Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-03
L AIDING ASPlRANTS
The Three Most Prominent in the Republi-
can Presidential Race.
Harrison, Mckinley and Reed-The
Power of the Latter
Speaker.

republican preSldentlal nomination are now
on even terms so far AS recent party sue
cesses are concerned. Thomas Ii. Reed,
Benjamin Harrison and William Mckinley
are commanding figures on the republican
horizon, and for the next eighteen months
will be included in all calculations having
the next presidency for their subject.
1t is assumed that Gen. Harrison will not
change his usual mode Of life between now
and the time for choosing delegates to the
republican national convention. He is de-
lghtfully situated at indianapolis. The
whole city, regardless of party lines, holds
him in the highest esteem, and tcstities to
the feeling wherever occasion offers. De-
spite the talk about his being reserved and
unapproachable, the number of his admir-
ers has greatly increased since the public
began to disregard this ialk and look into
the matter for itself. Party leaders espe
cially, who at one time held aloof, are now
not infrequently his guests. deSirous of
benefiting by his level-headed views about
men and measures. That visits of this
nature are likely to increase from now on
is an easy guess. The Harr.sol strength,
too, lies in the west and south, and hence
it will not be difficult or expensive Tor his
friends from distance, anxious for
conference, to reach him in person at any
time. The general is very near his base of
supplies, and to that extent is at no disad-
vantage.
Mckinley "a Picturesque Figure.
Gov. Mckinley will remain picturesque
figure at Columbus filling the highest Of
flee in his state with distinction, and keep
ing in touch with the best of the buckeye
aspirations. He, too is centrally located.
and, like Gen. Harrison, may be easily
reached by those who desire to confer with
him. His party friends consider that he
greatly strengthened himself by his Won
derful stumping tour, which extended
through the whole of October, and covered
thousands of miles Gov. Mckinley Is rec
OgniZed as an attractive man In every way.
While not a tactician. nor yet in any self
sidered excellent, and he does not hesitate
to go after anything he thinks is in reach.
and rightfully his own.
Reeds Commanding Position.
But the admirers of Mr.. Reed believe
that, in point of location, well as in op-
portunity for reaching and impressing the
local managers of his party, he holds the
"age' on both of his rivals They point TO
the fact that Washington is the center of
things political at all times, and will be an
especially lively center during the whole OF
the first session of the Fifty-fourtn Con-
greSs.
The Reed men see an unusual uppor-
tunity for their favorite. His reappear-
ance in the Speakers chair Will, in their
judgment be made the occasion of DEM
onstraton arousing the greatest enthusi-
asm, and certain to advance his personal
fortunes all along the political line. He
left the chair covered with democratic
criticism, but sustaining himself in a vale
dictory full of prophecy and defiance. He
claimed to have wrought revolution in
parliamentary forms, and predicted that
the fruits of his labors would last They
rave lasted; and, what even he at that
time hardly hoped for, have been adopted
almost in their entirety by the very men
who opposed him at the outset the most
vigorously. He stands, therefore, not only
recognized as reformer, put actually
crowned as a prophet, by the frank and
full con nfession of those who only four
years ago deafened him with shouts of
disapproval and complaints.
Mr.. Reed has wit, sand, remarkable de-
batting power and large legislative capac-
ity. These qualities have all been demon
strated. But what is his power as build
er of party policy for a presidential year,
and with a party roll call in the house to
handle as long as the whiplaSh of a Cali
fornia stage driver?
1t is at this point that the discussion of
Mr.. Reeds case takes on its most interest
ing phase. The next House will in some
form take up the tariff question; but in
what form, and how far will it go in it's
treatment of it2 If there is to be re-
turn to McKinleyism how far short of that
will the House stop? The committee of
ways and means will be made up by him,
and it is assumed not unfairly that the
committee and the Speaker will not be in
antagonism on so important a question.
The south nnd Protection.
But how will this policy of conservatism
affect those new recruits from the south
who have just come over to the party on
this question of protection, and who are
insisting that 1t is the only policy under
which their section can hope for develop
ment? The interests of coal, iron ore,
wool, sugar and hemp are all involved, and
their Representatives will demand recogni-
ton for them in any tariff bill that may be
proposed
The south has seen the north get rich
and has heard that prosperity ascribed to
the protection policy. The men from the
south who will present this matter to Mr.
Reed as Speaker are men of force and eX-
perience. Several of them are of national
reputation. They are protectionists of long
standing. and several of them had, until
this last campaign, been engaged in a
Graeco-Roman effort to make a place for
that policy inside of the democratic party.
When the question was at last presented
however Of a choice between protection as
illustrated by the legislation of the re-
publican party and the same policy as il
lustrated by the Gorman-Wilson bill, they
packed up and went over, bag and baggage,
to the republicans. But as some of the
Mckinley men are asking, of what avail
will all this prove to be II these new re-
cruits are told on the very Threshold that
the party has concluded to revise its pro-
lection policy?
This, in the opinion of some shrewd po-
litical observers, is the only cloud that now
shows on Mr.. Reeds horizon. 1t is small
no bigger as yet than that traditional
mans hand-but will 1t grow? VIII IL
come, duplicating that hands history. to
overcast the whole sky, and subject the
Maine man and his party to the rigors of
a genuine storm? And in what plight for
the presidential race would the Maine man
emerge from such weather?
-T- -O--
THE DEBT STATEMENT.
Decrease Due to the Gold for the