The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-18
PRESIDENTIAL PROSPECTS.

great political parties fayoring and de-
Tending one set of current measures or
damning and defeating others, are Obliged
to take sides and place themselves with
partisan strength and bitterness on the
record. They are like all strong and
forceful men in life; they must make enc
mics, must assume unpleasant and I'M
avoidable responsibilities, and such men
are seldom available candidates in close
political contest, because all their lives
they have been making record that
though admired by their friends, is an
odious and burning memory to their foes.
This is the real reason why politicians pre-
fer for candidate in a close national
fight a man whose previous life and pur-
suits stand either for that amiable medioc-
rity that always secures popularity or
that political inactivity or obscurity which
implies no conspicuous record that needs
explanation, extenuation or skillful de-
tense in order to catch the floating. indie
pendent, variable vote.
The failure of Henry Clay was due to
the fact that he was too great man to be
treated as an obsequious tool by the
South, who knew his patriotism and his
want of any real sympathy with slavery,
and who therefore preferred Polk. Web
ster was too great to be plastic fellow
once seated in the White House, and with
the exception of 1850 his action and utter
ances had been too intensely patriotic and
in depreciation Of slavery, SO that the
Wings knew that they could not get any
Southern states with Webster.
Cass was beaten by Taylor because the
South could safely trust Louisiana Wing
STAKEHOLDER to sympathize with slavery
better than they could any Jacksonian
Democrat from the free states, and Cass
was big enough intellectually to be more
than a wax figure in the hands of the
South, and the soundness of this iudg-
ment of the South was verified
by the prompt resignation of Cass
from the cabinet of President
Buchanan when that poor creature re-
fused on constitutional grounds" to as
sert the right of federal coercion against
state secession and rebellion. Douglas
was beaten by the South because he lost
its confidence in the Nebraska bill debate.
The open hostility of Douglas to the Le-
compton constitution policy of the Buch-
anan administration lost him in 1860 the
nomination at the Charleston convention;
he was the Democratic independent" the
Mugwump of his day, and he was ground
to powder between the upper and neither
milestone of the Republican party and the
pro-slavery Democracy.
Pierce was preferred by the South be-
cause he was not only obscure enough to
be available but was privately known to
be an intensely bitter pro-slavery partisan
and obsequious Northern doughface.
Buchanan was the choice of the South
over Douglas, in 1856, because absence
from the country had kept him
out of controversy and he was
known to be timid. cold, without either the
patriotism or the pugnacity necessary to
initiate Jackson, and take conspiracy by the
throat and stamp his foot upon secession.
Seward. Chase and Conkling were thrown
over by the party managers because they
were not as available for party success as
men more obscure and without a record
that invited opposition, criticism and
hostility. Blaine's aggressive conspicuity
lost him the nomination in 1876 and 1880.
Cleveiand's nomination was made by the
political managers of his party in execu-
ton of the same policy that made them
select Polk in ls4i, Pierce in 1852 and
Buchanan in 1856. They wanted a man
without Democratic record of any conse-
quence; an available man who, with
nothing behind him to quote, could lure
the Mugwumps and sorehead Republicans
TO his standard.
The American people have no strong
disinclinat'on TO give the presidency to
eminent men who are pronounced candi-
dates. 1t is mere question of success {;
eminence while not odious because it asks
office, is often not available, because of the
partisan record il had to make in order to
become eminent. The choice of the party
would always be an eminent and able man,
no matter how often he sought the nomi-
nation, save for the fact that every other
consideration is subordinated TO success.