Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-06-24
PRESS COMMENTS.
The Territories Did 1t.

The truth about the practice of politics
is not so common that "reminiscences of
facts three years old are not novelties.
lately published, gives some very Inter
esting and accurate history of the splen-
did management which secureid the re-
nomination of Mr.. Cleveland for'president
at the Chicago convention of 1892. Mr..
Whitney tells that, returning from Paris
early in June OF that year, and finding
nothing done in the way of organization,
he sent for Col. Lamont and, few other
New York men, and talked the situation
over. He then wrote personal letters to
seventeen different men in different sec
J tions of the country, inviting them to
I come and see him in New York. 1t was
at this meeting that plan of operations
at the convention in behalf of Mr.. Cleve-
land was formulated. Letters to Cleye-
land men in all the states were written,
resulting in general meeting at the
Richelieu hotel, in Chicago, about two
weeks before the convention was held.
Then larger organization was perfected,
and Cleveland headquarters we're opened
at another hotel. '"There has never been
any better organization since the Tilden
campaign than that organization" says
Mr.. Whitney. eve had the best organ
ization in Chicago, and that was why We
we're successful in nominating Mr.. Cleve-
land. 1t was hard fight, though" added
Mr.. Whitney, in reflective manner.
Mr.. Whitney never speaks without say
ing something interesting or useful, or
both. There is lesson in what we have
quoted from him that ought to burn deep
into the understanding of every Demo-
crat There is no reason why Republic
cans should not profit by it, too. There
is great deal of humbug in the idea of
spontaneous popular movements for in
dlvduals. "Principles, not men," is the
great motto for the republic. There was
widely prevailing claim in 1892 that Mr..
Cleveland was irresistible, that he was the
giant that rose far above the ordinary
methods, and demonstrated that man
could be greater than his party; that he
was the Moses who alone could save the
Democratic party from itself; that he was
the universal peoples favorite. I'm
doubtedly great many honest men still
think that Mr.. Cleveland's third nomina-
ton was tremendous triumph of the
people over the ways of the politicians.
If they have not been able to see the
truth before, Mr.. Whitney's interview
should teach them. They must under
stand now that the success of Mr.. Cleve-
land at Chicago in 1892 was the work of
thorough organization, headed by the
prince of politicians, William G. Whit
ney. The president had for his yolun-
tary chief lieutenant man with greater
intellectual and material equipment for
political management than any other
citizen of the United States; one who was
grateful as we'll as able.
Mr.. Whitney is most conspicuously
right when he says "It was hard fight"
After the roll of states was called Mr..
Cleveland still had not enough votes to
nominate. It was the territories and the
District of Columbia, which have no votes
in the electoral college, which pulled even
so great man as Grover Cleveland
through "by scratch. New York Jour
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