Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-17
Mr.. Watterson Explains.

Henry Watterson, as The Star requested
and expected has explained his recent COM
plment to Mr.. German and replied to the
tnterrogatory respecting the state of his
own tariff pulse. And yet, with all defer
ence to a man who is usually very frank,
and always clear in his deliverances, 1t
must be said that Mr. Watterson on this
occasion is not quite up to his own high
mark
The Star is accused of having enormously
interpreted the compliment to Mr.. German
1t was not Mr.. Watterson's purpose. he
says. TO declare for the Maryland leader
for the democracy's standard-bearer in 1904.
Whatever his purpose may have been. If
Mr.. Watterson will turn to the editorial
from which The Star quoted and then read
the comments on 1t which were widely pro-
voked. he will see that The Stars view was
the popular view. The Stars surprise was
very generally shared. With Mr.. Bryan
down In Nebraska. Mr.. Johnson down IN
Ohio. Mr.. Hill down in New York, and Mr.
Pattison down in Pennsylvania. Mr.. Wat
terson, upon a too hasty reading of the
Maryland election returns, which showed
that Mr.. German was down also, hailed the
Marylander as the hope of the party. A
little shaken maybe by the disappointing re-
suits OF the campaign, he expressed himself
with fervor born more of encouragement
than reflection. He wanted leader so
badly, he was virtually offering his king
dom for one.
Now to Mr. Gorman.s tariff views, and
especially with regard to his attitude to-
ward MIR. Cleveland's famous tariff mes
sage, Mr. .Watterson's opinion is not the &C
cepted one in political circles where the
subject has been carefully canvassed. The
Kentucky editor would appear to believe
that when Mr.. German presented himself
at the ST. Louis convention in 1888 with a
tariff plank repudiating the tariff message
he was acting merely as Mr.. Cleveland 8
representative. He was far more than that.
He had had more to do with bringing Mr..
Cleveland around to that position than any
other man in the democratic party. At that
time he was much the stronger man Of the
two. and had Mr.. Clevelands entire conf
dence. That free trade tariff message had
filed Mr.. German, Mr.. Whitney, Mr.. Ran
dali and the other democrats of the pro-
lection school with fear and but poorly con-
cealed indignation. They began at once to
break the force of it, and Mr. German S
mission to st. Louis was their last card.
That was to be played with Mr.. Gonna n S
confessed skill and was expected to sweep
the stakes. But Mr.. Watterson himself
sistency and by defeating Mr.. German for
chairman Of the platform committee, and
SO Mr. German returned to Washington
empty-handed. In that way Mr.. Cleveland
stood in the campaign. not where Mr.. Cor
man wanted him to stand, but where Mr..
Watterson forced him to stand. Mr.. Wat
terson at st. Louis defeated not only Mr..
Cleveland. who was feeling his way along,
but Mr.. German, then as now one of the
masterful men in his party and a protec-
ZIONIST in principle.
No. if the democratic party has in mind
another campaign on the free trade issue
1t cannot afford to nominate Mr.. German
for President. because he is not in sym
pathy with that policy. 1t cannot afford to
take Mr. Cleveland again, because he FUN
bed and stumbled and made a mess of his
two opportunities. 1t cannot afford to take
Mr.. Bryan. because he is accepted by the
country the apostle of an unsound cur
rency. Need The Star add-and it does so
respectfully-that the man for such a con-
test does not live a thousand miles from
Kentucky and If nominated would give the
opposition a run for its money?