Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-23
He May Not Make Votes, but He is
Winning Cleveland Men.
NOT AN ATTRACTIVE STUMP SPEAKER
New York Democrats Hopeful and
Republicans Overconfident.
HILL AND THE WORKINGMEN
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.


state. and from now until election day will
make two speeches a day to the people out
side the big cities. He is pleading for 80
per cent of the regular democratic vote, and
declares that If he gets that he will be
elected by over $1,000. The canvass of the
state that he is making is energetic in the
extreme. The writer has spent the last
week in travelling over the state with Hill;
has attended all the meetings at which he
spoke, and has had an opportunity to meas
ure the democratic enthusiasm for it's can
didate.
Hill is not making a good campaign as far
as vote-getting Is concerned. He is not a
natural speaker, and what he says is
forced, and the audiences know it. He has
no idea of humor, and gives his hearers no
chance to laugh or be merry. To him 1t Is
ell a very serious matter. He tries to force
his audience into believing what he tells
them, rather than persuade them. He has
rot the faculty OF talking with mis- audience
that makes the good campaigner and also
makes votes. He has one set speech, and
he hardly changes it in a single line or
gesture from one end of the week to the
other. This gives to his speeches the stiff
ness of machine-made productions
1t makes no difference what kind of an
audience it Is that sits in front of him, his
speech Is just the same. He Is not versa
tile enough to change his style to make 1t
lHc Slylt OI Ills hearers. Inc same
speech cannot enthuse all kinds OF people,
and Hill is finding that out Nor is Hill
success in meeting the voters and getting
acquainted with them. He Is too cold by
nature to warm up for few weeks in
campaign. He tries hard to be hail-feliow-
well-met with the people, but the effort is
a failure. His good fellowship has about it
the unnaturalness that the people see at
once. The voters are repelled by Hilrs
coolnesS and icy reserve. A man would as
soon think of committing suicide as of
slapping Hill Familiarity on the back. He
cannot smoke with them, for he does not
use tobacco, and he loses a strong element
of congeniality there Both day and night
he is dignifed in the extreme, and even
the campaign managers in the different
parts of the state cannot get near to him
to pour into his ear their tales of how the
tight is going and what are their hopes and
what their fears
His First Personal Campaign.
This is really the first personal campaign
that Hill has made in the state. In former
years he sat in the Albany headquar-
ters and did the thinking and manipulate
ed the wires. But this year he is In the
saddle He wants to tell the party per-
sonally that this is not his fight but that
of the democratic party; that If he is beaten
II Is the party that suffers, not himself
This idea he keeps to the front wherever he
goes. He presents 1t in different lights and
shades, but 1t is always there. He is de-
leFmllleu tfldt ut1edl snail bring TO MIN no
loss Of prestige His doctrine this fall is
the old one of heads L win, tails you lose"
If he wins it is his own victory, IL defeated
II Is the party that is beaten, not himself.
Hill is drawing crowds on his trip around
the state, but 1t is the magnet of curiosity
that Is mainly instrumental in drawing
them Hill's name is well KNOWN in the
state, and everybody is anxious to take a
look at the man they have heard so much
about. "A bearded woman or a five-legged
calf would receive about the same attention
and draw the same people. Republicans go
to hear him as well as the democrats, or
rather they go to see him. AS soon as the
people take one look at him they go out
They do not care to hear him make a
speech, they want to see with their own
eyes the man who has been painted In SO
many different colorS to them. For this
iCok they are willing to drive miles, but they
care little for what he has to say So all
the week there were tremendous crowds,
but little enthusiasm.
Hilrs plan of campaign is to handle the
whole tariff question with gloves, and leave
1t alone entirely when possible. He wants
to make an issue of the work of the consti-
tutional convention, and to arouse the demo-
Gratis to thinking that IL that proposed con-
stitution is adopted this fall their chance of
holding the state legislature Is gone for
score of years. On this one string he harps
continually. He presents facts and long
guments to back up his position; he talks
on it by the hour. But the people absolutely
refuse to be enthused. They do not under
Ststnu tnS SUBJECT, lne WORD CONSTITUTION
has kind of sacred meaning to them. and
they refuse to think that they are going to
be robbed of their rights. Hill tires himself
out in his attempt to make them
threatening danger. and all in vain. He
cannot make an issue of the constitutional
convention that will gain any votes.
Hill and the wOrl<ingmen.
The working people of the state are
against Hill this year. This was evident
everywhere be went. Most of the time they
remained away from the meetings, and
when they did come it was worse still, for
they insisted upon asking embarrassing
questions. They would shout out questions
about wages and jeer when he talked about
democratic prosperity. At Gloversville, the
great center of the working people. the au-
dience took complete possession OF the meet
Ing. They guyed the speakers, drove the
chairman Of the meeting off the stage,
and there was tumult from first to last.
Wherever there were workingmen In the
audience there was noisy interruption and
pertinent questions. that Hill always re-
fused to answer
+ But one thing Hill is doing. He is healing
the factions In the party as he goes along.
He is making Hill men out of Cleveland
men. He insists that at each meeting 1t
shall be a Cleveland man who has the
hcror of presiding, and Cleveland men who
make up the reception committee. At din
ner a Cleveland man sits at his right hand
and the Hill men sit at the foot of the table.
The men who have fought for him for years
and have struggled for supremacy in the
different towns and counties are left out In
the cold so far as public appearance goes.
He pays all the attention to the men who
have fought him In the past and have work.
ed for Cleveland. This practical kind of
fiattery Is succeeding. However humorous
1t may appear when seen at each different
stopping place, 1t Is having the desired ef-
feet.
BY the time that Hill finishes this cam
paign there will not be shred Of the old
Cleveland organization left in the state.
Before this there has been quite a formid-
able Cleveland organization throughout the
state. Ths Cleveland men were ban led to-
gether in every county. and were strong
enough to make trouble for the Hill men
whenever election time came round. But
Hill Is stamping out every vestige of this
opposition. He may be beaten this fall. but
he will be complete master of the state
Hereafter Hills word will be law without
a question. 1t took the Cleveland rrieu a
number of years to build up the organiza-
ton that they have row. and they will
| have to start all over again. For years to
come Hill and his men will rule supreme In
| the democratic councils of New York state
| This tour came at just the right time for
him. His prestige was dwindiing in the