Evening star., 1896-06-24
CAMPAIGN OF DEFENSE
Mckinley Managers Must Meet the Gold
Bug Charge.
New York's fractional Fight May
Drive Headquarters to Cleve-
land-Hnnna's Dilemma.

Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.
CLEVELAND, Ohio. June 4.-Next Tues.
day Major Mckinley will be officially noti-
fed by the committee appointed at st.
Louis Of his nomination as the republican
candidate for the presidency. The men,
berS Of the committee will assemble in this
city Monday morning and proceed. by spe-
cial train, to Canton early Tuesday. The
speeches will be made as early in the day
as possible, and the party will return from
Canton Tuesday evening. There is strong
movement on foot here to make Cleveland
the headquarters for the national commit
tee Mr.. Hanna will not talk about this
matter further than to say that the COM
mittee will have to decide 1t. He thinks
the committee will settle the question In a
few weeks. In the meantime Mr.. Hanna
is hard at work selecting his executive
committee whose names he promises to
announce in few days. The sentiment in
favor Of the selection Of Cleveland has
been greatly augmented since the visit of
Mr.. Hanna to Ex-Governor Mckinley Mon
day.
Question of Headquarters.
While neither Of these gentlemen has
formally expressed himself on the subject.
and cannot with propriety say until the ex-
ecutive committee is chosen and meets in
Cleveland some two weeks later.it Is an open
secret that both of these gentlemen were
agreed that Cleveland is, after all. the
most available spot for the work or carry
ing on the arduous duties that Will develop
upon Mr.. Hanna during the next TOUR
months.
Three propositions are now before the ma
tional committee on this subject. The f1rst
is to have headquarters in New YORK. villa
a branch in Chicago The otner Is to have
Headquarters in Chicago, with subbranches
be tn in Cleveland and New York, and the
other is to have headquarters in Cleveland.
with subbranch in New York alone. and
this is tho one that 1t is now believed will
carry. From a campaign Of offensive tao
lies, the party leaders have beer compelled
to assume an attitude Of defense. The bat
tie cry Of the enemy is wall street and
gold bugs" The arguments that were
used ten days ago in favor of establishing
headquarters in New York have been nulli-
fled by this fact. What the party is now
trying to do and will have to keep on
trying to do for four months, is to meet
this accusation. and to 40 this the estab-
liShment of headquarters as far away from
Wall street as possible is Il necessity. and
r OF choice.
On the Defensive.
The Mckinley leaders have just had time
since the adjournment of the st. Louis
convention to see this. The point will be
made stronger every day. New York. with
its factional fight, would keep Chairman
Hanna on the jump from morning till
night. The plan that is most likely to sue
ceed, ther efore. is to keep the national
headquarters in Cleveland, with a branch
office. in charge Of Maj. Dick or some other
f1rst-clsss man. who has the confidence and
friendship of Gov. Mckinley, at the Fifth
Avenue Hotel, in New York, unless the
Fifth Avenue Hotel should be thought to
be too near to Thomas G. Platt, who makes
his home there. when it could be taken to
the Holland House or the Waldorf. This.
1T is argLed, would put Hanna in the proper
place as corlmanier-in-chef, and would
give him man III New York in close touch
with Garret A. Hobart.
The citizens of Cleveland and Canton have
arranged for d g'and ratification meeting
to be hel0 in Canton on Saturday of the
present week. Senator Foraker will be one
of the speakers of that occasion.