Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-08-01
As to Dark Horse Presidents.

Courier Journal cannot be happy at
the thought that the Democratic candi-
date in 1904 be a man prominently
identified with the Cleveland crowd or
be Bryan again He seeks consolation
in the possibility that a dark horse
may be nominated, a man now practi-
cally unknown to the country and to-
tally unmentioned in connection with
the presidential office. He says that
such thing is likely and asks thi $
question:
WHO ever thought, two years prior
to the election of Garfield, or Harrison,
or Cleveland or Polk, or Hayes, or Blu
chanan, that any of them would pres
ident?"
Now, Col Watterson. being a good
kentuckian, may be an authority on
certain Things, and, among them,
blooded horses, but he is plainly way
off on presidential dark horses. A cor
respondent of the Boston Transcript
promptly points out a few facts of his
tory rcgaI ding the six presidents sin
gled out above. James A. Garfield
when ne was nominated in 1880, was
the acknowledged leader of the majori-
tv party in the house of representa-
tives. For years he had been con-
monty spoken Of and written of as d,
man who, if he lived, would probably
lie president some day. When Ben
ator f ON Indianna, Senator j. j. In
gals of Kansas told a group of sena-
tors, in conversation one day, that
Harrison combined in his own person
more of the clements which attract
presidential lightning than amy other
man in the country.
Two years before Cleveland was
elected president of the United States,
he was elected governor of New York
by a majority so stupendous. under
circumstances SO sensational. that mil
lions of tongues were inme diately set
10 DuLLlHo iIIt D-OpsiDlltS THAT
he would be the next Democratic cam
didate for president. r. B. Hayes, who
had already been twice elected to that
office, was chosen to make the honest
money campaign for governor OF Ohio
in 1875, because he was considered the
strongest possible candidate. More
than two years before Hayes was
elected president, it was the open boast
Of his supporters that his growing pop
ularity would land him in the rresi-
Dental char. James Buchanan had
reen United States secretary of state.
minister to England, minister to Rus
STA, United States senator, five terms
in the house of representatives; and
for half a generation, one of the grea;
leaders of the Democratic party. AT
least ten years before he was electe i
president, he was a generally recog
nized presidential probability. He was
nominated in national convention by
unanimous vote.
]. *. Polk is the only name in Watt
terscn's list that has any right to be
there. But even Polk was by no means
the obscure nobody that it has come 10
be the fashion to speak of him as hav-
ing been. He had been speaker of the
national house of representatives for
several terms and was the favorite son
Of Tennessee, of which state he was
governor during four years. Though
tis nomination for the presidency was
certainly a surprise to the country be D..
cause it was generally supposed that
EXPIRES, Van Buren, would be renomi-
mated in 1914; yet Polk was SO proni-
ncnt in state end national politics, and
so well known, that but for the fact
that he was accepted as a comnromis,
candidate after .. prolonged deadlock
in the convention, nobody would have
thought of him as a particularly son..
bre dark horse.