Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-05-29
SOME POLITICAL RIVALRY
OLD CAMPAIGNERs LOOKING FOR
SHARP WORK.
Leaders Expect to Make the
Fur Fly

have been participants in ma
tional conventions for the past two de-
cades agree that the republican conven-
ton at st. Louis will engender a feud
which will take first rank among the in
ternal political wars of the century.
1t seems to be an accepted fact that
Platt, Quay, Clarkson and Manley are
camping on the trail of the Ohio man, and
the capacity of these four men to work
injury to any political aspirant cannot be
doubted. Particularly does this apply to
Plat and Quay. What their tactics at
the st. Louis convention will be cannot
be specialized upon, except on the gem
eral lines that they will exert every trick
of the craft to wreck the nomination of
the Ohio statesman.
In glancing over the careers of these
leaders and the careers of their prede-
cessors, history shows quite clearly that
the power of great boss is usually ex-
erted in a negative direction. In other
words, the big boss starts out with some
pet project of his own, and when he dis
covers the impossibility of forcing 1t to
a successful issue he merely uses 1t as
club to batter away the plans of the
men who wrecked his own hopes. not car
ing who reaps the harvest as long as
sAtSSO poi tlSuidi clltAiltS are uelSdLGu.
1t was the same when Alexander Ham
ilton defeated Aaron Burr for the presi-
dency and practically awarded the plum
to Thomas jefferson. Henry Clay and
Daniel Webster. both of them logical can
| didates for many years, were repeatedly
thwarted in their presidential efforts by
the Vaccinations of political enemies
John Sherman could tell even more than
| he wrote in his book about the same thing
| If he were so inclined. James G. Blaine's
| life was embittered by warning BOSSES
| VIII the power of the bosses be strong
| enough to stem the tidal wave which is
| due to sweep the st. Louis convention
! Not one political better in hundred has
| put up money on the bosses end.
! PIatt's Many Defeats.
It's curious thing that Platt's career
has been string of defeats. Plat laid
| elaborate plans for the carrying of New
York state for his party in 1892, and he
was almost laid on the shelf for his pains
| Yet, when he had run the risk and had
gained the first victory he fiunked in the
final struggle and the state went Cleve-
| lands way with a striking majority. This
| was because Plat was opposed to the
nomination of Harrison. He esposed the
cause of James G. Blaine in the Mime
apolis convention, and worked with all the
| fervor of his strength to land the Plumed
| Knight a winner and when he failed New
York state did not poll the Harrison vote
| that was expected.
1t was in 1890. when New York was work
ing to get the worlds fair. that Plat be-
| gan laying his pipes for carrying the
| state. While the merchants of the city
| were moving heaven and earth to get up
| subscriptions and make an imposing show
| at Washington, Plat began his under
mining work. 1t was necessary to have
| the state legislature pass a 5000, 900 APP
| preparation bill for the fair, in addition
! to the Sc, 900, 900 raised by the city, so thai
| the New York delegation could go to
| Washington with $10,0O0,000 at it's back.
| But the legislature wore the Plat col
| lar, and he held the bill up.
Afraid of the Fair.
He asserted that If New York city had
| that vast sum of money to spend with
| Tammany Hall in complete control of the
local offices, there would not be one chance
| in a hundred of the state going repub
| lican in 1892. This made even Depew and
| the other republican leaders storm ana
rave. They acknowledged 1t was politics
but it was politics at the price of patriot
| ism. New York was then regarded as the
| pivotal state, and Plat was firm. He was
| threatened with political extinction, bu'
| the threats had no effect. He held up the
| bill, and the Chicago boomers made such
good use of it that they got the fair. II
| Blaine had secured the nomination in 1892
there might have been a different ending
60 the presidential struggle as far as New
| York state was concerned.
Quay's Many Fights.
1t VIC uld require many columns to de-
scribe all of the political defeats of the
G. o. P. in New York state under Platt's
leadership. Whether some of them could
have been averted it would be unkind to
say. Matt Quay had much the same ex-
| perience in Pennsylvania that his present
companion in arms has had in New York.
Senator Quay has been very unfortunate
in picking out presidential winners. In 1876
he fought the Blaine boom in Pennsyl-
vania in the interest of Governor Hart
| ranft, and in the end compromised with
the Hayes delegates. -Four years later he
and his followers stuck together and
formed part of the famous 3O6 who cast
| a straight ballot 36 times for Grant.
In 1884 Quay did not go to the conven-
ton. 1t was almost a sure thing that
Blaine would be nominated, and even the
elasticity of politics would hardly allow
him to come out in favor of Blaine, after
he had fought him at the two previous
conventions. Moreover, the Pennsylvania
delegation were strong for the Plumet
knight, and Quay could hardly have fore
ed change IL he had so willed.
In 1888 Quay espoused the cause of Johr
Sherman with indefatigable energy, anC
in 1892 he came out fiatfooted in his sup
port of Blaine, his heretofore antagonist
When 1t was demonstrated that Blain'
could not be forced through, Senator Qua!
Joined the combination which tried t
stampede the convention for Mckinley.
But it is not to be inferred from thi
that Senator Quay is anything but al
! astute politician of the heaviest calibeT
And, like Tom Plat, If he connot vii
himself he has the ability to keep hi
particular enemies from winning. TIL
: experiences of Clarkson, of Iowa, an
. | Manley, of Maine, are somewhat akin I
! those of Plat and Quay, and as they ar
!, all intrepid fighters, with many years Q
e experience behind them, their admirer
. expect to see a tremendous fight put up.
, To those men who have no vital inter
: est in the success or failure of any of tn
leaders, and who are free from anxiet.
the approaching convention will seem lik
A-kz