The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-12
MARK Hanna
ON CLEVELAND
Like all Washington He Looks
for His Candidacy
BUT IT NEVER GETS NEXT
BUT 1T NEVER GETS NEXT
Past History Doesn't Support
Its GueSseS


Evening Post correspondent at Washing
ton, writes as follows:
There is no doubt in the mind Of the
average Washingtonian that Marcus A
Hanna, who found the popular greeting
to Grover Cleveland in the Southwest
very significant" is a longer-headed poll
tician than Charles Emory Smith, who
editorially dismisses it with the hope
that, though it was all very pleasing. 1t
put Mr. Cleveland himself under no de-
lusions" In other words, there is a
large element here ready to risk heavy
stakes on the assurance that Mr.. Cleve-
land will be the next Democratic candl-
date for President A smaller but still
respectable number are sure that he Will
be elected if he does run.
This is probably the worst centre for
political judgements to be found any
where in the United States. 1t fixed all
its expectations on Blaine's getting the
nomination in 1876, and his winning the
presidency In 1884. 1t refused to believe
that Cleveland could possibly carry of
the nomination with all the machines ar
rayed against him in the Chicago con-
vention of 1892; and in 1890 ii took ii for
settled that anybody except Roosevelt
could have the latter half of the Phila-
delphia ticket for the asking. but that
he was out for good.
Meanwhile. it has cherished such wild
fancies as that Flower or German or Hal
could carry the country. In old times 1T
staked its reputation for prophecy on
Hendricks and Voorhees, at different
stages.
Why it should make these mistakes is
plain to any one who considers the pc
culiar condition prevailing here. First
Washington never gets next TO the peo-
pie therefore has no sense whatever of
the force of popular sentiment when turn
ed upon the schemes of the time-seasOn
politicians. 1t is so close to the machinery
of government and incidentally of party
politics, that it assumes the machine TO
be omnipotent; it can conceive of no popu-
lar resistance as effectual against such
a huge power. In the second place. il
sees public men as no other city sees
them, and they swarm here from all over
the country. These men it sees, moreover,
in their undress. In Washington, and in
the company of each other. they throw
off the thin DISCUSSES of exhibition states
a business bases. Hence the average
Washingtonian feels good deal of con-
tempt for anything that seems heroic TO
the outside world. The officer who snatch
es victory out of the jaws of defeat is
merely earning another pair OF epaulettes
and a bigger salary; the orator who
throwshimself into the thick of a fight
in congress as champion of the weaker
party has his home district or State to
carry. and knows what will go" there.
and that is why he cares not snap of
his finger for the opinion of the rest Of
the country. And so on. The motive
assigned In every case is sordid or thea
tricai, and hence Washington laughs at
the innocence OF the outside public who
cluster aound one man, and shout them
| selves hoarse at the mention of his name,
because he has been especially brave and
true to his principles
Finally, almost all the ideas held here
| on political matters reach Washington af-
| ter refraction through the mental or
| moral prisms of the men who gather at
the capital, and who are themselves often
the most ignorant of the ignorant as TO
what the people at home are carrying
| in their thoughts. This comes about
| partly because they are separated from
their constituencies so much Of the time.
and partly because they live in an at
mosphere of their own. even when at
home, and therefore do not catch the
actual drift Of popular opinion.
The present notion so widely held here
that Cleveland is TO be the Democratic
candidate for President in 1904 is chiefly
imbibed from the South. some of the
Southern congressman having been in the
city recently. full of the idea that the ex-
! President is the coming man. They say,
and they are probably correct in their
| observation. that the Southern people
| have become so tired Of Bryan and Bry-
anism that they are ready 10 take up
| Cleveland regardle Of any former dis
| agreements with him. To the average
| washingtonian the South and the Demo-
| cratic party are practically synonymous.
/ He does not pause TO consider how IN
| evitably the vote OF the South must go
| to any Democrat who may be named.
| He does not reflect that the same men
who are now talking OF Cleveland so glib
| " were the ones who q few years ago
were hurrahing for Hill. who have re-
| Gently been coquetting with Parker. and
who would gladly have accepted steven
| son when he was prominent: that they
were indeed. the very element with whom
/ Mr.. Cleveland found II so difficult to deal
| while he vas in the White House stand
| ing guard against the permanent dis
honor which mob in congress would
have heaped or the name OF the United
/ States and who could not then see the
/ difference between him and Bryan 81
! merely looking az them.
! All this does not mean that Mr.. CleTe-
land may not loom prominently as can
/ cidate. IN spite q his years. which would
| place him in the same category as the
I elder Harrison and Taylor. ne wos,id make
| commanding figure a. leader % his
! party. and Of an army of independents
once more in campaign But The source
/ from which the suggestion cones l. 10
criterion q its probability: and Mr.
| Ciorelsnd's refusal to be interviewed on
The subject Il not takeE. BY those who
know hin best. as 1 SGT either that n
/ would accept OF that he would refuse the
. tr7Tst