The Portland daily press., 1899-09-16


Republican majority against -sryan in
| 1896
DANGERS TO OHIO REPUBLICAN,
ISM.
But. unfortunately. there Is no longer
a tariff Issue to give cohesion and head 20
Ohio Republicanism. That is one Of the
Republican policies. like the old anti
slavery contention which the Republican
party has carried to q successful conclu-
sion and fastened upon the country with
out dissent from any quarter worth
consideration. Parties are now strug
Cling with fiscal questions and the new
policies precipit ateu by our conquests in
the Spanish war. Then. again, McKin-
lsy's. personality and interests viii have
little influence in the cont st now going
| ON In HE State.
1t is well for Republicans to look the
situation squarely In the face. Ardent
psrtisans VIII scout the thought, yet II js
| undeniable that the Prtsidents' Admins
tration has not been universally satisfac-
| tory to the party. The attitude OF such
men as Senators Hear, Hale and Mason,
the utterances Of Senator Burrows and
other equally prominent and earnest Re-
pubicans East and West. are proofs OF
tics and wisdom Of the Administrator
policy toward the Philippines and Cuba,
| there are unquestionably Thousands OF
patriotic Republicars bitterly opposed
to 1t. 1t IL not likely that these recalci
| trants would vote against their party In
Presidential contest. bur in these days
OF independent thought and action IL Is
morally certain that this element will be
lukswarm In the Ohio state canvass II
they do not emphasize their opposition
| by actually voting directly for John X.
Mclean, Ia there not still some danger
Of their arguing that Republican defeat
in the Presidents Stats this fall viii be
n direct rebuke to the policy they dlsap.
provsS 1t would certainly be disastrous
blow, and must be guarded against
| Then there IL another element In the
situation which may make for Me-
Leans success. 1t ia the discord which
under an apparently calm surface prevails
among the Republican leaders of Ohio.
Again, like New YORK, Ohio is State
where the political "knifo" is always out
and used upon occasion with relentless
fury. The sulleu attitude OF ForAk er.
Kurtz, Mclkisson and their numerous fol-
lowing toward Senator Hanna. and
way down deep In the well' toward the
President himself, who openly aids and
abets Hanna. ~ undisputad and of long
standing. Their bitter and humiliatlng
defeat by Hanna In the late Republican
State Convention--a defeat which they
| ascribe solely to the Pres!dant-has added
fuel to the flame of their hate. as well as
fear. Will this powerful faction pull true
| TO Nash under such circumstanuesf While
the leaders will openly talk turkey"
viii not their followers "knife" Nash at
| the pollsy There are such threats. Un-
doubtedly the willy McLsan counts uron
| help from this element The history Of
Ohio politics warrants his confidence.
Irue there Is an offsetting disuord in the
Democratic ranks, but Demcratic quarrels
always bring out more Democrats 1t is
only Republicans who cut their own
| throate.
Nj LEANS DETERMINED EARNEST
NESS.
10 guard against any disaster threat
ened by the complex elements with
which the kepu 5llcans have to deal this
year in Ohio, their nature must be
anaiyzed and fully understood by Repub-
| Leans. Mclean summed them all IN
months ago, and looking the chances over
coolly and dispassionately he entered the
canvass for the Democratic nomination
for Governor with determined earnest
ness which surprised people who never
get behind the scenes Mclean saw that
| the times were pregnant with great
events Is amy body silly enough to imng-
inc that he was wasting all this time,
energy and money for the mere empty
honor OF nomination. He anu bis
friends saw there was chance to win the
Goserncrship Of Ohio on u luke and he
has taken that chano5.
There IL another thing In which Nc.
| Lean finds reason for his hopes. IL Is
| not likely that he is confident, but the
rank and nle of Ohio Democrats believe
| success this year Is ''in the air. The
enthusiasm manifested at the GAINESVILLE
convention which nominated McLean was
certainly extraordinary. The outp0uring
Of Democrats to that convention and the
universal confidence In the success of the
ticket to be nominated were Its most
marked charact eristics. Mclean had read
| th re signs long before, and he cunningiy
determined to be the beneficiary of the
discomfort with the leadership of Hanna
| the Republican policy as to our new pos
sessions and the always present latsnt de-
sire for change, whichever party holds the
Ieins
Is Mclean really Presidential posi-.
bilityS Not now, but after the Ohio cleo
tfon this question can be answered much
more inbeiiigibly. Mclean Is not bril-
liant and snowy man like Bryan; he does
not capture the multitude by worly pyro
technics, which mean nothing. But he
Is, nevertheless, a man of parts with
political craft aud courage, great business
| csp city and great property interests lie
may overflow with silver and antitrust
talk and political latitudinarianism gem
erslly for cheap consumption, yet not for
u moment lose tue conhden3e of toe
| soundesG gold man in the country. His
enormous business investments here and
elsewhere in various trust forms would
be accepted as "a guarantee Of safety by
the ,'money power" everywhere should he
become President Mr. bryan presents
faIa
Lean il peculiarly avaiiable as the Dsmo-
cratic candidate next year, because he
could talk one thing to the cheap money
advocates Of the West and South while
his great financial Investments would
be telling an entirely different tale to
the magnates of Wall STREET. In other
words he is one Of them. while Bryan Is
| not Mclean has thought of all these
things himself ana his candidacy for
Governor Of Ohio bodies no good to Will
ill.,, N.r.a A1-~ L.