The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-13

pass the defeat of Mckinley is by d.
viding up the field with as many candi-
| dates as can be induced TO enter the
race 1t was in pursuance of this
| carefully matured and well-defined
plan that Morton was brougt out as
The favorite son of New York; that Gull
| lon was started up in Illinois; thai
| Flkins was toyed with as the choice OF
| West Virginia, that Bradley was urged
| to push to the front as the favorite son
Of Kentucky.
But this is not all. The coterie Of
gentlemen who have kindly undertaken
TO arrange all these matters in ad-
vance Of the meeting of the convention
are now looking about for more favor
tie sons. The withdrawal of General
Harrison both pleased and displeased
them. They were glad Of it because
the ex-president was the man OF all
men they were anxious TO defeat, and
they were sorroy of it because 1t took
thirty votes out of the favorite col
umn Of the favorite son, the majority
Of which, il is pretty certain, viii go
into the Mckinley camp. For this loss
from the field the manipulators are anX
iCus to find some compensation. OF
course il must be III Mckinley territory.
They have already pushed Davis, ALI
son and Cullom out, all in states which
would go solidly for Mckinley were
there no favorites sons in sight. But
these are not enough.
I learn on good authority Plat, Quay
&, Co, are now trying to induce General
Alger to take the field as the favoriJe
son of Michigan. General Alger has
been generally supposed TO be one Of
NcKinley's firmest friends. and ii is
conceded Michigan is almost unani-
nous for the Ohio candidate. If the
twenty-siX votes Of that state could
be taken out of the Mckinley column
and placed in the field as material 10
trade and dicker with. the leaders
would be happy. They have held out
TO General AIger all the promises to be
found in glittering possibilities. They
have intimated 10 him the first place
may be his, or this failing, he is just
the man to go on the ticket with Nor
ton or Reed. Indeed, there have been
limitations Of a combination of Nor
ton and Alger would be certain, for
well-knOwn reasons, to undermine Nc
kinley'S strength in the south. These
gentlemen who meet in weekly caucus
for the purpose Of arranging the af-
fairs of the Republican party have I'M
limited confidence IN their own ability
TO manipulate the convention, if they
can only get II enough divided up be-
tween favorite sons, and more particu-
larlH if they can get a couple Of rich
and generous candidates behind them.
One would suppose that this was
enough, but il is not. You have read
in the dispatches of the talk in Ne
braska about bringing Senator Thurs
ton out as a favorite son. The tele-
graph conveyed 10 ar anxious country
the intelligence that the Thurston move
ment meant death TO Mckinley. You |
may also have read of the Bradley |
in Kentucky, of an Evans !
boom in Tennessee, and of SpoOner talk |
in Wisconsin. All these things. have |
good reason 70 belive, originated in the |
councils held every Friday night in !
Senator Quay's house. Perhaps there |
will be other favOrite sons before the !
antecOnventiOn season is much older. |
but you may be sure they will all hail |
from state in which the Napoleonic |
candidate is strong with the people. /
All this maneuvering impresses me as |
clever politics. One likes to watch |
the game when it is played by master /
hands. And surely everyone will ad- !
NIT that Plat, Quay, Clarkson, Man |
ley ct al, adre as smart as they make |
them.