Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-11-17
REPUBLICAN OPPOSITION REGARD
ED As PURE BLUFF.
A SCHEME TO GET OFFICES.
NEITHER FORAKER NOR KURTZ
WILL FIGHT HIS ELECTION.
Senator Foraker Has No Notion Of
JcOpnrdizing His Own Reputa-
lion and Political Future by
Attempting to Down
His Colleague

Columbus o. Nov. l6.-Marcus A.Hanna's
return TO the United States senate is As
much of certainty anything can Ice In
this mutahle world. lie stands close TO
the prize as he could get without having
certificate of election actually in his pocket.
Senator Hanna was elected virtually by
the same votes which returned Repub-
lican majority to the Ohio genera. assem-
bly,. Senate and house must meet early III
January in :oiut session and ballot FOR
United States senator merely by way of
observing prescribed formalities. Then the
name of Marcus A. Hanna will be written
into the certificate of election.
These are the plain, patent facts OF the
Ohio senatorial situation. Scan 1t at any
angle and with any sort Of optical instru-
ment, microscope. telescope or plain opera
glasses. and the result is the same in essen
tals. The little cloudlike uncertainties are
all traceable 10 what the optician calls
achromatic interference.
This city has been a fruitful ''digGinSs
the last week for the manufacturer of polit-
fcal news" The air has been surcharged
with mysterious hints of combinations TO
beat Mr.. Hanna. That interesting individ-
ual who can sagely wag his head and clothe
his commonplace observations on the sit
uation' the ponderous indeflniteness
which passes with the gullible for profund-
fly has been having a carnival. Hundreds
of dollars have been spent in telegraph tolls
and reams of good white paper have been
covered with printers ink in the elaboration
and PRONUNCIATION of these nebulous moth
1ngs. The object has been to make il APP
pear that Senator Hannas return to WASH
ington is likely 10 be opposed, and success
fully, by members of his own party.
There Is not enough consistency and. CO.
hesiveness In all this effort 10 Withstand
even the most rudimentary analysis. Re
, duce IL to a common denominator and it is
resolved into clements of that time -hOQOTe0
expedient dear to the hearts of Jack pot
lovers-bluff.
Z ual and factional opposition to Senator
Hanna among the more than 5oOV0J Re-
publican sh voters %, OF % onio, the party ; never
least two able-bodied factions striving for
8 the mastery. Senator Hanna's prominence
IN party management, state and national,
brings to him the successful politicians
inevitable penalty.
. Every ambitious local leader who has
. been dethroned in his own township or
. county and every disappointed seeker of
federal appointment lays the blame to
Senator Hanna. The disgruntled ones went
as far as they dared to pay off these old
scores on election day. The official returns
show where and how the knife was used.
But they had not and have not the courage
The talk of a bolt from Senator Hanna
in the legislature and of combination
election is really suing for peace disguised
as a demand. 1t is bluff transparent
the wonder is anybody could be deceived by
. IL. Here is the way II stands:
The anti-Hanna faction has been defeat
ed in every maneuver of the year. Its
leaders see the Christmas present season
drawing near and know that good boy
is not written opposite their names Sena-
. tor Hanna comes nearer than anybody else
{ Claus A whole bagful of postoffices re-
main TO be distributed. to say nothing of
still fatter plums. The legislature will be
|. i'm session soon, with all its prizes in the
way oil 1aEOrltP commit teeshiDS and direct
patronage. Senator Hanna's friends are
overwhelmingly in the majority on the Re
|. publican side They can control absolutely
. II they wish.
The anti-Hanna men are almost frantic
lest they be punished TO the limit for what
has occurred during the summer and fall.
and left entirely out of the gift distribu-
tion. Too proud to beg outright. they seize
on Senator Hanna's candidacy in conjunc-
tion with the narrow majority in the gen
eral assembly and make a pretense of de-
manding recognitien. They want a few
concessions" II these were granted to-
morrow not another word would be heard
about party opposition to Senator Hanna.
This Is the naked truth on the Ohio sena-
( torial situation.
Whether the concessions will be granted
Is question; Senator Hanna has not been
especially tolerant of opposition and has
never gone far out of his way TO conciliate
elements antagonistic to him. Now that the
fghting is all over he may be willing 10
fnaugurate new era of harmony All
around But he is not the man 10 be
Irlghtened by war talk into making conces-
enough to Justify defiance
No combination to beat Senator Hanna
with Republican votes is possible without
the active participation in It of two men
Senator Foraker and Charles L. Kurtz This
TACT ought to be apparent TO any one who
mas ever looked SO far as a hairs breadth
into Ohio politics. IL has been recognized
by the pro. promoters of anti-Hanna talk. and
two men with such talk,-
As for Mr.. Foraker. he worked all
through the campaign for Mr.. Hanna as
hard as ever man worked The morning
after election he telegraphed his congratu-
lations to Senator Hanna. taking pains 10
emphasize the result as making certain the
return of his colleague to the senate SEN
ator Foraker knows that he would he held
responsible for any legislative combination
feat would cause split in the party in the !
state which could not be healed while any
OF the parties TO it remained alive ard
Gratis for the next generation. Senator For
aker has too keen an eye TO his own polit-
ical future and Is too good Republican !
besides to take such risk. |
Both he and Mr.. kurtZ. moreover stand !
IN OHIO for the machine" for the regular
organization Senator Hanna is the reg
ularly nominated senatorial candidate Of /!
the party. So they are not likely to sacri- !
lice their reputation for regularity by on |
posing him and gaining nothing but dis |
cord, even were they inclined TO opnose |
him, which has not been made apparent. |
Senator Hanna is just as sure OF getting
the caucus nomination as he is of getting |
his breakfast He is the regular candidate .
or his party. nominated in state convention /
Every Republican nominated for the legis- |
iature IN Ohio last summer was nominated |
on the Toledo platform and Senator Han |
mas Endorsement was part of that plat- |
form. Republicans In Ohio may have their
troubles among themselves but they are |
not in the habit of boiling their own party |
conventions. So there is not the slightest |
reason Tor sunpoSinc that any other name |
than Senator Hanna's will be presented 10 |
the legislative cauClis
But II another were named. what then, |
Every regular Republican mcmber-elect M |
the Ohio legislature. with the possible ex- |
ception or ten has pledged himself 10 SEN
ator Hanna. That insures his nomInation |
In the caucus by the votes of about nine I
ienths Of the caucus. And in all the misin I
formation that has been wired from This
town there has not been one intirnation that /
Republican members of the legislature
would stay out Of the caucus or holt tho /
caucus.
Chnunccy VI. Dcpcw DccIlac.
New York Nov. 16.-Chauncey NJ Depew
who was laSr night ,alrcred