Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-08-13
HANNA FOR PRESIDENT.
The Ohio Boss Can Have the Nom.
fnation III He Is Disposed
to Want 1t,

When the mention of Mr.. Hanna in
connection with the presidency was
first made, he was inclined to treat it
rs joke. He may have been honest
in so regarding it, or he may have
been testing the popular feeling. to see
how the suggestion would take" In
either event Mr.. Hanna has ceased to
joke about the matter. Very probably,
the more he thinks about it, the better
he likes the idea. He would be
strange man, if he were not proud TO
be even suggested as possible candi-
date for president OF the United
States; and Mr.. Hanna is not of the
shy, shrinking sort of Americans-if
there are any such Americans-who
svould feel utterly disqualified to fill SO
high an office. Mr.. Hanna, whatever
his limitations, is sanguine, ener-
getic, practical man. and he would look
upon the presidency OF the United
States very much as he would look
upon the presidency Of q great trust,
in the modern sense of the word; as
Just the place for skilled combiner
aud organizer and man of business.
Such being the probable attitude of
AR. Hanna himself, what of his
chances? It is early yet, but unless
the conditions change greatly who has
batter chance for the republican
nomina tion7 Who has half as good a
grip ON the machinery of the repub-
1ican party? Who else is SO close to
the big business men and corporations
that virtually control the machinery
and the Notwithstanding process OF
the republican party? To whom
would the Mckinley administration be
SO likely to throw it's aid as to Mr.
Hanna, if he should see a chance to
win and decide to make canvass?
Mr.. Hanna will not be receptive
candidate" in case he should enter the
race. He will not hunt for delegates
with brass band, but neither will he
sit still and expect delegates to come
to him by some mysterious process
of grayitation or natural attraction.
He will organize his canvass, as thor
o4ghly and as systematically as he
organized the Mckinley delegate-hunt
of 1876, and before the other candidates
know it, he will have the field to him.
self; assuming, that is, that there
should be reaction within the repub
sican party lines against Mckinley.
ism, from which Mr.. Hanna couli
hardly disasspcfate himself, even die
NE SO desire.
The chances are that Hon. NJ. a
HanAa is not worrying about his abil
ityFto get the republican nomination
ii he really wants it. He has never
= failed, SO far, to get about all he want
ed, and he knows the power of or
ganization, machine discipline and
"spot cash. in controlling republican
conventions. What Mr.. Hanna would
like to know is, what the Democrat,
party would do. He is probably no
worrying about his personal unpopu
Iarity with the voters" of which some
thing has been said. Gen. Harrison
had been beaten for governor of In
diana before he was elected presiden,
James G. Blaine and Henry Clay, pop
ular idols both, never reached tn
presidency. Certain leaders seem t,
think that Mr.. Hanna would be al
easy candidate to defeat, and there !
a chuckle in their tones as they speal
of him as a logical republican candi
date; but Mr.. Hanna proba bly, does no
doubt his ability to win hands down
as against such platforms and candi
dates as have been put forward il
the name of the democratic party Il
1896 and 1900. If Hanna could only b
sure that the illogical issue" of 1870
would be again at the front in 1904
But there exists strong lilkelihoo
that the democratic party will be dc
ing business on common-sense basi
in 1904, with national platform o
live issues and candidate to mate
it; and Ha,,pa Nnatys it!--rAlbany Ar
gus.