The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-23


government which these men hold
put. Let each write them down, and
no one could tell which one had writ
ten them from any material difference
in their views. Mclean is no more
a resident of Ohio than was Brice. For
years he has led a sybaritic life in
Washington. touching Ohio Democracy
and politics only to debauch it. In the
senate he would mar Democratic pros
poets precisely as German and his fell
low Iscariots did. Better far for the
party and its principles that Repub-
lican rather than a Democratic pater-
nalist be chosen.
But, if figs cannot be gathered from
thistles, this scramble of men may give
up some interesting if not valuable in
formation of the methods of politicians
and the manipulations in the game of
politics where it is played merely as
game with personal ends instead of
principles for the stakes. The narrow
margin of Republican success in Ohio
in 1892 and the small majority given
Mckinley last year gave warning of
conditions that would make the contest
this year very close. Else John Nc
Lean would not have put his senatorial
ambition to the risk of defeat. The
situation had been brought about by
a fusion of the Democrats and Pop
no Of
cess of Mclean would be impaired
could the Populists be induced to take
to the middle of the road" No in
jury to what they are pleased to term
their cause would follow a continu-
ance of fusion, for what is by courtesy
termed Democracy in Ohio is only Pop
ulism with another label; and no sin
cere Pop cares a rupee about the sue
cess of the name if the principles"
win.
The advantage of separation the
disadvantages Of fusion did not escape
the astute Hanna nor the acute Nc
Lean. Each began to maneuver to Sc
cure the movement that would inure to
L
elsewhere, especially in our own state
that there are Populists willing, even
anxious, to be salaried to bring about
either end. We experienced this saIa-
bilfty in 1891 when the Alliance was
converted to Populism and we are
seeing it again now when Populism is
getting too strong in the fusion eff
fected. So Hanna mined and Mclean
countermined. Hanna played for a
m1ddle-of-the-road convention, and Nc
Lean to defeat it. Each used the only
lever he believed to be suitable and
efficacious in Ohio politics. If money
talks, it also works; and never any
where SO effectively as among those
sav1ors of society who assume the
leadership of Populism and other isms.
Hanna had the easier, though, prob
ably, the more expensive task. There
was a ready-made material in the
fanaticism of the dupes to work with.
and all that was needed was the as
sistance of the leaders, impecunious
and purchasable. How much he spent
will not be known. Not as much as
he did in the ante-convention cam
pagn of '96, when his checks, given In
payment Of purchases of delegates.
flooded the Cleveland banks.
Mclean exploded his counternine in
the middle of the middle-of-the-road
convention. Hannas manager, Dicks.
check, given one Pop to help division
along was exhibited. One of those
reverends with peculiar ideas of moral
ity admitted that he had received S25
from Dick to help widen the split. But
the result was on a par with Buffers
explosion of the powder ship in front
OF Fort Wagner. Hanna had secured
too many who stayed bought" Five
hundred and thirty-five delegates voted
for the -of-the-road to 10 who
stood with Mclean. There was much
uproar. The Hannaites accused the ex-
posers with treachery. Dick "denighed"
vigorously, but with so many qualifi-
cations as to weaken his denials. But
their nasty mess is of no moment be-
yond their borders. What is instruc-
tive is the facility with which Popu
hsm bends to the pressure of the al
mighty dollar