Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-27
ALL IN THE DARK
Ohio Politicians Mysti6sd by John R.
McLean's Candidacy.
MANY EXPLANATIONS OFFERED
Opposition to His Nomination Gen.
tiers in Col. James kilbourne.
TROUBLES OF REPUBLICANS
TROUBLES OF REPUBLICANS

TROUBLES OF REPUBLICANS
| Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
| CLEVELAND. Ohio, July %, 1899
| Ishmaelites are getting to be tribe of
! Ohio politicians. This morning, riding down
| town on one of the street car lines affected
| by the strike, the talk was not of it, or of
| TIE possibility of our getting to the Public
| Square without being blown up by dyna-
| mite, though such topic would have been
| natural in the circumstances; instead, two
I or three groups on the smokers seats were
| reading their papers and talking about the
| Ishmaelites. l found from a chance &C
| qUaintance among them that both political
| parties in northern Ohio are in the state in
which nobody can tell who are the regulars
| and who the boilers. So they call one an
| other Ishmaelites. 1t is to be said for them
that they are not going around with knives
up their sleeves asking about their broth
er's health while hunting for his fifth rib.
They are out in the open looking for one
another with clubs.
few months back it was the republican
factions which hunted each other Now it
| is the democrats. 1t appears that John r.
Mclean has his friends and foes. There
are also his well-wishers and ill-wishers
| alignment is in a degree based on old ami
| nosties. The probability of a contest for
| the nomination for governor simply gives a
chance for the factions to declare them
selves. Each set charges the other set with
being Ishmaelites. So far as | can make
out. Mayor Farley and his municipal ma
chine are for MCLEAN, but the machinery
is not certain to work smoothly.
local democratic politician whom I
asked to tell me all about it. said he hadn't
found out himself. He had got the tip that
he and the rest Of the boys We're to be for
Mclean for governor, but he couldn't make
up his mind that this was to be SO. John
ME he said. with the familiarity of an old
friend. wants to be senator or President.
and will compromise on being Vice Presi-
dent. We all know that. but | can't make
out this play of his to be governor. 1t will
cost him heap of money and he won't be
bit the stronger fer it. l wish Lew Ber-
nard would tell Us on the square what the
game is.
what Sir. bernard Knows.
Lew Bernard is Mr.. McLean's chief leu
tenant. He is hardly the boss of the Gin
cinnati democracy in the sense that Geo
b. Cox is the boss of the republicans there
but he usually controls the Hamilton coun-
ty delegation. In the democratic state con-
vention few years back there was a Skin
misn of some sort on the silver question.
The Cincinnati delegation voted soIidly for
sound money. One of the free silver men
went to Bernard and protested. THAT isn't
fair, Lew he said. I'VE ought to have
some votes in Cincinnati "AIl right" re-
Sp9nded the obliging Mr.. Bernard. "Will
One-third be enough?" One-third was
enough and on receiving this assurance
Mr.. Bernard walked over to the tally clerk
and changed the vote. He did not bother
to tell hi:; delegation what he had done.
From this it may be gathered that Cincin-
natl politics, whether republican or demo-
cratic. is not Of the rebeliious sort which
supposes that delegates to the state con-
ventton have minds Of their own. Whether
1t be Mr.. George B. Cox in a republican
convention, or Mr.. Lewis Bernard in
democratic convention, the docility of the
delegation is the same.
Mr.. Bernard has said that John r. Nc
Lean will have the seVenty-seven votes Of
Hamilton county in the democratic state
convention which meets at GAINESVILLE next
month. Nobody who knows him doubts
his word. The only question is whether
Mr.. Mclean will have them in earnest CT
as a mask for some other candidate Mr..
Bernard is managing Mr.. McLean's cam
paign throughout the state. and in his
dickers with the local managers he is hin
dered by the questions they put While in
Washington 1 never heard anybody ques-
ton that Mr. Mclean had announced his
candidacy with the purpose of being nomi-
mated for governor. 1t is, therefore, strange
to find much uncertainty here in Ohio.
Nevertheless most of the democratic poll
ticians are asking the question, What does
Mclean mean? Nobody gives them an
answer which is satisfying to their souls.
Opposition in Country Districts.
Lately opposition has sprung up to the
Cincinnati editor. Some of the country dis
tricts are being heard from and they do not
want Mclean. Some of the country states
men are also being heard from and are an
nouncing in what they mean to be stento-
rian tones that they will take the stump
against him. McLeans supporters make
light of this talk. They admit that there
are Il few counties in the state IN which ne
is unpopular. and they are not trying to
capture the delegations. But by their own
saying they can nominate him hands down
The opposition VIII undoubtedly center on
Col. James I<ilbourne of Columbus. Until
McLean's candidacy was sprung Kibourne
was {, favorite. Then the politicians took
their cue. Recently Representative John J.
for Mclean. Lentz was himself a candi-
date until Franklin county; that is to say
bourne. Then he acquiesced, or pretended
TO acquiesCe. Now kilbourne's supporters
are irritated at what they call his treach-
cry. There are other signs of i'll feeling
which lead to the belief that the Ohio demo-
Gratis may get into family quarrels almost
as ugly as those in which the republicans
rejoice. though there is more venom among
the republican factions.
a few democrats of local prominence af-
feet to believe that neither Mclean nor
kilbOurnc will be nominated, and that there
is chance for other persons. Down at
Canton former Mayor Rice is announced
as still in the field. Lawyer Welty, Rice's
dearest fee, has made a counter move by
| coming out for Gen. l. r. Shirwood, an old
| time greenbacker and later a free silver
| democrat. Rice has some elements of
| availability. If there should really be a
middle in the state convention, sentiment
! in other parts of the state would force his
home county to support him, but there is
| little prospect of a muddie. Allen w. Thur
/ man and the Columbus democrats are push
! ing hilbourne. and they will probably unite
| the anti-McLean factions on him. They
| may do that and may stir up further oppo-
sition in the interior counties. But Nc
| Leans lieutenants have the party machin-
| cry SO thoroughly in their power that moth
| ing indicates their inability to nominate
| him if they insist upon it.
| McLcan's Purpose Questioned.
| With this certainty the question which