The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-23
Judge Parker and the Presidency.

Brooklyn Eagle:
There is at present almost a gravita-
ton of the thought of the Democratic
party toward Alton B. Parker as its
next nominee for president of the
United States. The causes are not far
to seek or hard to find
He is in the prime of life, being but
81 years old He carried the state of
New York. in 1897, by 60. 600 majority
for chief judge of the court of appeals
Mr. Mckinley having carried the state
the year before by over ESQ 600 MAORI
~. His election in 1897 is known in
this state to have been due to condi-
tons which lost to the Republican
party, in Greater New York SIS. coo
votes, which were cast for no state
ticket at all. But that detail is itself
lost on the imagination Of the country
He has nine years in trent of him in
his present exalted office which he has
filed with acceptability and dignity
AS a judge of the supreme court till
1896 and of the highest court of the
state since 1897, he has taken no part
in politics whatever, though his vote
for the candidates of his PARTY cannot
be doubted. He has been made i'm
mune by place from contentious He
is unidentified with causes of division
or of defeat. He has long been occu-
pied with the administration of Justice
dent in a state which his party must
carry to win the presidency. He is d
man of scholarship, fellowship. fidelity.
modesty. judgment and charm. He is
thus signalIy favored by career, by
character, by conditions and by cir
cumstances effectively to appeal to the
Democratic hope and to the Democratic
thought
He is favored in other respects.
Mr.. Cleveland has been twice presl-
dent. While he has more supporters
and friends than any other American,
all of them are not within the Demo-
cratic party, and. In that party, he has
enemies that are not few and that are
formidable. He has no idea of hazard
ing his unique historical fame by a
candidacy that might fail Of nominal
ton Even were that secured, he might
fail of election, owing to the inveterate
prejudice against putting the presi-
dency for third time in the hands of
any man.
Mr. Olney comes from Massa-
chusetts. which Republicanism could
not lose in q presidential year. He was
against Mr.. Bryan-though very re1uct-
reluctantly-in 1900. The silver men
have not forgiven his 1895 detection, nor
have the absolute gold men and the
expansion Democrats forgotten his
later detection. He is a fine character,
a forcibIe man. a great lawyer. He
discovered the power of the federal
government to deal with mob violence
at any congested center without and
against the wish OF state authorities
That benign discovery would not
strengthen him in some quarters
though it should commend him to all.
He will be in his 10th year, when the
next president is inaugurated.
Mr.. German is not candidate for
the nomination. He is only DESTROYS of
getting enough votes behind him to inn
press his claims upon any man who
may be nominated and elected.
Mr.. Edward NJ. Shepard, who has
made himself web and favorably
known to the national Democracy, be-
came politically ineligible by the re-
suit of the municipal contest in 1901.
Former Senator David B. Hill is not
presidential possibility and knows
that he is not.