Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-08-19
FROM WASHINGTON
Special Correspondents Of the CouKrER-
Washington, Aug. IS.

The recent return from Europe
of the Hon. Arthur Il. German, of
Maryland, the recent speech be-
fore the Georgia Bar Association
by Judge Alton b. Parker, of New
York, the recent birth of boy in
the home of the Hon. Grover
Cleveland. the recent boom for
Senator Francis Marion Cockrell,
of Missouri, the recent marriage of
the Hon. William Randolph Hearst,
and the recentspeeches of the Hon.
William Jennings Bryan and the
Hon. Tom l.. johnson, of Ohio,
have revived the talk in the
national capital of democratic
presidential possibilities and proba-
bihties. have, therefore. made it
my business to see nearly every
democratic member of Congress
and every democratic politician
who has visited the national capital
for the past few weeks and to get
as nearly as possible the consensus
of opinion concerning these men as
the presidential candidate of the
democratic party in the next cam
paiyn for the purposes of this
correspondence.
If were to tell all the things
that have heard il would make
exceedingly interesting reading for
the good people of the country. The
national capital correspondent does
not tell everything he knows or
hears, however, for the reason that
he not only would be put down as
liar by his readers. but he could
not go back to the same sources of
information and get another story
when he needed it. l will then
give, as succinctly as possible, the
result of these interviews with
public men concerning the posi-
bilities of the above named gentle
men, being the democratic standard
bearer in the campaign of 1904.
So far as Mr.. Cleveland and Mr..
BRYAN are concerned, we may as
well eliminate them 10 begin with.
Each of these gentlemen has many
admirers among the public men
who visit the national capital.
Many men who have always been
ardent admirers of Mr.. Cleveland
since his first election rs President,
and who left the party with him in
1896, and supported the republic
cans on the money question, have
told me that he is out of the run
ming as q candidate next year on
account of the prejudice against
the third term for any man. Many
men who loyalty supported Mr..
Bryan in 1895 and 1900 agree that
he cannot possibly he called can
didate again. They still admire
him for his manhood, his brilliance
of intellect, his oratory, his stead
fastness TO principle and devotion
to the cause of the people, but
they admit that he cannot again be
candidate.
They realize that the issues will
not be the same next year and that
the people have put the seal of
their condemnation on some of the
issues on which he twice led the
party To defeat. They appear to
realize that the chief issue next
year will he one with which Mr..
Bryan has not been sufficiently
identified-the trust issue-tO make
him an available candidate even if
he had not been brought under the
ban of the displeasure of thousands
of men who will next year support
the democratic ticket on that very
issue. Therefore, they discard him
as possibility in the next race.
Senator Arthur Il. German has
many friends among the men who
come to Washington on official
BUSINESS and many al them have
named him as the most available
man for the democrats TO nominate
next year: They say that when
he returned to the Senate last
March after an absehoe Of four
years he was quickly and gladly
given his old Mace as floor leader
of the democratic forces in the
Senate, which proves eonolusivelF
that his powers as leader have
not been dimmed by his absence
from the Senate, that II Is sa Fepog'
nized hy his colleagues, which fact
gives him prestige all over the
country.
They mention his service 10 the
country in the memorable force
bill fight in 1899, his adroitness a
laadar HE lonU racord &c a dapo