The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-06-20
ARTHUR PUE G0RMAN.
From Advance Sheets of "Richard
Croker" BY Alfred Henry Lewis.


man jar on one. Physically he is
neither big nor little; mentally he is
much the same. Politics with Cor
man is an accident and not creed.
He is good thinker in the way of
egotism; with himself at stake, his
impulse acts powerfully as auxiliary
to his reason.
In temper German is timid and shy,
but ambitious as Bonaparte and as
egotistical, his aim is often elevated
and the game he hunts is big. Where
fore, much that he does seems daring.
What one takes to be daring, how
ever, is naught save the expression of
hunger to have, which, now and
then, overrunning itself, carries him
into peril.
There is the sharpest of antithesis
between German and Hill. Where
Hill has valor, German has strategy;
where Hill is Dane, German is Hin
doc; where Hill becomes Beserk, Cor
man turns Borgia, empoisons bunch
of forget-me-nots and sends it to his
enemy with a love-note full of heart
regard and warmth.
German has no profession, no trade,
and some education. His calling is
politics, his purpose to hold Office, his
object to become rich. He has had
success. He was Senator from Mary
land, and is worth two millions of
dollars. German made politics pay.
Il \
That he is master of a wool-foot
cunning appears from his winning
the tariff without noise, or fury, or
the disclosure of his own convictions
on that point of cardinal politics. No
one knows nor does his record show
whether German is for protection,
tariff for revenue, or free trade. 4 = y
That German will snap when cor
nered was indicated in his Senate
speech assailing Cleveland. And that
he lacks common courage is told
when he talks with Cleyeland for half
an hour on the morning of the day
the speech is delivered, and does not
mention its approach to that Presi-
dent most interested.
Cleveland was nominated for the
Presidency, German, who had fame
for dexterity in practical politics
with the face of prelate and the
heart of a priYateersman-was put in
front of the forces of the party. The
Republicans, however, were not dis
heartened by the ConklingGarfield
dissentions of the years before. They
proposed Blaine, their best and great
est, and went behind their guns with
the cool valor of buccaneers. And
they all but won.
House key in 1S84-by fewer than two
thousand. And that leader who de-
feated Blaine was German. The
Maryland manager turned the cur
rents in the last hours of the conflict.
He saw the trouble; he called ON Bal
timore for money; he got it to an
amount without name. Thus equip
ped, German poured that balm the
wounded hour called for into the low
er wards of New York City; and when
the mists of doubt were blown aside
success was his. German had made
Cleveland President. =
German craved three things. And
they were denied. Cleveland refused
German; and was so roughly plain,
withal that the situation, asserting
to no obligation, admitted of no hope.
German made no more requests. True
to his education, German was patient
under insult, meek under the whip.
His hates did not foam; his resent
ments were without tongue. \
German went to the Chicago con-
vention in 1892, full-fiedged candi-
date, but undeclared. Hills coming
defeat was already apparent. Cor
mans friends took with them twenty
thousand German badges, silk and
gold, great and little. These were to
be Haunted opportunely and explode
enthusiasm. They were drowned in
Lake Michigan and never got out of
their boxes.
''If the New York delegation, - said
Croker, could have gotten away
from its instructions and dropped
Hill, we would have beaten CIeve-
land and named German. But Hill
insisted on the delegation wasting
itself on him. 1t was Hill who nomi-
mated Cleveland"
1t was German who broke. Cor
man, losing heart, made his decision
for Cleveland. But in its first stage
German kept his Cleveland mood to
himself Following the count"
German disappeared. No one found
him for two days.
On convention morning, Whitney
who was Reynard the Fox for that
convention-was out in an interview,
saying that "Gorman was for Cleve-
land, always had been for Cleveland
and expressing amiable contempt for