The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-01-20
WISDOM BY WATTERSON.

Colonel Henry Watterson is quite as en-
tertaining u speaker off the rostrum as
he is upon 1t. During his recent visit mere
the colonel was asked his opinion of Presi.
dent Cleveland. "Do you mean, sald
he, 1.-The man or the myth? The Two are
often confused. Many people nave dressed
up a creature of their. imagination ana
set it upon a pedestal, calling 1t Grover
Cleveland Then they have proceeded to
bow down before it. That kind or
Cleveland Is all in you eye. AS ior CleVe-
land the man, he is a stronS-Wllled per-
son. honest, no doubt, Dut no nones.er
than other men, and courageous, too, nut
not blessed with a monopoly OF mat Vir-
tue. Without any knowledge of economic
questions he has great gift OF stauhs
things. In this respect he Is truly man
among men. But ! doubt If he ever read,
through u book on political economy or.
If he ever read one, l question II he ever
comprehended 1t.
Colonel Watterson was asked what he
thought of the presidents Venezuelan
message. at was excellent, excellent he
replied. "It Is going to have a mighty
good effect, too. | don't say it Is the Mon
roe doctrine, and l don't care. The Mon
roe doctrine, as matter of fact, means
anything we want 1t to mean. But that
isn't the point. Whether Mr. Cleveland Is
sound or not on technical points. the firm
tone of his message and its prompt and
UNANIMOUS TutlHcdtIOn ny DOlH DTdHcHcS
of congress constitute q proclamation or
this country's Importance which will do
us a world OF good. To one who has been
as much abroad as have. there is some
thing unspeakably humiliating to ones
national pride In the cold raw. self-con-
fident contempt with which America is
regarded by nine out of ten average Eur
opeans. The man who hasn't encountered
the typical Briton on his native heath can
have no adequate idea of the magnificent
| npip1nprta pf the ITnitpl States n
exalted Anglican opinion. / think the
Venezuelan business will jostle little Of
this self-conceit out of our cousins across
the water, and not entertaining for an
instant the thought that the matter would
reach a war basis. have consequently re-
garded the whole episode with beautiful
equanimty."
The talk drifted to a discussion of the
approaching national conventions. "Hav-
ing become recOncied.' said Colonel Wat
terson, ito the dispensation of an inscru-
table Providence which seems to have de-
creed that the next president will be q
Republican. hope that my fine old friend,
Senator Allison, may win at st. Louis.
He is magnificent man. calm, conserva-
tive, able; and under his presidency the
country would have no reason to feel other
than secure. But II when the convention
meets there should be, on the national
horizon, signs of coming trouble; If the
skies should seem to presage a period of
storms, l have said repeatedly and / say
now that l believe the Republican dele
gates. impressed with sense of their re-
sponsibility not only to their party but
also to their country, will nominate ex-
President Harrison by reclamation. Mind,
/ don't say Allison wouldn't be just as safe
a president But he isn't so well known.
! have the highest possible respect for
General Harrison. He is not simply an
able man. he Is very great man. ! doubt
If the ranks of either party have produced
his equal within the past quarter of a GEN.
tury. The business element, the bone and
sinew of Republicanism, if it sees break
crs ahead. will in my judgment issue a
demand for Harrisons denomination; and
/ honestly believe he Is many thousand
votes stronger than any other living Re-
publican.
But he will not be nominated at all If
1t isn't rendered to him by acclamation,"
the colonel continued. IN case he isn't,
haven't any idea whom the Republicans
will choose. Mckinley, think. will be
strongest on first ballot and get weaker
each succeeding ballot; Reed, the dear old
Thomas. will be crushed to pieces by this
congress; and for aught l know the next
president may be some unknown person
as little thought of now in that connection.
as Lincoln was before the debate with
Douglas. It's funny thing, but it's never
theless a fact that, with one exception,
we haven't had a president in fifty years
who had been considered a possibility two
years prior to his election. Take Polk
He was elevated over two successive
gubernatorial defeats to the chief magis-
tracy: and only two months before his
nomination was cherishing the seemingly
hopeless vice-presidential bee. Two years
before the convention of '4S, Zachary Tay-
lor was counting the cattle on his Louis
lana stock-farm without a thought of
presidential ambitions. Fillmore, of
course, hadn't been considered, and Pierce.
too. was an unknown to 80 men out of