The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-11-24
RECENT ELECTIONS.
THEIR EFFECT UPON SENATOR DAVID
B. HILL.

Why the People Like inc DouShey NO"
York Senator-Parallel Between Him
and Senator Gorman--Boldness Against
Timidity-Still on Deck.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16.-TSpecial. J.
In the opinion of the politicians of the cap
ital the recent elections have disposed of
Senator Hill as presidential factor. These
Washington gossips have way of arrlv-
ing at conclusions which sometimes makes
them good prophets and at others only
serves to demonstrate how little even
smart man knows when he attempts to
read the future. The politicians, therefore,
may be all wrong, but this is what they are
saving. They aver that Maynard's noml-
nation for judge Of the court of appeals
was due wholly to Senator Hill, and that
the defeat of Maynard-the overwhelming,
crushing defeats to be taken as repu-
diation of Hill and his methods. 1t is the
gossip of the capital that Maynard's defeat
and the rout of the party in New York
state under Senator Hills leadership is to
be the signal for rebellion against the SEN
ator's control. In other words, Croker,
Flower. Mclaughlin and Whitney are
making ready to run things to suit them
selves without consulting David b. Hill.
Going still further, they say the New York
Democracy will never again present Hills
name as their candidate for president.
The people who thus summarily dispose
of Mr. Hill as a leader of his party in New
York should bear in mind that David b.
Hill is a good deal of politician himself.
He is not to be so easily thrust aside.
Senator Hill Learns Something.
Ample evidence of Hill s skill as a poll
tician was seen during the struggle over
the repeal bill in the senate. When that
fight began, Mr.. Hill was generally classed
as half hearted advocate of repeal. No
one would have been surprised had he at
any time turned against the president.
The most any one expected was that he
would slide along without taking any de-
cided stand on one side or the other. On
the silver question Senator Hill had never
declared himself positively. No one had
ever been able to classify him. But it ap-
pears the senator had been taking an &C
count of stock as it were. He had been
analyzing himself and the conditions with
which he was surrounded. 1t looked as if
Mr.. Hill had thought lcng and carefully
and had finally said to himself: "The
is for something heart and soul. They
have no use for man whose opinions are
mysteries. If a man wants to please the
people, he must come out into the open
and fight under some flag" Then Mr..
Hill came out. He proved to be one Of
the best fighters for repeal in the senate.
Even while damning President Cleveland
as politician he praised and supported
him as the leader of repeal. By advocat-
ing a change of rules in the senate at the
critical moment he pleased the people and
vastly strengthened himself as public
man. He made more reputation out OF
the silver fight than any other Democrat.
More Opportunities For Hill.
If he had not made the mistake of in
sisting upon Maynard's nomination, or if
Maynard had been elected or even stood
well up with his ticket, Senator Hill might
now be one of the most promising of all
the Democratic aspirants for the presiden-
cy. Before sending him to the rear as a
back number people should remember that
Mr.. Hill Is man of great resources. He
is now ON the right track. He has learned
his lesson that positiveness and fighting
in an open field with an unmistaka BILE flag
flying are what the people want. 1t is pre-
dicted that Senator Hill will be heard from
in the near future. There are to be many
more battles in the senate before the next
presidency is settled. Senator Hill will
have many opportunities to distinguish
himself, and he has the courage, the energy
and the ability to do so.
+ Senator Gorman's Timidity.
Another Democratic aspirant for presi-
Dental honors is now playh G in hard luck.
This is Senator German. Mr.. German is
one of the most skillful politicians in
America. He is a born leader of men, a
consummate tactician, a phenomenal STRAIT
egist. But he needs to learn the lesson
which his rival, Mr.. Hill, has recently
profted so much by. Senator Germans
great weakness is an unwillingness to as
sumo positive attitudes. On the tariff
question he has been "a protection Demo-
craft" but Also at least nominally, a 'rev-
enue reformer." If you don't know what
this means, or what Mr.. Germans real
views on this question are, you may take
consolation in the fact that you know just
as much as his intimate friends and daily
associates. Mr.. German has several times
voted for the free coinage of silver, and he
was one of the repeal force in the recent
struggle, finally coming out as the cham
pion of a compromise measure. When this
was knocked in the head by Secretary
Gresham, Mr.. German went back to his
support of unconditional repeal.
h German Must Learn to Fight.
1t is an open secret that Senator German
was much chagrined by the failure of his
compromise scheme. He felt he had not
been treated right by the administration
and that he had been forced unjustly and
cruelty into a delicate and finally humil-
iating position. Yet he had not the cour-
age to come out and make fight for his
compromise or for his personal prestige.
A holder man would not have permitted
himself to be thus kicked and cuffed about.
Having once shown his hand as friend
of compromise, Mr.. German should have
put compromise through or gone down in
defeat while trying to do so. Looking
back over that memorable episode Sena-
tor German is able to see that where Gresh-
am, Carlisle, Hill and other presidential
possibilities of his party won more or less
in the way of prestige he only lost. He is
able to see, moreover, that if he had not
waited so long before making his move
he could have won. Just as he did with
the presidential nomination of 1892, Mr..
Germans timidity kept him under cover
till the golden moment had passed. Before
/ Mr.. German can hope to be the command