The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-30
THE WASHINGTON VIEW
DEMOCRATS TURN TO CLEvE-
 LAND AS THE LEADER.
Democratl, Candidate to Win as in Addition to Regulars Must Poll Vote of Conservative
 Business Men.

are some thousands of Democrats in Washington from different Southern | States. most of them holding places m | the departments by grace Of civn service protection. large proportion of these are from Maryland and Virginia.
 Southern Democrats here are looking I forward with unusual hope to the action
 of the Democratic national convention | next wear. They believe that the 1 chances for Democratic success have not l been so good since 1892. The personal preference of the Virginians and Mary
 flanders naturally gravitate to Sorrnan | both of account of his commanding posi- | tion in the Senate and because ne mas always been an accessible friend to the
 seekers after aNd holders Of ofhce or ms party from the two States closest 10 tns national capital. The others from the
 more distant Southern States are divided | in their preference.
 The most outspoken element Of these
 appear to believe that the one Democrat | who can he elected President Is the man who has in the past boiled the biggest vote expressive of party unity ana strength. Grover Cleveland. They do not
 think that the third-term objection should | obtain in this instance, because, although MT. Cleveland was twice elect
 ed President, he has not served a second term following immediately his first; that | the primary objection to the third term | was based upon the idea that the in
 cumbent after serving two terms. ambi- | tious to succeed himself. would use the power of his office to promote his selfish
 retention of power. This, they insist
 could not be charged against former 1 President Cleveland.
 1 They point to the fact that since he re-
 tired in 1927 he has lived in modest retire. ment and has in no way sought to assert | himself as a party authority and yet | when he has indulged in political express
 sion it has redounded distinctly for the l good of the party as well as for. whole 1 some conserving of sound public senti- l ment. The Southerners point particu-
 larly to MT. C;eveland's expression on the
 race question as doing more to bring the best thought of the Northern States to
 a fair consideration of the race question
 than anything on the subject that has
 been uttered by any Democrat, even from
 the South. They say that the good ef- feet of MT. Cleveland's views on the race
 question was seen at once in the opinions
 of the Northern press. A North Caro-
 lima Democrat, on this point remarked:
 Cleveland did us a world of good by
 that speech. Nothing could have been more timely and helpful to the South in |, its most trying problem. In North , Carolina, when we were struggling to
 in, our State, William J. Bryan was
 asked to come to us and speak. He
 declined. saying he could not afford to
 discuss that subject, and that ended Bryanism in North Carolina Has any , body ever heard of his saying a com
 forting word for the South on the negro question:"
 The most ardent and persistent advo- cate of Cleveland's nomination to be , found in the Southern Democratic contin- gent in Washington is Captain Jackson kirkman. Captain Kirkman is native : of Alabama. being of the well known kirkman family from the Northern part of the State. A brother was the late , Samuel Kirkman of Florence and anoth-
 CT brother is Hugh Kirkman of Mont
 gomery. Captain Jack" as he Is faml- iarly called by his legion of friends here. served the Confederacy with Morgan's original rough riders. He now has the grim enjoyment of serving in the pension I bureau. Captain Jack is perhaps better
 known in Mississippi than Alabama, for , he lived many years in the former State, being prominently connected with its t in the Treasury Department by Secretary [ Carlisle.
 The Advertiser correspondent. learning s that Captain Jack was laid up on account
 of broken ankle suffered in an attempt
 to ram a delivery wagon out of the way
 of his bicycle called upon him, and found
 him more concerned about the mendine
 of the lately discovered parts of the De- mocracy than he appeared to be agitated v over uniting of his tlbal extremities. Well. Captain, do you think you could f tory next year.? was asked after he had = evInced his anxiety for Democracys suc- cess.
 . ''In my Cleveland journal, during the Q winter and spring of '9l and 'S2,'' he re. piled. "when there was a decided ten. l. dency toward Hill in Mississippi. there , 1rmation:
 :. "'There Is no other name than that ol e Grover Cleveland under heaven. Glver
 among men, whereby the Democratic - party may be saved
 y "kbegan to reiterate this as soon as ] e detected in the extra session of Con r. indication that the party which he had
 twice carried over the enemys breast
 works was about to desert and abandon r him. and I have been daily repeating tho T affirmation to others and to myself evei 5, since. It Is now absolutely true"
 IT Do you believe Cleveland could get tht e full support of his own party?"
 70 "The great mass Of the Democrats whC n voted tor Bryan will vote for d yellow - dog, if such colored canine be the nOml 7: nee. MT. Gorman could get more of thii
 possibly win. Indeed, 1 wish he could
 for If our convention does not nominate 5. MT. Cleveland, 1t will nominate German V Of course, I would support him, tootl l. Democratic candidate to win must. il IS addition to the bulk of his own party
 have the support of that vast. and rapidly
 increasing body of excellent and patriotic 5, citizens and business men who tram witt l. no party, nut vote for men and issues or e their merits. This body has about at V tained to the size of casting the deciding
 vote. Mir. Cleveland would get the vote' ?. of this class of citizens to man, whll u MT. German would get but lew, II any O
 them. Why? We'll, this kind Of citizens
 would mlstrust statesmanship of any mal 2 who did not see that the election Of Nc a kinley would L., 0. iess calamity 10 ;n . country than that of Bryan, and the. sS would mistrust the patriotism Of any maj II who recognized that fact and yet sus " tained Bryan. They would charge such sR man with willingness to bring disaste vi to his country for the sake ot part. W triumph. . v Here Captain Jack gave some peculiarl ss interesting views as to the real sent W ments of Arthur Pue German on tn V Bryan movement. S MT. German was undoubtedly sorel vi perplexed, He was evidently distresse y and painfully disgusted at the platforI q and nomination, and yet as loyal part ,,s man. a great stickler for party disciE W line a Regular, with big R, he coul " not bring himself to assume the attitud S of a Cleveland or a Carlisle; so he gay II tacit countenance to the action of tn G convention, but, If he had to answer UT S der oath this question: Did you or di yi you not in 1896, prefer the election w Mckinley to that of Bryan?' l think h .. would be compelled to say, I did. Tn 9 may not have been the case in 1900. II "A then may have considered that Bryan v most dangerous fang had been draw S by the gold standard act.
 V.s "CleVeland's great strength lies in hl W magnificent record. Millions of solid bus xs mess men, in fact the vast majority (
 S his countrymen know him to be a ma N of absolute integrity and of the bolde: N' candor--a patriot in stateSmanshlp ana & Jeffersonian Democrat in politics. The yI know that he was positively the onl " man who could procure the repeal of tn Ns | nurchasinp clause of the Sherman ac