The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-07-11
THE REPUBLICAN MANAGER.
49, Amount of Skill I'm the Com
ins Campaign.


The question as to who will be ct
the head Of the republican national
committee in the campaign Of 1904
is troubling the democrats q good deal
more than 1t Is the republicans. al
though the republicans are beginning
to give little attention to 1t. Every
few days a report comes that Senator
Hanna Is to retire from the head of
that committee. The name Of the per-
sonage who is to succeed him varies
with the successive stories of the re-
tirement of the present head. The
latest person to be mentioned in that
connection Is Senator Lodge. Senator
Quay was previously mentioned with
considerable prominence. Postmaster
General Payne was an earlier proba-
bility. according to the stories which
appeared at the time. The latest
guess may be no better than the
others. The question of the selection
can. however, be dismissed from Sc
rious consideration for many months
yet, says the st. Louis Globe Demo-
crat.
II is altogether possible that Mr..
Hanna will want to step down from
the post Of chairman of the national
committee in 1904. He will be 67 years
of age at that time, and even under
the present overwhelming preponder-
ance of the republican party among
the voters of the United States, the
management of. a great national can
vass is task of some magnitude for
man of that age. 1t is known that
the senator wanted to retire from the
craftsmanship in 1900, but that he was
persuaded by his friend Mckinley to
hold 1t until the campaign ended. He
did this as personal favor to the
president. Possibly he will be per-
suaded to continue the craftsmanship
for another canvass. This is matter
which cannot be determined officially
until the committee meets to select
officers for the campaign, While there
is likelihood that Mr.. Hanna will
retire. nobody except the senator him.
self can say positively whether he will
or not The senator, In the two cam
paigns which he managed, showed
himself to be party manager of rare
skill Il is probable that his superior
in that field does not live.
Yet the republican campaign OF 1904
will be ably managed. even II the pres
ent capable head of the committee de-
clines to serve through another can
vass. The republican party has many
men who are able to meet all the de-
mands of leadership or management
in any sort of campaign. Nobody
supposes that the republicans will
have any such formidable opposition
in the canvass of 1904 as they had in
that Of 1896. No matter what may be
thought of Bryan in other respects. 1t
will be conceded that he put up very
resolute and effective fight in his first
campaign. Even in his second canvass
the result could not have been foretold
with any great amount Of confidence.
So far as the country can see there is
nobody in the democratic ranks who
could arouse anything like the en-
thusiasm which Bryan evoked in 1896,
or even in 1900 This much of con-
cession will have to be made to the
hypnotic powers of the recent candi-
date of the democracy. 1t must be re-
membered that that party. in those
two campaigns. polled far larger
vote than 1t had ever previously rolled
up. In 1904 there Is reasonable GER
tainty that a large section of the
strictly Bryan element will be in oppo-
sition to the democratic candidate,
who will almost certainly be selected
from what Is called the Cleveland sec
ton of the party. The outlook is
that not a very great amount of skill
will be needed to manage the repub-
lican campaign successfully next year.
Whether. however. the republican diff
ficulties in the canvass should turn
out to be formidable or not. the re-
publican party has many men who
will be able to cope successfully with
the situation.