Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-04-20

tion for Mckinley the latter might not
| be nominated in the national conven-
tion. thereby furnishing another illus
tration Of the old saying that ''history
frequently repeats itself - If this should
happen and some new man should be
nominated for president by the Repub-
lican national convention, Judging
Mark 3 conduct in that event by his con-
duet in the mayoralty election in Cleve-
land, he and his gang would be liable to
bolt, for the bolting habit grows in
strength as it increases in age, and if
Mark and his gang should bolt it would
deliver the Republicans into our hands,
and we would easily elect Bryan presi-
dent. "a consnmmation devoutIy to be
wished. .
A Presidential Possibility.
The truth is. as / long since said in
these letters, that the much vaunted
Republican harmony is like beauty,
only skin deep, and that their differ
enees, like ugliness, are to the bone.
Signs are beginning TO crop ont every
where that they are at loggerheads
about everything. One of the most hit
ter and intolerant Republican papers
in the United States is the New York
Press and withal it is an ably edited
paper Recently it fell afoul of General
Nelson A. Miles, who is distinguished
soldier, an eminent, lifelong Republican,
commanding general of the American
army, and, what is more, n brother-in-
law to Don Cameron and a nephew-in
law to John Sherman and General Will
liam Tecumseh Sherman. The Press
roasted Miles to turn chiefly because
he had had the courage and the honesty
to tell the truth about the outrageous
manner in which our soldiers during
the Cuban war were imposed upon in
the matter of beef, and the fear of The
Press and Republican papers of that
ilk is that Miles may loom up in the
next national Republican convention as
formidable candidate for the nomina
tion for the presidency. Here is part OF
what The Press had to say about this
distinguished soldier:
It would give us pleasure to see General
Miles run for president on the Democratic
ticket, for of course here will be no room foI
him on the Republican ticket. Without dis
eussing his untitness TO represent Republican
ism in national campaign, il is sufficient tC
say that there are several hundred reasons
from Mckinley, Reed, Allison, Dewey, Roose'
welt, and so through the list-why General
Miles never wilt be thought Of by the Repub-
liean convention, but, backed by his yellow
journal friends and his yellow record of ths
Spanish campaign, he would make first rate
Democratic candidate-to be beaten. Make il
Miles and German, say, or Miles and Croker
or, better still and more generally consistent.
Miles and Aguinaldo. Then watch the fun.
General GrosvenOr.
But to return to the Ohioans. There
is one Buckeye Republican statesman
for whom / have great fondness, and
that is General Charles Henry Gros-
venor. once conferred on him on the
floor of congress the honorable title of
the Grim Old Lion of Athens, and,
though | have never entirely forgiven
him for his famous Columbus speech in
the summer of 1898, be occasionally
performs some work which meets with
my entire appreciation. | admire his
courage. his facility in speech and his
eternal readiaess for any sort of fight
There is one subject on which be has
spoken more times perhaps, and more
boldly, than any other public man, and
that is the subject of civil service re- |
form, which the lordly Roscoe Conkling
once sneeringly denominated ''sniyel
service reform Not long since Gen
eral Grosyenor got into controversy
with Mr.. Proctor. the chief OF the civil |
service bureau. If Proctor had been as
well acquainAed with him as he ought |
to have been, he would have let him
alone, on the principle that it is not
safe TO kick sleeping lion. But he per-
formed that silly feat and the result of
it was that the general took the hide off |
him in pieces as big as saddle skirt /
So long as the general engages in fay |
ing that crowd / hope he viii keep his |
knife sharp, for he can render the hu
man race no more excellent service than
by being unusually active in that di-
rection.
1t has generally been supposed by |
those who have had an opportunity to |
observe his conduct that General Gros- /
venor' S chief stock in trade was first
class article and inexhaustible supply |
of vitriol He has poured it upon his |
enemies in unstinted measure. Nobody |
ever suspected that he carried concealed |
about his person any considerable guam
tity of soothing sirup. but not long
since he was interviewed about politics /
in Ohio, in which he used more sooth-
ing sirup than can be found anywhere /
outside of founding asylum. He not
TX foa- - ho esl-f
which was natural, inasmuch as be had
a good deal to do with nominating him, |
but he also praised Hanna in the most |
extravagant fashion, which was not I'M
natural, as they belong to the same I
wing of the Republican party in Ohio;
but, what was calculated to take most |
anybody's breath away, he also landed |
Foraker enthusiastically and predicted I
his certainty of election.
Now, the general built up vast rep /
utation as prophet in the summer Of |
1896. Being his personal friend and ad /
mirer. though his political opponent | |
would dislike exceedingly to see him /
lose his reputation as prophet, for he |
is the only genuine specii Il OF that 1
peculiar genus that was ever personal I
II acquainted with. but am rather in (
clined to think that if be viii read the I
few remarks from NcKisson above /
quoted, and set his imagination to work /
to guess the unspoken thoughts and in
tentions Of Mr.. McKisson as to his fu
ture line of conduct in Ohio, he will go I
rather slow in the business of prophecy I
for few months to come for while, as
| said before, General Grosvenor is a /
man Of undaunted courage. even to his /
ears there must be an ominous sound 7
in the cry now ringing through Ohio, /
Anything to beat HANNAH As Hanna
is safe in his curule chair for six years
more, and as they cannot possibly beat
him individually during that time, the /
cry Of Anything to beat Hanna!" at |
this juncture evidently means Any /
thing to beat Mckinley r And. from my /
close observation of General Grosyenor,
/ am satisfied that he takes sort of /
paternal pride in the present chief mag
istrate of the republic, and the prospect !
of any calamity to Mckinley must
woA-y him great deal but If he takes
a rest ia the business of prophecy he
will have more leisure and strength to
devote to the exposure of the utter hy-