Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-30
GENERAL HARRIsON'SLETTER
It has . Direct Bearing Upon the New
York Campaign.
The Republican Position as Stated by
the Party Leaders and the
Opposition.

The letter Gen. Harrison has contributed
to the local campaign in Indianapolis has,
BY chance or otherwise, a direct bearing
also on the local campaign in New York.
In the one city. as in the other. the repub-
ncans are insisting on the execution Of all
the laws. and to this policy Gen. Harrison.
in terms of characteristic force and felio-
ity, has given his unqualified Endorsement.
It is regarded as likely. too. that the letter
will have strong influence in both cities,
and help at least to keep the republican
contention clearly before the people. =.
A Confusion of the Issues.
Leading republicans believe that their
only danger in New York lies in a con-
fusion of the issue. The democracy, under
Mr.. Hills lead, is seeking to make the re-
publican party appear as the party of pro-
hibitio2, resolved not only to shut up the
saloonskon Sunday. but to increase the pen
s,lties of the business altogether. And
s )me Roadway has already been made on
that line. But the brewing and the distill-
ing interests have taken alarm, and are
preparing to give to the democracy a SUBJ
stantial support In November. This. in
deed, as some well-informed men declare,
is the sole hope of democratic success.
This it is that has brought Richard Croker
home, for, although Mr.. Croker insists
that he is out of politics. the prediction is
that he will be very much in evidence on
the INSIDE tne campaign. Even
Tammany without the brewers would be
helpless this fall.
Republicans Stand for Law and Order
As opposed to this statement of their
case by the other side. the republicans
state their own case. They stand for law
and order-for the impart-a execution of
all the laws on the statute books The
Sunday closing law is there with others.
ane with the others and for that reason
is being executed. Whether the law should
stand without amendment of any kind is
another question. That is for the next
bI ought before that body. Amendments
Sill be offered to the law, and 1t is expect
ed that some of them will develop d.
visions among the republicans as well as
is but enc thing to be done. The law, as
written, must be enforced. To decker or
to temporiZe with those who want it re-
pealed outright would be to give away the
case of those who. though willing to con-
s.der the matter of amendments to the law,
will yet insist when the time comes on
seemly observance of the Sabbath day by
Sc loon keepers as well as by those engaged
III ether business.
Are Not PrOhibitiOnists.
The republicans have no hope, however. by
any fair statement of their case of max
ing any impression on either the brewers
or the distillers. They are not prohibition
even heading in that direction. But they
have stricter views with regard to the
liquor traffic than has Tammapy Hall, and
therefore, in contest with Tanmanr
over legislature to be selected almost
for the express purpose of revising the
excise laws they cannot look, and dc not
lock, for the support of the liquor inter-
ests. Tammany, in triumph might not
be able to do all that those interests de-
sired, but the argument is that it would be
certain to go very much further in that
direction than the republicans would.
Effect of HarrisOn's Letter.
The fact that Gen. Harrison is presi-
Dental quantity leads to some observa-
tions on that score. All of the New York
leaders are Morton men at present All
heartily united in the resolution adopted
at Saratoga presenting Mr.. Morton's name
for President There is no suggestion that
the performance was perfunctory or in
sincere. But Mr.. Morton's strength is not
such before the country as to make New
Yorks second choice a matter of indiHer-
ence
To whom will the empire state repub-
iicanS turn if Mr.. Morton is beaten? Mr..
Platt it is believed. would turn in any d.
rection rather than in that Of Gen. Harri-
son. He is almost committed to that. But
arner Miller and Chauncey Depew are
clasSed as Harrison men with Mr.. Morton
out of the way. Now, it SO happens that
the excise plank in the New York repub-
lican platform was written by Mr.. Miller
and advocated both by him and Mr.. Depew
They won the credit of securing it's adop-
ton. Mr.. Piatt opposed it. He wanted the
convention to observe silence on the whole
subject. Did Gen. Harrison remember this
when he wrote his Indianapolis letter? He
stands by his friends. and II he had taken
his pen in hand for the express purpose of
letting Mr.. Miller know how cordially he ap.
proved of the Saratoga performance he
could not, it Is observed, have expressed
,S,lf r,nr to fha inf hon hn hos dnna
n his advocacy Of the enforcement of law
in Indiana.