The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-07-12
The Democratic Ticket.


with a mouth; Stevenson's with an
axe. All careful biographies of the
candidate who was placed in the field
Friday show that he has run for
Congress five times and been elected
twice, and that he was Vice-Presi-
dent of the United States for four
years, considerable part of that
period having been diversified by
efforts to bedevil the Administration
of which he was constitutionally a
part. But these were episodes rather
than epochs in the political career of
Mr.. Stevenson. The services for
which he is remembered, and by
virtue of which he has indeed not
merely survived but been again
exalted to the second place on the
Democratic ticket, were rendered in
his capacity as First Assistant Post
master General during President
Cleveland's first term. The vigor,
the dexterity and the Unsuitable zest
with which he Topped off Republican
heads at that time fixed the gaze of
the entire country and threw his
party into a perfect ecstasy. 1t was
indeed a mastery performance, and
there are some persons who even go
so far as to say that the reason Mr..
Cleveland never protested was that
he was bewildered, hypnotized and
| deprived of the power of speech by
the dazzling rapidity of Mr.. Steven
sons strokes. We note with great
interest and satisfaction that a suit
able tribute was paid to this remark
! able achievement by the gentleman
who introduced Mr.. Stevenson to the
Convention last week as the favorite
son of Illinois and as a statesman
who has demonstrated that he
knows a Republican when he sees
him in an office that belongs to a
Democrat" The apostrophe was
deft, accurate and timely, and it was
rewarded with tumultuous applause.
1t had been said all through the
week that the result of the Vice
Presidential contest was uncertain
for the reason that Mr. Bryan was
keeping his hands off. The fact that
Mr.. Stevenson was nominated would
seem to indicate that Mr.. Bryan's
hands were known by the managers
to have been laid in benediction on
his head. The master who had done
as he pleased with the Convention
would hardly have tolerated this
nomination if he had preferred
another. Nor is there any cause to
doubt that the Democratic candi-
dates will work together kindly in
double harness. Mr.. Stevenson pos
sesses unusual powers of adaptation.
He was never observed to show the
slightest signs of personal discomfort
when his former candidacy with Mr..
Cleveland required him to adopt a
new attitude toward several of his
most cherished illusions. Nor, in
case the platform on which he now
stands should be found to conflict
with professions on which he has
heretofore laid great stress, would
there be any serious reason to fear
that the harmony and cooperation of
the running mates would be i'm
perilled. In opening his campaign
eight years ago, for example, with a
speech which was described as "all
peroration" Mr.. Stevenson claimed
great glory for the Dem ocratic party
because Thomas jefferson was the
author of expansion. The Louisiana
Purchase will be an unpleasant sub
iect for Democratic orators to handle
this year, and we have no doubt that
Mr.. Stevenson will be equal to the
necessity of letting it severely alone.
The presumption is that Mr.. Bryan
and Mr.. Stevenson will find their re-
lations entirely cOngenial, but the
question remains what the Populist
contingent and its unhappy candi-
date for Vice-P President will do under
the conditions which confront them.
Four years ago the Hon. Thomas
Watson made no attempt to conceal
his opinion that two tails to a ticket
were one too many, the superfiuous
quantity in that instance being Mr..
Sewall. There is no doubt that at
the best the Convention has again put
the Democratic party and its pros
pective allies in an exceedingly incon-
venient position, and it is difficult to
see that it hoped to gain in exchange.
If it imagined that there still clung
to Democracy some shreds of respect
ability which would be lost by the
adoption of the Populist candidate it
made preposterous blunder.
THE REPUBLICAN,, 1925 per year,