The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-15
HILL OR GORMAN
TO HEAD THE DEMOCRATIC
 HOSTS IN 1904.
The Recent Elections Sidetrack Bryan, Bring Forth Other Lead ers-Hill Most Popular
 With the Masses.

that the next Democratic national ticket will bear the name of either David B. Hin of New York or Arthur F. German Of Maryland, or even both of these men. | It Is long lane which has no turning, as every one knows. and the Democratic leaders have been looking for something since the old-iine De nocracy was swal- lowed up in the Popufist whirlpool at l Chicago. German was out of the ques- ton so long as his State continued in the l equally unavailable just so long as Dick | Croker ruled New York.
 | Tuesdays election, with it's nominal Democratic defeat in New York and prob able Democratic victory in Maryland. In the opinion of political experts here. puts | Hill and German in a position where one | or both of them must become the leaders | of the reorganized Democracy. Bryan Is | man Is an impossibility, and Altgeld can- not legally become President. Joe Bailey l of Texas. Richardson of Tennessee. and men of that stamp are considered to be altogether too small to enthuse the Dem ocratic masses. Carter Harrison. in Chi | cago, is said to be considered available timber out of which to construct Vice President. in case of need. but the lead | CTS do not assume that he measures up | to the rank of first place.
 | Croker's defeat in New York City has l been so complete as to put Hill in po- | sition to grasp the reins of power, and q | movement is already on foot here to reor- ganize the Democracy on the basis of avowed and open antagonism to Tam many Hall
 In Maryland the chances are entirely favorable to control of the Legislature by the Democrats. The Republicans are talk ing of fraud, but the Democrats have the comes in even better time for German than for Hill, for a Senatorial vacancy in Maryland is already in sight, and 1t is Germans old seat, from which he was A~A AwU ~Aa,a AAA 1~lt f~an ol dent who deserted the Republicans and who by no possibility could be renomi- mated by either party.
 Senator Germans ability as political manager is recognized by men in both parties the country over. He has been in public life practically all the time since he entered his teens. Until he was de- feated for the Senate German had been drawing a salary from the government, and in doing so had accumulated com fortable sort of fortune. He began as 8 page in the Senate and wound up as | Senator.
 There is scarcely to be found in the | United States a more astute politician thar Arthur P. German. He is not rab- | i'd free trader, but is rather to be classed | as a liberal protectionist. He was one Of the men who held up the Wilson tariff | bill. and that act won for him the bitter personal enmity of Grover Cleveland. l Under ordinliy circumstances German would have been a gold Democrat He | never believed in the silver craze at all, but after Bryan was nominated GormAn | accepted the inevitable and declared that he was good enough party sn man to ,ignt although personally he believed in neither. l Had Germans advice been followed. Bry- | an would never have made his foolish | trip to New York. but would have re- mained in the Middle West, where. if al. ywhere. his personal influence actually | made votes. German will, therefore, come l back to the Senate, having about him all .s& Ht HRsta do declare that in. this respect he stands today easily at the head of the party and that he is the natural candidate Tor the Presidency. He would they say. have the confidence of the business community more than any recognized Democratic leader save and except David B. Hill.
 Among the politicians German is fa- vorite. He has a charming personality and is so much of a practical politician that the Departments in Washington are still filled with the men he placed in of flee prior to the extension of the civil service act.
 As a mere politician he is absolutely interruptions and would connive at the most disreputable methods. but as mar his character is above reproach and when he left the Senate. after having been beaten by the refusal of Marylan6 to accept the silver issue, he carried with him the warm personal regard of every one of the oldest and most famous of the Republican Senator's.
 Germans personality is an impressive one with those who meet and know hin personally. but he lacks the elements which are necessary to make him pop ular hero. He Is not an orator, althouS7 he makes an excellent speech and he could never conduct a personal whirlwinC campaign.
 is an organizer and a profound schooner but he is not an all-round campaigner end has but few of the tricks Of the or ator. German always made good speech | f., fLa to hn facts He is a popular after-dinner talker. but in public his speeches are mechanical and almost wholly lacking in real enthusiasm
 Germans advantage in the political
 fact that he will come back to the Sen ate in 1908 just in time to get the bene- fit of his re-entrance into politics Tor Its effect on the campaign of 1904. He will have but little time in the Senate to dc anything spectacular, because he will not actually take his seat until December 1903, whereas the election of delegates VIII begin within a few months after thai time.
 Germans friends are claiming for hin that he comes from border State: and that therefore, he would unite North ant South. while his admittedly splendid DO litcal capacity will they say, make hin the most available candidate arounC whom the reorganized Democracy car gather.
 While all this is being said in favor of MT. German the great mass of the Dem
 ocrats here. and particularly those in su
 bordinate positions in the party, turr naturally toward David B. Hill. MT. Hil was in the Senate with German and he was quite as pronounced in his opposition to the Cleveland element as was the Ma ryland Senator. but for quite different reasons. Hill and Cleveland quarrelec over the New York patronage at the out set. and they never made It up com pletely.
 Hill. as will be remembered. led tht fight for sound money at Chicago: In 1856 He went down with his colors flying. but he did not actually desert the party. He undoubtedly sulked all during the cam doing. but he did not go over to the gold Democrats. and, technically, at least. ne was still able to say T am Democrat.
 After Bryan was beaten the first time the wiser heats in the party. even 1nclud ing some strong silver men, began tc netism of the man. and they saw that n' had been true to the real Democrauc sentiment in his own State
 The Democratic leaders in the south particularly began to understand that Gold Democrats in the North would never a debased currency and that States like New York. New Jersey and indiana which were once debatable. would De surely Republican as long as the Demo crats chung to free silver.
 Just about this time Hill made trir through the South and West, In which he skiifully avoided raking up olo issues hut made himself immensely popular throughout the heart of the Democratlt section.
 At the Kansas City convention las year Hill was really in the saddle. He date and did it with good grace. Hill however, was full Of the idea that the