The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-11
MIR. .aoRMAN AND HIS FRIENDS
They Have Admitted His Weakness
 by Starting a Defense.

Some we'll considered and significant writing appears in various quarters in the public press favorable to the nomination by the Democrats of Senator Arthur F. German of Maryland for President of the United States. In all the writings Is consciousness of the necessity or re- lieving Mir. German from the prevailing belief that he wrested the Wilson tarin law, after the act passed the House of Representatives. from its reform intend- ments, and made 1t agreeable to pro- tected and contributing interests through out the country. The endeavor to relieve him from that charge Is ingenious, per sistent and concerted. The seriousness of the charge Is thus admitted. The adequacy of the defense has not yet been tested By a singular inversion of trial processes. the defense has been heard first. The accusers have not been called on to submit their case. It has been ibluntly assumed that they have suf- flciently advanced their case in previous publications or campaigns.
 Method Is not wanting in the inversion of the processes of trial to which refer ence has been made. The men who might accuse Mir. German of infldelity to tariff reform sentiment and rights are not particularly concerned with accusing him-now. They may have Presidential favorites of their own in view. for whom they are working and against whom they do not care now to arouse MT. German and his friends. And when they did inn pliedly accuse MT. German of protection proclivities, years ago, they were more in- tent on vindicating their own labors for a tariff act different from that which Mir. German and his friends then evolved in the Wilson law than on attacking MT. German, as a Presidential aspirant A great deal depends, in the case of attack ing a man, upon the time. cause and object. MT. German was not seriously spoken of for the Presidency, when the friends of the original Wilson act attack LT. l. alW Vx11rl DGf fAr now. If his present friends could force the hands of his former opponents, at a time when the latter do not wish to be drawn out, the strategic purpose of the Gormanites would not only be disclosed, but might also be successful It is we'll, therefore, to bear in mind that in de- lending their favorite. MT. Germans friends are seeking to put his opponents in the Democracy at disadvantage.
 We do not wish now to take part in Germans name. His advocates are de- lending him. That is to say, they recog- nize that he is on the defensive. They are defending him in way to invite assault upon him. but, as said they are trying to draw out his assailants, when the latter may not be really or may not be minded to be drawn out. Those against whom this subtle course Is taken can better afford to bide their time than to join issue in the time which MT Cor mans friends would set for them.
 There are several matters to be attend ed to before the consideration of Mir. German as a possible nominee will be in order. The movement for MT. Cleveland is more important and more formidable than that for MT. German. It involves not only the choice of the strongest man, but also the best man, in the Democ- racy, for Presidential purposes. It in- wolves the choice of the only Democrat of whom it can be known what sort of President he would make because 1t is known what sort of a President he did make. It also involves the elimination or the naturalization of what Is called Bryanism and Hillism, two isms which cannot be permitted to control Democratic choice or action, with any hope of Democratic success. The nomi- nation of MT. Cleveland will have to be shown to be impossible, before the con sideration of MT. German as a possibility can even begin.
 Nor would we put MT. German as the secondary man or the second man to MT. Cleveland. Alton B. Parker should be, and, in fact, is next in consideration to MT. Cleveland, by Mir. Cleveland's friends, for reasons unnecessary to set forth at large. Judge Parker's nomination would mean the absolute effacement of Bryan plished, 1t must mean also the reduction of Hilliasm and Tammanyism from para mount to only relative consideration by the party. The arguments for MT. Cleve- land are stronger than for any other man. The arguments for Judge Parker are stronger than any we have yet dis covered for MT. German.
 Letting MT. CleVelands paramount strength, and qualifications speak for themselves, things can be said for Judge Parker that cannot be said for MT. Cor man. The Judge comes from a large State, the recovery of which Is necessary to success. Mir. German comes from a small State, which has been quite as vari. able as New York. and which bears no or pivotal relation to national success. Judge Parker has been removed from Democratic contentious and sean dals, and has the judicial training which itself to the confidence of man kind. MT. German has not been removed either from contentious or scandals, has had no judicial training, and. notwith- the fact that he is a man of affability, urbanity and diplomacy, he has made personal enmities and has aroused political resentments from which Judge Parker is free. There are other reasons and all of them are aside from MT. Cor mans relation to the emasculation of | Parker. in The Eagles opinion, a more | lnifying Democratic force than Mr. Cor nan could ever be made. But we are not today ruling in or ruling | put any one. We are just noticing the | policy of Mir. Gorman's friends, and are | led that several considerations which his | friends have not advanced must be met, | before he will be seriously entitled to the | ioor. Some of those considerations grow | ut of facts and some out of the com larative weight and worth of other | names. There is yet time enough with | malice toward none, and with charity for | iu to give to every consideration in- | 'olved a proper attention.
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