Evening star., 1896-09-30
Wilbur F.. Porter.

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Wilbur F. Porter.
tacles ever seen in New York politics The
presidential candidate. Mr.. Bryan. and the
vice presidential candidate. Mr.. Sewall. to-
gether with Chairman ]. X. Jones Of the
national popocratic committee: Chairman
Charles j. Faulkner of the national con.
gressiOnal committee. Senator Arthur p
German of Maryland and the regular dem
ocratic state committee of this state all
had hand in the proceedings Mr.. Bryan
stopped here long enough between speeches
to hold conference at the headquarters
and let his wishes be pretty definitely
known. Senator Hill lid not participate
bodily in the conference. but the long-dis-
tance telephone. which has been introduced
by him of late into the politics of the state
was in fine working order the day the con-
ference was held. and the Senator. sitting
quietly in his home at Wolfert's Roost in
Albany, engineered the proceedings from q
distance of 15O miles.
Mr.. Thncher's Experience.
1t Is not known that John Boyd Thachel
ever said it. but a remark has recently
been attributed to him which doubtless
summarizes his experiences as candidate te
for governor on the popocratic ticket. AS
made this remark: James G. Blaine was
twenty years in Congress. and the book he
wrote to cover the incidents of that period
made two volumes. 1 have been the candl.
GATE Tor governor on the popocratic ticket
ior ten days. and if l wrote book about
1t, 1t would make twenty volumes"
Whether Mr.. Thacher ever made this
remark makes very little difference, but
1t remains true that for the two weeks
or SO that he was the nominal head of the
"a fyrRn ha L,
times that any candidate for governor in
this state ever had. When he consents I'd
to take the nomination before he found
out what the platform was: when he wrote
a letter saying that he was for Bryan and
Sewall heart and SOUL but repldiatad the
platform upon which they stood as en-
phatically as he did last June; when the
state committee tried to drive him off the
ticket when public speakers and news
papers that had been his WarmesI friends
began to call him hard names without ary
regard whether his feelings were hurt OF
not, and when, finally, he told the com.
nittee that had come to notify him of his
nomination that he would not accent it
he was rapidly acquiring an experience
SUCH as lo other man In the state of Nen
York can boast.
Utter Decentralization.
Thacher's withdrawal left the state or.
ganization with very little In it's posses.
sion except the 20. K" of Chairman JcEes
as to its regularity. 1t had no candidate
for governor. the prominent men IN the
party throughout the state with few ex-
ceptions had deserted 1t: it had no money
with which to prosecute a campaign, and
it had no boss whose orders 1t recog.
nized. This last condition, which some
think would be a good thing under or.
dinary circumstances, was such *n uE1sua
one for this particular state machine that
1t foundered around without knowing
which way to turn.
When it met to complete it's ticket II
looked as If Elliot Danforth, the chairman
of the state committee and a bryan n ar
of the pronounced type, would be made the
candidate for governor, but Mr.. Hill de-
cided to do "a little lace work. Mr. Bryan
Is said to have had very pronounced ideas
In favor of Mr.. Danforth. Danforth is
one of lis friends: was delegate to Chi
cago and presided at the Bryan notifica-
tion meeting in this city month or six
weeks ago. 1t was his idea to become a
candidate fer governor IF the call vas
made unanimous by the state committee VI
and at the same time retain the chairman
ship. Senator Hill didn't take kin lily te
this. and he played g few points OF his
own. "A few Of his friends on the COM
mittee saw fit not to make the call "unani-
NOUS" and. not only that, but to avoid
any possible opportunity for Mr.. Danfcrth
in this dual role of chairman and candi-
date, to obtain too much control of the
state organization. they proceeded to put
Mr.. Danfcrth ION the shelf as q oandi-
date, make Wilbur F. Porter the candi-
date for lieutenant governor. the head OF
the ticket. and put Frederick c. Schraut
in the second place. Mr.. Schraub is prac-
tically unknown to fame. He has been
4 dairy commissioner up in Lewis county
and a consistent machEe democrat fol
many years.
From Republican Counties.
Mr.. Porter, the head of the ticket, lives In
Jefferson county. and Jefferson and Lewis
counties adjoin each other. They make up
one senatorial district. They are both rock
ribbed republican counties. The Oldest In.
habitant cannot remember that they ever
went democratic. There has Of late been
some talk Of free silver sentiment in them.
and it may have been for this reason an
propriate that the two candidates should
come from the same neighborhood
The precise views of Mr.. German, Mr.
Faulkner and Mr.. Jones as to the makeup
of the ticket were not expressed for publica-
tion. II they had known anything of the
details of the politics of this state they
would not have selected the two candidates
from the heart of the same strong repub-
Hcan locality. They would not have
reached down past the heads Of such apos-
ties Of free silver as Sulzer and Danfortb
and Purroy to draw up and expose to view
an unknown man like Mr.. Schraub This.
at any rate. is the belief of most democrats.
and for this reason, and because Mr. Hill IS
rot in sympathy with Bryan, German, Jones
and Faulkner In their present campaign.
and because Mr.. Hill preferred to have can.
didates on the ticket who are so perfectly
FREE TO ALLY
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