Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1903-02-25
JUDGE PARKER OF NEW
YORK SEEMS TO BE THE
LOGICAL CANDIDATE

gravit ation of the thought of tn
=, Democratic party toward Alton b
Parker of New York, as it's mex
nominee for President of the Unite,
: States. The causes are not far t.
seek or hard to find.
3 AS he, beyond controversy, vii
be the logical Democratic candi
date, anything The GAZETTE car
say of him will be of interest.
He is in the prime of life, being
but 81 years old. He carried th'
State of New York in 1897 by
10000 majority for Chief judge
of the Court of Appeals, Mr.. Me
Kinley having carried the State
the year before by over $50, 0O(
majority. His election in 1897 is
known in this State to have been
due to conditions which lost to the
Republican party in Greater New
York 95, 900 votes, which were cast
for no State ticket at all. But that
detail is itself lost on the magma
ton of the country. He has nine
years in front of him in his present
exalted office, which he has filled
with acceptability and dignity.
AS 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 immune by place
from contentious. He is uniden-
titled with causes of division or of
defeat. He has long been occupied
with the administration of justice
and the exposition of law. He is
resident in "a State which his party
must carry to win the Presidency.
He is man of scholarship, fellow
ship, fidelity, mOdesty, judgment
and charm. He is thus signally
favored by career, by character, by
conditions and by circumstances
effectively to appeal to the Demo-
cratic hope and to the Democratic |
thought.
Mr.. Cleveland has been twice |
President. While he has more
and friends than any
other American, all of them are
not within the Democratic party,
and in that party he has enemies
that are not few and that are
formidable. He has no idea of
hazarding his unique historical
fame by candidacy that might
fail of nomination. Even were
that secured, he might fail of
election, owing to the inveterate
prejudice against putting the
presidency for third time in the
hands of any man.
Mr.. Olney comes from Massa-
,hussetts which Republicanism
could not lose in a presidential
year. He was against Mr.. Bryan
though very reluctantly-in 1896
and for him-still very reluct-
'ntly-in 1900. The silver men
nave not forgiven his 1896 defec-
ion, nor have the absolute gold
men and the expansion Democrats |
orgotten his later detection. He
S fine character. forcible man,
} great lawyer. He discovered the
,Ower of the Federal Government
0 deal with mob violence at an,
center without and
gainst the wish of State authori-
les. That benign discovery would |
Ot strengthen him in some quarters
though it should commend him |
0 all. He will be in his seventietl
ear when the next President is |
naugurated.
Mr.. German is not Il candidate
Or the nomination. He is only
esirous Of getting enough votes
ehind him to impress his claim,
pom any men who may be nomi- Il
ated and elected. Il
Mr.. Edward NJ. Shepherd of s
Jew York City, who has made t
imself well and favorably known t,
, the national Democracy, became o
officially ineligible by the result e
/ the contest in that city in 1901. ~
Former Senator David B. Hill is
ot a Presidential possibility, and CO
e knows that he is not. u
There are number of Democrats q,
no could be named for honorable :.
efeat. Judge Parker is the only :, :,
lie who is seriously thought of as u
lie nominee who might win. M
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