Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-15
GROWERS GREAT LUCK
How Hills Mistakes Have Sent Up
Cleveland Stock and
CHANGED NEW YORK SENTIMENT.
Tammany Put in a Hole From Which It
Can Gnly Crawl by
RALLYIYG AROUND THE BIG MANS FLAG
TFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT .


York and the earnest efforts of other State.
in interest to provide an acceptable Presi
dental candidate it is evident that ex-Presi.
dent Cleveland's prospects for third nomi.
nation have recently very much improved.
This is now generally admitted here-some-
times reluctantly and sometimes regret.
fully. New York politicians not committed
90 the Cleveland movement look upon the
favorable progress of the Cleveland boom
with some astonishment The impression
upon other States that was expected from
Hills capture OF the State delegation has not
been made That early Hill demonstration
now seems merely TO have stimulated the
friends of the eN-President to redoubled eff
fort. 1t gave notice TO the country of just
the sort of man Hill is, and of what the
power behind him would be in case he were
nominated and elected. Doubtlessly the
Cleveland organizers anticipated this COOL
ing process and were not discouraged. The
wisdom OF their course has already been
demonstrated. After Hills return from
his Southern tour there was semi-con-
scioUS feeling among his admirers here that
the Hill pole was too short to reach the
persimmonS 1t is a curious thing in this
Presidential contest within the Democratic
party that the machine politician, noted
for his clever manipulation, should commit
ali the errors, aud that the innocent re-
former, who knows nothing about politics,
should have managed so cleverly as to de-
rive the full benefit of those mistakes.
Hills Mistakes Are Cleveland's Helps.
There was that 'snap" convention, as it is
called. The mistake of the ''snap" conven-
tion was political crime No amount of
sophistrv could explain it satisfactorily.
The most ordinary reasoner saw at once
what the smart manipulation of men could
not or refused to see. And that is, that it
opened up a clear road for his principal
Presidential rival. Subsequent events have
pretty successfully demonstrated that if
Cleveland had himself encouraged Hill into
the mid-winter convention scheme he could
not have engineered his own political ma
chine more skiiltuliy. The electioneering
trip South was another error. As long as a
military leader of doubtful strength can
keep his forces under cover he is likely to
be estimated at more than he is worth, but
as soon as he draws them out into the open
where the enemy can count them, he is at
the mercy OF any larger army.
Governor Hill has exhibited both the
strength of his personality and the charac-.
ter of his following. Altogether they are a
disappointment to the tavorably disposed
toward him and a great encouragement to
those who seek his obliteration from the
political field. All events of the campaign
thus tar strengthen the opinion that Hills,
political personality is bounded by the
limits of New York State, and when he
goes ont of this familiar field he is simply a |
man thrashing around in the brush. As |
Governor Of the great State of New York, |
debating the policy of his party and stand |
ing between ii and an outrageous minority |
elected Legislature, he was a conspicuous |
and popular patriot. As Senator Hill, |
n G-11
for the Presidential nomination and uttering |
vapid nothings on national topics he doesn't |
understand. ne sinks to the level of q score |
OF other political mountebanks
In Mr.. Cleveland's Presidential interests |
Senator Hill has PLAYED the leading hand. |
There are ADLER and more astute men than
Hill behind the Cleveland boom in this
CITY. Their forces are under cover and
their aims are hidden from public gaze.
The bulls eye of their target is the rich
metropolitan city of New York, with its
princcly revenues and an official patronage
greater than the entire patronage OF the Fed
eral Government. 1t is difficult to make the
distant public understand the springs of
human action that govern or misgovern
this powerful municipality. Yet in this
case the motif Of the play is so plain that |
the mere statement of it in outline should
be convincing.
A Case OF Dog Eat Dog.
There is nothing disreputable, or un-
patriotic, or inconsistent with the obliga-
tions OF good citizenship in the desire of
men to control the administration of affairs
OF great city. The power of Tammanv
Hall is doubtless the envy of many politi-
cal clique Let us admit the fact. that
Tammauy has given New York a reasonably
clean and satisfactory governmcnt-there
are still other people who might do the
same il they had chance. If they are on
the constant and sharp lookout for that
chance it is human and pertinent. If they
are always plotting, and devising, and
scheming, and forming combinations and
spending no end otmoney to accomplish their
purpose 1t is their unquestionable right to
do 50. 'All is fair in love and war;" and
this is love and war combined-love for
official spoils and war to the knife to get
possession OF them. But it is just as well
everybody should have clear understand
ing of the case, TO the end that a great |
political party should not be used and the
grand principles of its founders be not
prosJituted to further local and even laud-
able desire OF this kind. But for the want
OF this understanding a Democratic. Presi-
dent might be now occupying the Executive |
chair instead Of Benjamin Harrison. If it
is properly national issue let us know it
IN advance, and let it be put squarely before
lie people. If all other national issues,
such as the tariff, the stability of the cur-
rencv, the administration of Federal affairs
generally, are TO be subordinated TO this
question, as to what particular clique of
ambitious partisans are to have control of
New York City, it is due to the people of
this country that they should fully realize it.
How Hill Has Endangered Tanmany.
Nearly every intelligent reader of the
newspapers has some smattering knowledge !
OF the local Democratic organization here
known as Tammany Hall. Perhaps many
viii remember the rise, decline and fall of
the rival Democratic organization, the
County Democracy. New York is SO over
Democratic that nothing short
Of splitting up the party organization and
the fragments with the solid Re-
publicans, Mugwump and all sorts of rings 6
and wings, will enable the general oppo-
Bition to break down the machine This
was successfully accomplished under the
leadership of William r. Grace
A short term of this sort of municipal |
reform apparently satisfied the people of
New York, for they turned in and restored
Tammanv. The County Democracy made n |
gallant struggle and the 'reformers" ana
and disgruntled of all CON-
binations were with them. Triumphant
Tammany finished the County Democracy
bv appointing the latters influential chiefs
10 office, a stroke of diplomacy that scattered
the rank and file beyond raIlying. The
of ousting Tammanv from
nunicipa! control, or even of building up a
opposition, seemed hopeless