Omaha daily bee., 1897-11-05
HARMON'S POLITICAL VIEWS
Alleges that Local Issues Turned the Scale
in Eastern States.
DISCUSSES RESULT OF RECENT ELECTION
Ex-AttorneN General Does Not Think
that Ohio's vote Indicates
Sentiment In Favor OF
Free silver.

Ex.Attorney General Harmon OF Cincin-
sati, who has beeSpln the city for several
days, left yesterday for the east. He
was seen at the Mlllard before his departure
and asked to express an opinion on the les
sons Of the late election. He apologized on
the ground that he had been so occupied with
his practice OF late that he had given little
attention TO the issues at stake in the diff
ferent states, and was therefore disqualified
10 give an opinion which he considered to be
OF any value. He offered to explain some OF
the conditions existing in his own state of
Ohio, and said:
"The question at issue in Ohio was purely
local. In Cincinnati for instance, the repub-
Means we're victorious on the state ticket,
but lost the local ticket. This was due al
most entirely to the revolt against boss rule.
Bossism had become so offensive in the re-
publican party that hundreds OF good party
men refused to support their candidates This
feeling had its first result In the city election
sop.e time ago. when the democrats elected
their candidate for mayor The men respon-
siblo for this then feared that II the repub-
licans secured a working majority In the state
legislature they would pass laws taking away
from the mayor much OF his power. This re-
suited in a fusion on the legislative ticket
which has just been elected from Hamilton
county.
81 do not consider that the decrease In
che republican majority in Ohio is any indi-
cation OF growing sentiment in favor OF free
silver. 1t is true the democrats endorsed the
Chicago platform while the republicans stood
by the st. Louis document, but the fact,
nevertheless, remains that the issues upon
which the vote hinged were largely local
and personal. The conditions prevailing in
Cincinnati were duplicated in several of the
large cities in the state. Further, there have
4s-,, tha
state of Ohio the year following a presi-
Dental election has not cast a vote adverse to
the ruling administration.
REGARDING OTHER STATES.
1.-THE same can be said OF the result in
New York. The triumph OF Tammany has no
national Significance as bearing upon the
future OF the democratic party. The returns
plainly indicate that had the republicans
been able to get together the result would
have been different The Platt organization
would have taken up Low as its candidate
had Low been willing to make a few conces-
sions but his platform called for an ad-
minstraton on lines of other business af-
fairs and he felt he could not make any con-
cessions OF a political nature without COM
promising that platform. The Platt organ
1Zation would not support him without these
concessions and division of the vote re-
suited. The death of Henry George also
affected the result. There does not seem to
be any doubt that had he lived he would
have made a material inroad into the vote
which was finally cast for the Tammany
candidate
'In addition to this there were many local
causes which worked to the disadvantage
of the republicans The celebrated Raines
law was worth thousands of votes to Tam
many and Il was used with full force and
vigor. There were no national issues in the
contest. The republican organization sought
to inject national politics, but failed because
the democrats refused to be led into that
field
"In Maryland the parties came nearer lin
ing up on national issues than in either of
the two states. 1t was almost repetition o.
the campaign last year, with the fight
against German of course occupying con-
spicuous place. The result seems vet to
be surrounded by considerable doubt"
Mr.. Harmon had not been in Omaha to
remain any length OF time since 1890 and
expressed a pleasant surprise at the growth
of the city. He was especially pleased with
that portion lying west on Farnam street
and particularly mentioned the number of
pretty residences which have been built
there He said he thought the New York
Life building the city hall, The Bee build
dng, the court house and the new govern
ment building would be a credit to cities
much larger than Omaha.