home
in the city of St. Louis. Cleveland also
beat the Democratic nominee for secre-
tary of state in Ohio 933 votes. Califor-
mia, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Mary
land, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania
and Virginia held no state election at
that time. West Virginia was incom-
plete at the time the tables we are using
were made up. Otherwise these figures
are correct according to the figures sent
out by the secretary of each respective
state.
Thus we see Mr.. Cleveland ran behind
his party ticket in twenty-five states be-
sides New York, and only led his party
ticket in three states, and one of them =
Indiana--by only nineteen votes. To be
sure, the falling off was small in many
states, but in all of them the percentage
of falling off to the total vote was as
great as, or greater than, that of New
York.
Such facts cannot be whistled down
the wind. If the HERALD believed that
Mr.. Cleveland was really the strongest
man the Democrats could put up it
would take off its hat and cheer him to
the echo. But it does not believe 80.
In the article of yesterday we used our
own figures. Today we avail ourselves
of those of Mr.. Hackley. We make no
apology for presenting to our readers
the views of this gentleman, predicated
on his observation and careful compila-
tion:
/ now ask the calm consideration of
every Democrat who desires the success
of his party in 1872 to look at these fig