The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-23
NIR. MHIrNEY.s M1ssIoN.

! nllney to Europe is TO ma out from
/ Admiral Dewey whether he would permit
! his name to be presented to the Demo
/ cratic National Convention for the nomi-
/ nation for President, IL the subject Of a
| great deal OF comment. When the state
ment was first made there was a very
| general disposition to doubt that it was
anything more than a eensa tlonal report
and even now. Ia some quarters It's cor
rectuess is questioned The New York
sun for Instance in an article under the
caption OF An Insult to Admiral Dewey"
SAYS that MI Whitney is "a man Of too
much dlscernment TO make so insulting
a proposition TO Admiral Dewey
Very naturally the Sun and other ad-
minis trauon papers take the position that
there is nothing IN the Belmont story,
and ridicule the idea that Admiral Dewey
would even consider the question of ac-
cepung the Democratic nomination for
President, or that the Democratic party
would offer the nomination TO him. The
possibility Of Admiral Dewey's being the
candidate Of the Democratic party for
President fills them with alarm. They
know very well that with Admiral Dewey
as their candidate the Democrats would
sweep the country.
The story respecting Mr.. Whitney's
mission to Europe Doesn't rest alone on
the statement of Mr.. Belmont. The new
York correspondent of the Philadelphia
Press a leading administration organ,
says that Mr.. Belmont is well Informed
in respect to Mr.. Whitney's mission, and
that influential Democrats in New York
are very much surprised that he should
have made public anything about it. He
says however, that Mr.. Whitney doesn't
expect 10 get Admiral Dewey's consent to
permit his name to go before the Demo-
cratic National Convention. He will be
satisfied il the admiral will promise not
to peremptorily put a stop to the move
ment to bring him forward as the Demo-
cratic candidate for President.
We cannot see on what grounds It can
be claimed that 1t would be an insult to
Admiral Dewey to ask him to be can
didate for the Democratic nomination for
President. 1t may be true that he is in
favor of the gold standard, and thinks
we ought to hold on to the Philippines
but If he were to be orered the nomina-
ton such a platform as he could con-
sistenly stand upon would have to be
made.
While there is every reason at the pres
ent time 10 think that the Chicago plat
form will be re-affirmed, it isn't absolute
ly certain that It will. There is strong
feeling In favor of pushing the silver
question into the background for the rea-
sons that the country decided against
free silver in 1895, that free silver is less
popular now than it was then, and that
even IL a Democratic President were elect
ed on free silver platform the coinage
of silver couldn't be made free during his
term of office because the Republicans
will control the Senate for the next six
years or more.
on the question OF holding the Philip
pines the Democratic party has taken no
stand as yet. In fact. neither party has
made declaration in respect to that mat
ter 1t is by no means certain that the
great majority of Democrats are against
Bryan thinks we ought to deal with them
as we propose to deal with Cuba 1t may
be that Admiral Dewey is not averse to a
policy of that kind. As a matter of fact
the public knows very little as to Admiral
Deweys views on great public questions
It is hardly probable that as shrewd a
man as Mr. Whitney is would have
to permit a movement to make him the
candidate of the Democratic party for
President if there were insurmountable
obstacles to his occupying such a posi-
ton 1t is not certain, of course, that
such a movement would be successful even
If Admiral Dewey should consent to it.
Mr.. Bryan has a very strong hold on the
party. He practically controls the party
machinery and he is extremely popular
with Democrats of the greater part of the
country, Even so popular a man as Ad-
mlral Dewey might not be able to beat
him in the convention.
But there is very little probability OF
Mr.. Whitney's being successful in his
mission. on more than one occasion
within the last few months Admiral Dew
ey has said, if he has been correctly quot
ed, that he wanted nothing to do with
politics. At Trieste on last Thursday,
according to the foreign dispatches, he
said that he was heartily in favor Of the
reelection of Mr.. Mckinley. That being
the case, it would require a very great
effort to get him to sanction a movement
While, therefore. the Belmont story is
probably true, 1t is pretty safe to assume
that Admiral Dewey will not be a can
didate for the presidential nomination of
the Democratic party, or of any other
party, next year