The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-07
TALKED NATIONAL POLITICS.
JAMES HAMILTON LEWIS DISCUSSES
THE SITUATION.


Among Old Friends and Acquaint-
ances on Personal Busin ess-Inter-
viewed on Political QuestiOns-Is
Not "a Candidate for The Vice Pres
fdency-Believes Bryan and Sulzer
or Bryan and Harrison VIII BE the
Democratic NOminees-Thinks Re-
pubIicans VIII Put Up Mckinley
and Roosevelt.
Savannah has followed with interest the
career of Hon. James Hamilton Lewis.
Mr.. Lewis formerly lived in Savannah.
He left here in 1855 for the University of
Virginia, taking a law course and thence
going to Seattle, Wash, then town of
not more than 5000 people. Since then
Mr.. Lewis has watched Seattle grow to
be city of 10000 population.
Many recall Mr. Lewis with perfect dis
| tinctness, as he was very well known dur
ing the five years he spent in this city.
His first legal knowledge was acquired in
the office of Messrs. Lawton e. Cunning,
ham, from there he went to Messrs. CHS
| holm & Erwin. His studies in the former
| office secured him admission TO the Geor-
gia bar, and it was with some familiarity
with practice that he went TO Virginia to
| pursue his studies.
In the far Western state Mr. Lewis
career has been meteoric. Stepping al
once into the political arena, but little
time was necessary for him to prove that
he was the man of the hour, the Demo-
cratic party of the territory recognizing
him as promising material and rallying to
his support when he announced as a cam
! didate for the territorial Senate. He was
elected, and his service was In the last
! Senate that convened while Washington
| was yet a territory.
In 1892 at so rapid a pace did he come
J into public notice and so well did he hold
! it, Mr.. Lewis was named as the candidate
| of his party for the goyernorship. His
race was a strong one, but the Republl-
| cans were stronger, and his flag went
| down in defeat. His party, however adj
| hered to him with the same tenaclty that
! he stuck to ii, and in 1894 he was its can
| didate for the United States Senate. Again
! the opposition was too strong.
When the Democratic Convention was
| held in 1896 at Chicago the delegation from
| Washington was prepared to support Mr..
/ Lewis for the vice presidency The con-
| Vention was for Sewall. though, and Mr..
! Lewis had to content himself with an cleo
| ton to Congress in the following fall by
| the state at large.
Some of the papers are connecting Mr..
| Lewis name with the vice presidency
| again They say he is the man to be
nominated if it is decided that there should
be a running mate from the Pacific Coast
| for the presidential nominee for the pres
! idency. Referring to these statements,
| Mr. Lewis said to the Mornings News that
| he is not a candidate, as he believes the
| nomination will go to an Eastern man. II,
however, he said, the convention should
decide upon a Pacific Coast man his state
! will present his name with his consent.
During his term in Congress, Mr.. Lewis
was constantly before the people, figuring
prominently in first one and then aonther
proceeding of importance. 1t was he who
introduced the resolution in the House
recognizing the independence of cuba. HIS
old friends and acquantances in Savan-
nah then watched his course with no little
interest Yesterday he was in the city,
| stopping at the De Soto and mary of
those who once knew him were pleased TO
meet him again and talk over old times.
Mr. Lewis left last night for Augusta,
where he went to visit his father. Mr..
John c. Lewis. From there he will go
back to Washington, where he has some
! SuDreme Court cases pending, and while
there, will attend the meeting of the Ma
1 tonal Democratic Committee on Feb. y,
when the question of the time and place
! for holding the convention Will ne tOhSlu-
cred The convention will undoubtedly,
Mr.. Lewis said, be held at Chicago be-
tween June 26, and July 5. He says that
is information gained on the inside, be-
ing what the party leaders now look for
| ward to.
When seen at the De Soto, Mr.. Lewis
| said his trip to Savannah was to attend
10 a few personal matters. When asked
about national politics, he entered readily
into a discussion, touching upon one
phase and another and showing that he
had carefully studied and absorbed the
situation. His prophecies are as likely as
not to be borne out by events They were
made with confidence and Mr.. Lewis
himself seemed to have not the slightest
doubt that history will conform with his
predictions.
Bryan will be nominated" he said.
The only condition threatening this is
the prospect of TammanY~~nominatin
some other. in which event Southerners
opposing silver and favoring the acqui-
sition of the Philippines would combine
to try to center upon Olney of Massachu'
! setts or Boies of Iowa. In such an event
Wheeler of Alabama or Hoke Smith OF
Georgia would be the candidate for the
vice presidency UnQuestionably though,
the Indicators are for Bryan and Tam
many man probably sulzer of New York
or Carter Harrison of Illinois
There is a proba bilty." the eX-Congress-
man said that the silver Republicans
and Populists will present Gov. Pngree
of Michigan upon something like the ar
rangement for electoral votes that existed
when Tom Watson was a candidate. Dem
ocrats will undoubtedly reatiirm the Chi
| cago platform. great stress being laid upon
| the antitrust and unu-mperial planks,
which will gain the party great strength
in New England, where silver is not
! strong. though I fear the Pacific coast
,,rf1 off this bN- a strong sentiment
| favor of the annexation of the Philippines.
| Being a strong volunteer man myself,
| and an advocate of the volunteers in each
| state being maintained in the strength
necessary for all purposes, I oppose the
! increase Of the standing army beyond
what is absolutely necessary. The at
tempt to increase the army by 25000 men
more than che commanding general adj
vises is evidence enough that the present
! administration wants to foster policy of
national guns and not national laws for
| the preservation of peace in domestic and