New-York tribune., 1900-05-19
NOT INCONCEIEARLE.

Since he returned to Washington Admiral
Dewey is reported to have said that he did not
understand how he got the idea into his
head that he would like to be President of the
United States We have no means of knowing
whether or not the Admiral has recently ex-
pressed himself to this effect, but if he has there
is nothing dscreditable in the remark ana
therefore there is no harm done by alludlng 10
the report. 1t would uot be surprising If lie
carried this reflection home with him from his
trip to the West and South where he was the
recipient of continual hospitality and OF many
proofs of respect and affection. For. so far as II
is possible TO Judge from dislnterested accounts
of his travels. he was everywhere welcomed as
the Admiral of the Navy and nowhere as Il
candidate for Q Presidential nomination. No
political machinery set up at any point III
his interest or put at his command but men of
all parties joined in doing honor to the man
who having won the battle of Manila in brill
liant style thereafter showed himself fully equal
to the delicate task of securing the fruits of his
victory. 1t can hardly have failed to occur to
Admiral Dewey, as he behed these manifesto
tions of the universal admiration and goodwill
with which he Is regarded by his fellow cOun-
trymen. that the new service for which he has
volunteered never bestows such rewards In such
completeness but requires OF all who enter 1t
and of all who seriously compete for 1t that
they should submit to the trial of having their
character. judgment. convictions and habits
freely discussed and coplously disparaged.
1t Is creditnble to Admiral Dewey and to the
American people that the abrupt announcement
of his determination to offer himself as can
didate for the Presidency has not provoked the
least resentment in any quarter or even excited
dscourteous dsapproval. If here and there the
National license to make a Jest of everything
has been employed to some slight extent that is
the limit of the annoyancps to which the Adml-
raj has thus far been subjected. If he should
actually become nominee. under whatever
auspices, we should hope that the same re-
straint would be exercised by those who con
sidered It a duty to support another candidate;
but, we have taken the liberty to suggest, he
may not unnaturally have begun to realize that
he could not claim. or fairly expect, such 1mmu-
nifty. and rather anXiousy to contrast in his
mind the delightful incidents of his recent trip
with the probable experiences to which he has
consented to condemn himself.
In the report of the private interview to which
we have referred without any assurance of its
authenticity Admiral Dewey is quoted as saying
that he ought TO be satisfied with the fact that
he has high station. happy home. the esteem
of his cOuntrymen and the qualification of know
ing that he performed a service for them in a
way to win their approval There is no reason
to fear that their approval of that service will
ever be withdrawn, but it is not improbable that
if the Admiral should embrace an early oppor-
tunity to inform them, with characteristic sim
plicity and ingenuousness that he had decided
to take himself out of the Presidential race be-
fore it started they would hasten to assure him
that in their opinion he had done well and had
established an additional claim to their regard.