Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-04-22
Carter H. Harrison, Whose
Reelection as Mayor Of
Chicago Has Attracted
National Attention.

copyright. isas. by Wilson q. LOWELL
Accident. circumstance or opportu-
nifty. according TO the term one may pre-
fer 10 apply. makes the man. The Old
raw Il as true now ~ when II was fiTst
employed. In no phase OF life. however.
does II apply with no much force as In
politics. and because OF our republican
Institutions In no country II Its correct
ness 70 frequently cxcmplined as In the
United States. Tho political history Of
the country affords thousands Of sx'
ampics. and II In safe 10 say that at ev-
cry general election held In recent years
there have been n score or more Of men
whose cascs might be cited In support
OF this proposition.
Many men who have attained the po-
sition Of chief executive of the United
states have been practically unknown
outside their own congressional dis.
tricts at the election preceding the one
presidency. Accidents have converted
unknown individuals into rivals for
gub-rnntofiai honorn. and the events OF
. day have transformed men with moth
Ing more than municipal reputation
into presidential possibilities first, prs
dental candidates aftcrward and pres
idtnta rtiil later. And these cases are
not Isolated ones. Numbers OF Instances
might be cited TO Illustrate this. and
these accidents OF politics. or whatever
else they may be called. are relatively
more numerous In the upper strata than
In the middle ground. where the strife
In more personal and the element OF In
diyiduaiity Ia not lost sight OF for mo-
mant. 10
A Retrospective Einncc Of half n CEN
fury VIII make this fact clear. In 1876,
at the opening Of the Mexican war, u
was alleged that owing TO the fear OF
the administration OF President Polk
that the iaurelH which II was expected
that General Winfield Scott would win
In the campaign would make him an ir.
rcristiblc presidential candidate Gen.
erai Zachary Taylor was assigned TO an
Important command In the hope Of dis
tracing attention from Rcott. hut Ia
that case there was reckoning without
the host. for. 30 far from the plan scrv-
Ing 10 Mil or one presidential candidate.
" had the effect OF making another. The
unknown Taylor OF 1876 was elected
president OF the United States two
years later.
In the case OF Abraham Lincoln tho
facts were even more illuminative Of
the political possibilities under our form
OF government. In 1866. when Fremont
was running AZ the first candidate Of
the Republican party against James
buchanan. Abraham Lincoln was I'M
known outside OF Illinois. Two years
later he stumped the state na a candl-
date for the United States aenatorahlp
against tho Little Giant" stephen A.
Douglas, That canvass gave him rep
utnton nA a debater, ana In 1850 the UNI
conth Illinois lawyer was the candidate.
OF the new party for the presidency and
was elected. Had he been successful In
his hEht for the Henatornhlp he probn-
bly, never would have been thought OF
IN connection with the presidency. and
" The Democratic party had not been
split Into several factions he certainly
would not have been elected. In other
words, Lincoln was the hero Of the de-
bate with Douglas and tho fnvorite of
circumstances
rutherford u. Hayes was the hero OF
his party at the time Of the assembling
or the national convention because OF
the nsht he had made and won with
"greenbackA versus resumption" A. the
Issue against Rise Up william Allen.
Hayes became governor OF Ohio, and
MS Victory attracted the attention of
the magnatea OF the party In different
sections OF the country. They took him
up as The man upon whom public ntten-
ton had been most recently focused.
anu he became president OF the United
States.
Cleveland was another unknown who
became president. lie was mayor Of
Bunalo when the New York state con-
ventlon met, lie was nominated for
governor. with David n. nm In the
second place ON the ticket. Charles ]
Foiger, Arthur'a secretary Of tho treas
ury, was put M by the Republicans. II
was alleged In some quarters that Fol-
gers nomination had been brought
about BY the Interference Of President
Arthur. Whether true or not. the i'm
preston gained wide belief, with tho re-
suit that Cleveland was elected govern
or OF New York by plurality Of nearly
10000 the largest ever given 10 guher-
Material candidate. This made ID prac.
ucally certain that he would be the
choice Of the national convention. such
he was ana defeated James o. blaine,
whom shit of less than 500 votes
would have elected and who certainly
would have won had II not been that
the quarrel between the "Stalwnrta" and
the "Iialf-breeds" had been lntens.f Ned
by the murder Of Garfield. II Arthur had
not been president. Foger never would
have been gubernatorial candidate In
New York, Cleveland would never have
got the opportunity 10 win by an un.
precedented plurality, Garfield would
probably have been chosen for secont
term. and, In the opinion Of many polit'
ical students that would have mad,
Blaine an lmposslbility an presidential
factor.
Coming down 10 Bryan In 1895. w
have another striking Illustration OF tn
iehtnnglike ana apparently erratl'
changes IN politics. Bryan had attract
.