New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-19
ONLY HIMSELF TO BLAME.

| Two or three weeks ago Mr.. William G. whit
| ney being In Boston. was led In Il moment OF
| weakness TO remark that he thought very hlghIy
| of Mr. William Il. Russell OF MASSACHUSETTS,
| Nothing could have been more inopportune, ior
| that was the very day on which Billy was per-
emptorily retired from the Presidential race by
| George Fred Williams Josiah Quincy and
| Nathan Matthews We said at the time that
Mr.. Whitney had been extremely indiscrcet In
| thus obirllding himself into "A scrimmage on
| Mount Olympus, and that In all human prob
ability his thOughtlessncss would get him INTO
trouble The prediction has been verified even
| sooner than we expected, for Albany dispatches
| report that Mr. Whitney Is the choice of Demo-
cratic leaders in this State for the Presidential
| nomination. and that the coming State Conven-
| ton will probably instruct the dclegates-at-
large to vote for him first last and all the time
This Is truly dismal outlook for our distln-
| glished fellow-t ownsman. whose expertness as
| a dodger of improbable notoriety seems des-
tined TO be put to a severer test than 1t has ever
had 10 encounter heretofore. For his case diff
fers radically from that Of Billy Russell. Billy
wasn't going to have any platform. He was
merely To be identified as THE William f. Rus
sell who was Governor Of Massachusetts from
1880 to 1893" while tumutuous pOpulace did
the rest But 1t is obvious that this simple and
sublime method Of procedure will not answer
at all in the case of Mr.. Whitney. Suppose, for
example, the test question should be: Are you
the William G.. Whitney who was Counsel to
the Corporation Of New-York somewhere in the
dark ages" Mr. Whitney could answer with
perfect truth. II am; but some ribald Jester,
recalling General Horace Porter's favorte anec-
dote about the oxtail, would be sure to ask II
that wasn't going "a good ways back for soup
II II should be admitted that the point was well
taken. II would be necessary To recast the ques-
tion perhaps as follows: Are you the William
&C. Whitney who was member of Mr. Cleve-
lands first CabinetT Mr.. Whitney might
truthfully respond that he was, but nobody could
blame him If he tried TO change the subject
which would again be fatal to the plan OF cam
paign. But what If this difficulty were avoid
ed and the Committee on Identification should
ask: Are you the William G. Whitney who Is
generally conceded TO have done more than
anybody else TO renominate and rc-eect Grover
"Clcveland in 1927 Well. all we can say IS
that the propounding OF that question would
prove beyond shadow Of doubt that Mr.. Whit
ncy's merits as a "fooker' have been grossly
exaggerated.
So far as we are able TO Judge there isn't q
single question which could be safely addressed
to Mr. Whitney for purposes Of Identification.
II may perhaps be admitted that II he were
asked in the presence Of the convention whether
he was The William c. Whitney who touched
James J. Van Allen for $4,000 on account Of
the Italian mission the delegates would be like
~ 10 nominate him by reclamation and forth
with take to the woods until the campaign was
But no inquistive Democrat would vent
urc TO put that in'errogatory at the candidate,
and therefore ii would cut no Ice In the dog
days. H. is now threatened. Mr.. Whitney
has 10 rim for the Presidency, he will be com
PEELED to run In the od-fashIone1 way. with
platform and all the usual encumbrances. It's
too bad. but h. has only himself to blame