Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1892-06-30
A DEMOCRATIC VIEW.

New York Sun Oem.), June Il, 1892
To one thing the delegates to the
Democratic National Convention at Chi.
cago may as well make up their minds
namely, that in the pivotal State of New
York Benjamin Harrison is a strong
candidate. No matter what differences
of opinion with regard to the nomination
may have existed among the members
of his party, every Republican vote in
this State will be cast for the present
occupant of the White House. That is
fact, and the sooner it is recognized
the better for the National Democracy,
In the first place, Mr.. Harrison can
not be beaten by Mr.. Cleveland. That
was demonstrated in 1888. In that year
Mr.. Cleveland had the unanimous sup
port of the New York delegation in the
Democratic National Convention, and
throughout the campaign all the power
and patronage of the federal government
were welded in his behalf. This year
all the resources of the federal admins
tion will be employed for the Republican
nominee. and, what is far more signifi-
cant, the delegates from New York will
present to the convention the name of
Mr.. Hill, and if Mr.. Cleveland's candi-
dacy is forced upon Democratic voters,
it will be against the solemn protest of
his party in this State No man of
common sense will say that under such
circumstances Mr. Cleveland is likely to
run better in New York in 1892 than he
ran in 1888.
Mr.. Cleveland himself does not believe
that he could beat Mr.. Harrison in this
State this year. Neither he nor the
inner circle of his adherents would wish
to secure for him the nomination if they
thought that his attainment of the
Presidency depended upon carrying New
York for him next November They
are playing much more devious and
desperate game. They know that Mr.
Harrison and the Republican party are
committed against free silver, and their
purpose is to make the Democratic Ma
tional Convention take in its platform
equally firm ground against the free
coinage of the white metal, thus forcing
the silver men to put up a candidate of
their own, who, they assume, will be
successful in most of the so-called silver
States. Could this scheme be carried
out, Mr.. Cleveland might lose New York,
and still neither of the great parties
might command majority of the pres
idential electors, so that the choice of
President would pass to the House of
Representatives, in which the Democrats
have very large majority. We suppose
that there never was more unscrupu-
lous, cold blooded calculation than this
which we have outlined, for it exposes
great political party to the imminent
risk of shipwreck for the bare chance of
furthering selfish interests of an unim-
portant individual. 1t is calculation,
moreover, which events would never
Justify. 1t is too clever by half. The
voters of the silver States, when their
eyes were opened to the trap prepared
for them, would spurn it with derision
They will not let themselves be made
the catspaw of a crafty politician. The
people of the United States will never
deliberately throw the choice of a Presi-
dent into the House of Representatives
1t follows that neither in the open
field, nor indirectly by trick and device,
can Mr.. Cleveland beat Mr.. Harrison.