Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-08-31
DEMOCRATIC MANAGERS.
ralk of IA Shift in the Control of Ma
ti0naI Affairs In the
Party.

| RumorS continue to be circulated
| from ST. Louis of certain mysterious
combinat tions in politics which have for
their object change in democratic ma
tional leadership. Ever since it was
decided last May in that city. at an
| Informal conference of democratic ma
tional committeeman, to put younger
and more active politician than Sem
ator Jones, of Arkansas, at the head of
the national organization, gossip has
| busted itself in Missouri over the ul-
terror and hidden significance of the
shift about to be made in party man.
ayers. Ex-Gov. William j. Stone, it
was unanimously agreed, was to be
| Mr.. Jones successor as head of the
| national committee, and with his adj
vancement it was confidently predicted
q new and powerful factor would be
created in democratic politics. What
role Mr.. Stone would play in the presi
Dental struggle of 1900 was, of course,
not clearly defined; but hints have not
been wanting that he would dispute
with Col. Bryan not only the control
of the machinery of next years ma
,ional convention, but even the nomi-
nation for the presidency itself
Too much Importance should not be
attached to these whisperings from St.
| Louis of a covert or open campaign to
| transfer to other shoulders than Col.
Bryan's the burdens of party leader
ship. Gov. Stones abilities are unques-
toned and his political ambitions are
doubtless far reaching; but there is
| nothing in his attitude so far to indicate
that he hopes TO displace Col. Bryan
as the recognized leader of the western
and southern democracy. Indeed,
whatever Mr.. Stones personal inclina-
tions may be, he is too good politician
to invite the difficult and unequal
struggle involved in any attempt to
break Col. Bryan's present hold upon
The party. Though Mr.. Stones eleva-
ton to the temporary craftsmanship
| Of the national committee was accom-
| plshed without friction recently at
! Chicago, his choice for the post in
no way challenged Col. Bryan's pres
tige; nor did the eX-governor's cleo
ton qualify in the slightest the easy
mastery shown by the Nebraska leader
| both in influencing the committees s
deliberations and in shaping, as its
mouth piece, next years campaign pol
icy through his Auditorium speech.
The odds against Mr.. Stone in a con-
test for the party leadership would,
under present conditions, be practically
| overwhelming. As an eXpansionist he
| is clearly out of touch with the bour-
! bon sentiment of a party which has
acted pretty consistently on the theory
| that the chief business of an opposi-
| ton is to oppose. Suspected of luke
| warmness to the cause of silver, he has
| incurred the hostility of the extremist
| free coinage organizations which have
undertaken the burden of keeping the
party loyal to the platform of 1896. In
| volved in dealing with eastern politi-
clans of the Tammany stripe, he is
dstrusted by the southern leaders, who
since Mr.. Cleveland's election in 1892
| have lost faith in alliances of any sort
| between the south and the east. More
| over, as a committee room politician,
| pure and simple, how could the Mis-
souri, ex-governor be expected to hold
| his own against a rival who not only
knows the tricks of the cabinet, but
can enforce his purposes and policies
through gift of oratory which few
| American politicians have been fortu-
nate enough to command.
To our way of thinking, no vacancy
exists at present in the important post
| to which Mr.. Stone is thought by his
St. Louis friends to aspire. Nor, if Mr..
Bryan's political activity continues,
will the placard Leader Wanted be
| hung out at democratic national head
| quarters for some time to come.-N.
Y Tribune