The Portland daily press., 1894-10-26

l
defeated. He will admit that the logic
OF the situation points to a Republican
victory, he will fail to give any reason
why the tidal wave which has over
whelmed the Democratic party in every
| Northern State where an election has
been held should steer around New
| York and not touch a State where the
| depression consequent upon Democratic
| threats of free trade and Democratic
| lncompetency have been felt more severe
| ly than anywhere else, except that Hill
is the candidate. 1t is patent to every
| body who talks with a Democrat for fiji
| teen minutes that all the reason the
Democrats have or pretend to have for
expecting to carry New York is that
David B. Hill is the head OF the ticket.
The notion has taken possession
of many people--not Democrats alone, but
Repu blicans as well-that Hill is irwin
CT BILE. Yet, as in the case of great
many other notions, when one comes to
inquire the reason of it one doesn't find
any very good one. Hill has been elect
ed governor of New York. three times.
In view of the fact that for the past
twenty years the Democrats have gener-
ally carried New York in State elections,
there is nothing strange about that,
nothing that. would indicate that he had
any partic ular pull" on the voters in
that State, of that he was especially
popular. But in one OF these elections
Cleveland was running for the Presi-
dency and failed TO carry the State,
while Hill had a plurality of the votes.
Now here is the secret of the existence
OF the idea of HIPS invincibility and
great popularity. Here is all the reason
there is for it. Neither before nor since
has there been anything in the election
figures that could be tortured into a
special tribute to Hill. Four years later
his popularity was not SO great or his mold
upon the party SO strong but that the
most respectable element of it made an
open and bitter tight against tine pledg-
ing of the State delegation to him as
Presidential candidate, and though lie
succeeded through his control of the
machine in capturing the delegation, his
opponents made it SO apparent that he,
was uot the choice of very large element
of the Democratic party of New York
that the delegation went to Chicago
shorn of all influence If it was his
popularity that elected him when Cleve-
land was beaten it is reasonable to sup
pose that the Democratic party of New
York would have supported him with
unanimity and enthusiasm at the Chi
cago convention. But that VIGOROUSLY
they did not do.
OF course Hill and his friends contend
ed that his election in 1883 was per-
sonal tribute to him. But nobody who
examined into the facts ever believed
that that was the true explanation. The
opinion of well Informed men has al
ways been that HiIl's success that year
was simply the result of his willingness
to profit at the expense of Mr.. Cleveland.
A great part OF his plurality undoubted-
ly represented votes which he had OBJ
tanned by trading off Cleveland for
himself. His conduct in the last
and in the present campaign shows that
be is quite ready to sacrifice even men
who have been close to him and done him
faithful service. 1t appears that year
ago he tried to dissuade Maynard from
running after it began to be apparent
that he would be heavy load to the
ticket Though he got Maynard into the
scrape he was ready to desert him. This
year, though he has always been great
stickler for straight tickets. he permitted
boiling Democrats to put his name Fat
the head of their ticket, simply because
in that way he could get votes which he
otherwis might lose.
If he is ready to sacrifice his friends to
save himself, of course he would not
have hesitated to sacrifice Mr.. Cleveland.
who was really his rival and stood in his
way. And that is what he undoubtedly
did in 1888. Instead OF his plurality
measuring his personal popularity it
simply measured the amount of trading
he had been able to do at Mr. Cleveland,s
expense. Undoubtedly he will practice
the same game on his Democratic asso-
ciates on the ticket at the coming cleo
ton. Whenever he can sell one of them
TO his own advantage he will no doubt
do it. 1t happens, however, in this
campaign that the opportunities for
profitable trading are few.