The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-12-22
A SUDDEN KNOCKOUT.
TIE PASSING OF Mr.. GRESHAM'S
PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRATIONS.

Gene raj James S. Clarkson as a Republican
Candidate,SSecretaryN Morton as the Pos
sible Choice of the Democrats-Latest
Political Gossip at the Capitol
WASHINGTON, Dec. Is. Especial. II
General James S. Clarkson has been IN
town for several days, and with him ca me
a new boom for the Republican presiden-
tial nomination in 1896. 1t is an open
secret among Mr.. Clarkson's friends in
| Washington that he is an avowed aspirant
| for the nomination. Already his friends
| throughout the country are at work, and
they really expect to be able to accomplish
| their desires Mr.. Clarkson is one of those
men who attract the most enthusiastic
| friendships. To know Clarkson is to ad-
! mire him, to form an affection for him.
| Probably there is not a man in the United
| States who has a greater number of de
| voted pc, sonal friends than this man from
| Iowa, There are hundreds of young men,
| and many old men, too, who would be will
ing to undergo any sort of a sacrifice that
might help advance the political fortunes
| Of their idol As man MIR. ClarksOn de-
serves all the enthusiasm of his followers,
and as a politician he is known to be
among the most skillful of either party.
The only thing his friends fear for him as
presidential aspirant is that he has not as
yet been associated prominently enough
with public life. He never held any
Office except that of first assistant post
master general and while it is an impor-
tant post it is SO only as political agency
and has nothing whatever to do with
craftsmanship. While there is no doubt OF
Mr.. Clarkson's ability to manage the
White House or any other department. OF
the government, it is feared the country
will look upon his present aspirations as
more or less presumptuous on account OF
his lack of experience in congress or other
public life.
Keep an Eye on Clarkson.
Among the young men who have been
attracted to Clarkson and who have FORM
ed the most devoted attachment to him is
one named Trumbull of California. Mr..
Trumbull is youngster, but very rich.
He thinks the greatest man that ever
walked the earth is this same Mr.. Clark
son and says if he could get the chance he
would put up cool 81 200, 900 to advance
his favorite's political prospects. There is
no doubt that Mr.. Trumbull means what
he says, and that he has the stuff to put up.
He is a friend worth having, and General
Clarkson evidently thinks SC, too, for he and
the Californian are nearly always seen to-
gether Clarkson is noted as man who dis
sipated fortune in politics, always work
ing for some other fellow and never seeking
for himself Evidently he thinks the time
has now come to go in on his own hook.
His friends say he will have the solid votes
of the southern delegations in the next Re
publican convention because of his advo
. cacy of the rights of the colored voters
: and that being the only prominent Repub
lican in the country who is in favor of free
silver he will have all the western votes
, These with the votes he will pick up in
the east through friendship and manage
ment will give him the prize. Stranger
J things than this have happened in poll
tics, and possibly it would be good ides
to keep an eye on Mr.. Clarkson.
Gresham's Fatal Mistake.
We have had quite lot of presidential
gossip here at the capital of late WheI
we have nothing else to do in Washington
we sit down and build presidential ali
castles. 1t is the one thing we never tir,
of, and which the country does not tire o.
: either. just now the gossips are sorely
troubled to find Democratic candidate
President Cleveland is out of it, of course
Even if this were his first term instead O.
! his second, there would have to be 1
I mighty change in the Democratic party o.
he would not be renominated. AS it is
] there is no use discussing him, though
5 now and then one meets man who say
$ Mr.. Cleveland will be nominated for tn
l fourth time because the people want him
Until recently Secretary Gresham wa
}, much talked of as possible Democratic
0 candidate. 1t was predicted by many PEG
t pie that in four years he would become 81
thoroughly identified with Democracy tina
o people would forget he ever was Repub
9 lican. He has Democratic manners and in
stincts and is q man who is very mucl
: liked by every one who comes in contac
: with him. He has the same quality pos
g sessed by Clarkson in winning friendship
I which become exceedingly enthusiastic
, But the Hawaiian business has evidentl
q knocked in the head all presidential posi-
4 bilities for Mr. Gresham. He is no longe
D talked of in that connection. The peopl
appear to have condemned the admins
tration's Hawaiian policy, though her
Z and there men are found to defend it, Q
course. Whatever may be ones opinio
as to the right or wrong of the plan t
restore the queen, it seems to have bowie
Y its author out of the presidential race,
Q he was ever in it.
It New Presidential Timber.
K The members of Mr.. Cleveland's cabine
l. appear to be rather unlucky as presidentia
q aspirants. Until the silver fight came u
there were many predictions that Secretar
q Carlisle would be nominated to succeed hi
e chief. No one is talking that way now
:. For some reason or other Mr.. Carlisle
while still esteemed as one of the most in
e tellectual men who ever occupied seat i
q our government, is no longer considere
It good presidential timber. In the silve
2, struggle he was so unfortunate as to often
n large number of men who had hithert
B. been his stanch admirers. Having been
silver man himself, he found it necessar
to disappoint the expectations of his oil
friends without making much headwa
tie with the element with which he was some
y what accidentally brought into associa
d ton. Besides Mr.. Carlisle has develope
t certain weaknesses as a man of bushes
70 and affairs-he is more a thinker than a
ID executive-and these have operated great
ol to his disadvantage.
a. just now the capital gossipers are turr
IS ing to a new man as possible successor
he Mr.. Cleveland. They look at Secretar
:, Morton of the agricultural department an