Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-17
HARRISON'S POSITION
He Will Not Allow His Friends to
Boom Him.
BUT WOULD ACCEPT THE NOMINATION
The Ex-President and Cleveland
Bracketed in a Way.
EFFECT OF PRESENT FAILURE

The prompt denial from Indianapolis of
the story sent out from Buffalo, the
authority of cx-District Attorney Alexan-
der. that Gen. Harrison had declared him
self as resolved not, in any circumstances.
again to consider the question of a nornina-
ticn for the presidency WAS confidently
looked for by the admirers and supporters
of the ex-President in Washington. The
Harrison men here declare, however, that
the denial, explicit as it is, was hardly
necessary. The ex-President's position on
that question is, in their Judgment, 90
well and so generally understood now that
II cannot for long be misrepresented at
any time.
VIII he No Boom.
The case was only recently stated in
Washington by one of Gen. Harrison s
warmest friends, n resident of Indiana,
and the incumbent of an important office
under the Harrison administration. Ac-
cording to this gentleman, there is not
now, nor will there be, any organization
for booming Gen. Harrison for 1896 The
ex-President would not permit the taking
of such step. He sees, the wiser OF
his friends do. that his case differs ma
terially from those of the other party
leaders whose names mentioned in
connection with the next republican nomi-
nation for President. None of them has
hence their cases cannot be presented to
the country without canvass of their
achievements In other places indicating
their equipment for the highest place. But
Gen. Harrison's record as President, his
friends suggest, Is before his party and
the country, and he stands on that as citi-
zen, as party leader and as a good repub-
Hcan.
Would Accept the Nomination II Of
fered.
But while there is to be no booming, no
contest made in his behalf the Harrison
men in Washington have no doubt as to
what the ex-President's course would be in
the event, for any good cause, the party's
standard should again be put into his
hands. He would accept it, they say, with
out hesitation, and lead his party again,
and they believe to victory.
In connection with this talk about Gen.
Harrison. there comes from Indiana an in
teresting story of how some of his friends,
who are anxious for his nomination,
studying the present situation. They have
Harrison and Cleveland bracketed to-
gether in certain way and therefore are,
in way. solicitous about the effect of his
administration on public sentiment, as the
record will appear in the spring of 1896.
They reason in this way: Cleveland was
defeated in 1888 after having made a very
good President, and Harrison elected. Har-
rison was defeated in 1892, after having
made an excellent President, and Cleveland
returned to office, largely the ground
that he had shown during his one term in
the White House that the affairs of the
country would be entirely safe in his
hands. Success equal to the success al
ready achieved, or even greater, was con-
hdently expected.
Eject of CIcvcland's Second Term.
But so far, the Harrison men themselves
are the loudest in asserting, Mr.. Cleveland,
in his second term, has failed to score.
Both his foreign and domestic policies, they
assert, have been condemned at the polls
and his party today is all but annihilated.
Now, they are asking themselves. how
will this affect sentiment in the republican
party when the time comes for making
the next presidential nomination for the
party? VIII the anti-Harriso1 men-the
Reed men, the Mckinley men and the ALI
son men-all come forward and point to the
record In Cleveland's case to the prejudice
OF = rison? Suppose this argument should
be made to delegates: Make your choice,
gentlemen. from among the other as
pirants, or we may repeat the history of
the democracy" What would the result
be?
This line of thought is said to be giving
some of General Harrison's most ardent
supporters real uneasiaess. Paradoxical as
1T may sound and seem, their idea is that
nothing would so initiate against Harri-
sons prospects in 1896 as the cornplete
failure of the present administration They
draw themselves wide difference between
their favorite and Mr.. Cleveland and be-
tween Cleveland'S position in 1892 and that
that General Harrison will occupy In 1896
But they are represented as asking them
selves, will the party at large draw this
difference? Can the case be carried against
Harrison on what they term generalities
and snap shot liieress
The gentleman bringing this story would
not say whether, in view of these consid-
erations, it would not be a good thing for
Mr.. Cleveland, not for the democracy's.
but for his own benefit, to win out a little
during the next eighteen months but he
replied, pleasantly, that probably some of
the Harrison men would think the matter
over