The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-10
CLEVELAND'S NEW FOE.
Senator German the Man Who Is
Fighting The President.
Once a Bass Ball Player-From the
Time He Was Page He Has Always

Once a Bass Ball Player-From the
Time He Was a Page He Has Always
Led.
From the New York Press.
Old Capt. Bassett, who has had charge
of the page boys of the United States
Senate for more than half a century, says
that when Arthur Pue German was one
of the pages forty years ago he was
model boy.
I never had but one fault to find with
him the captain declared, land that
was that very shortly after he came into
the chamber he pushed himself to the
front and became the leader of the boys
He actually had more influence over them
than did myself"
The desire and capacity for leadership
have been characteristics of German ever
since. When, during the war, Early
threatened to enter the national capital.
the employees of the capitol formed a mill
tary company and made German their
captain. In 1868, when the craze Tor base
ball first swept over the country, he be-
came an enthusiastic player, and was
made captain of the National Club, whose
playing used to be witnessed by Presi-
dent representatives. senators, cabinet
ministers and diplomats with great en-
thuslasm. German was an all round man.
but he was generally stationed in the
right field. When the club left the na-
tional capital for a tour through the
country it won victories over every club
it met till, at Chicago hitherto I'M
known club from Rockford, III, made the
Nationals bite the dust. The cap
tain of that club was one A. u.
great fortune out of his connection with
the national game.
Germans subsequent history has been
one OF almost constant contest with
enough victories to give him and his
friends great confidence in his fighting
abilities. His defeats have been severe
ones, but if he be beaten in his present
contest with President Cleveland it will
DE bitterer defeat than any he has
hitherto suffered.
GOR8AN AT us HOME.
Senator Germans home is at Laurel,
Md, from which pretty little manufac-
turing town he can go by rail to either
Washington, the political metropolis of
The United States. or Baltimore, the COM
mercial metropolis of Maryland He is a
great favorite with the farmers who live
in the vicinity, though they do say that
these same farmers have good deal more
respect for his abilities as a politician
than as an agriculturist. The original
house on the Laurel farm burned down
four years ago, but it has since been re-
placed. The porches ami the library
of the old house were the parts best liked
by its owner. and best known to
the local politicians; for it was under the
shade of the first in fine weather ana
within the coy walls OF the latter in fall
that most of the important political con
ferences of the region were held of late
years previous to 1880. Senator Cor
mans porch was, in fact, quite as famous
in his part of Maryland as that back
porch OF E. G. Benedict, the Presidents
friend, ~ at Greenwich, Conn, which so
narrowly missed being shut out of view
of the sound by H. O. Havemeyers
school house roof last year.
Before the fire Mr. Germans library
was an extensive and valuable one. Po-
: litical literature was in the ascendant, to
be sure, but there was a good assortment
of miscellaneous books and on the walls
/ hung the portraits of many political lead
ers, some of which were given to the SEN
ator, and possessed a value far greater
than their intrinsic worth. His present
library, like the old one is very plainly
furnished, and looks like what it is, busy
mans workshop.
HOW HE MANAGES MEN.
German made himself power with his
democratic colleagues in the fight for the
defeat of the federal elections measure,
sometimes spoken of as the force bill, -
in 1892 His party was then in the minor
ity in the Senate, but he won, and he won
largely because of his tact and suavity.
Senators of his own party were won't to
become ''bailly" and hard to manage,
often through jealousy of him. Yet ne
lr-T l,5 \, III
succeeded in controlling the refraC tory
ones One of his plans was to meet such
a senator and say something like this to
him:
II hear, senator, that you have been in
vestigating such and such a question in
this matter. 1t is an excellent point and
should not be overlooked. 1t should be
made the most of, in fact, and you, of all
men, are the one to do it. Elaborate it
and deliver one of your effective speeches
upon it. This will help the cause i'm
measurably"
Naturally such a course removed all en-
viousness, and the man appealed TO swung
into line at once.
THE CONVENTION OF 1892,
1t is well remem bered that before the
democratic convention of 1892 German
was often mentioned in connection with
the nomination, but that his name was
never officially placed before the conven-
tiOn as candidate. This was not because
German did not desire to be a candidate
for he did, and that intensely, but because
of his extreme caution and a talk that ne
had with w. C, Whitney. German feared
that his own career would be finished if
he made an unsuccessful bid for the nomi-
nation, and he kept putting of his friends,
who wished TO press his name. One night
he had a long and confidential talk with
Whitney, who was in charge of Cleve.
lands interests at the convention. The
conference wound up with this earnest
question by German:
Whitney, he said, "tell me as a man
and FREUD, how certain you feel that
you will win in your effort to nominate
Clevelan5 ~
AS certain was the reply, "as / am
that the sun will rise 10 the morning"
Next day German announced that his
name must not be presented. greatly 10
the disgust of his friends, who had gotten
5000 worth of German badges all ready.
There is not the slightest doubt that it
was the friendship between Whitney and
German, and nothing else, that induced
the latter TO come TO New York and help
the national committee during the cam
paign of 1892, nor is there any doubt that
the help thus extended was of signal