The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1903-02-06
THE BIGGEST DEMOCRAT.

Apropos OF the discussion as to
the cause of meeting of Grover
Cleveland, William Whitney, Rich
ard Olney, and Edward M. Shep-
ard in New York few days ago,
the Brooklyn Eagle proceeds to
comment upon the merits of two
gentlemen Of that company who
are to be considered in the light Of
Presidential candidates, and with
its opinion we heartily agree.
Why should not strong man
like Mr.. Olney from the East,
whether Of Massachusetts or any
other New England state, be al
most as invincible with New York
Democracy as one of her own. As
long as the South and West are
out Of the question in furnishing
Presidential possibilities, it is not
believed by thoughtful men that
New York state Democrats will
oppose any strong man from the
East, if he should not reside within
her borders. We believe Mr.. o.
ney is the biggest Democrat be-
fore the people to day, and would
be able to command larger vote
even in New York than any other
man. Not only this, but there is
a rivalry in New York which would
handicap Hill, Parker, or Shepard,
and in view of these things we be-
lieve Richard Obey stands preemi-
nent above all other men in the
eyes of American Democracy.
The Eagle says:
We frankly think that Mr.. Shepard
made mistake in running for Mayor
on the Tammany ticket of 1901, and
that his defeat then put him out of
Democratic running for some years to
come. But we do not believe that
such fact brings to him any large
disappointment. We do believe that
it has quickened his desire to reunite
the party on lines of principle, under
proper candidates and under compe-
tent leadership. Since his defeat he
has made addresses in Massachusetts,
in Maine and in Georgia, which have
demonstrated his intellectual emf
hence in Democracy, and placed him
on view to Democrats of commanding
power and distinction in important
sections Of the Union.
Mr.. Olney can rest with confidence
on his record as a Massachusetts
Judge, and as Attorney-General and
Secretary Of State, in the Cabinet of
Mr. Cleveland's second administration.
The work he has done is now seen to
have been we'll done. The positions
he took made presidents which subse-
quent Administrations ave followed.
He is an able, thoughtful, a firm and
a clear and cool-headed man. He lives
in, Massachusetts, an materially Re-
publican state, and the traditions or
of politics would be
against his national advancement in
1904 on that account. The habit has
been to select nominees from states
which they can assuredly or possibly
carry. But with nearly every North
ern state in Republican hands, and
with the negation of full and free vot-
ing and the handicap Of remembered
rebellion in most of the Southern
states, the Democratic party may have
to ignore tradition or superstition of
the sort mentioned in the selection of
a Presidential candidate Mr. Olney
is the largest national Democrat to-
day eligible to party consideration for
the Presidency. With such running
mate as Gov. Montague, of Virginia,
or Gov. Aycock, of North Carolina,
statesmen, born since the
war or children at the time of the war,
Olney, on platform at once
and progressive, would
make very strong nominee for the
Democratic party.