The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-19

disclaimers were never taken so seriously
as to prevent republican party gatherings
now and then from cheering him as the
next president of the United States; nor
did he. when aware that resolutions were
to be adopted making such use Of his
name, do anything to head them Off
Open letters, interviews and editorial
paragraphs kept him constantly before the
public In the character of a candidate to
be reckoned with, and he gave no sign
of irritation with their authors. I'D was
plain that the political wire puller, as well
as large multitude of ingenious citizens,
regarded him as coquettish rather than
hostile toward the idea.
Where Hanna Stood.
"But no one who was we'll acquainted
with Mr.. Hanna's personality was de-
sceiyed as to where he stood. HeyWas not
of the presidential uold. The senate
suited his. tastes ana his powers: He
wanted a free hand. .3 He hated in
finitesimal worries. He lacked the pa
thence necessary to deal with all sorts of
men at once as a master and 4 supplicant.
lie loved authority more than insignia. He
would rather administer the affairs of a
nation in the name of another than let
others administer them in his name. Ma
ture had marked him for a king maker,
not a king.
Bearing these facts in mind, it will
not be difficult to understand how he
could discourage discussion of his candi-
dacy by treating it as a joke and yet
| permit his boom to survive when he
| could just as well crushsit. There prob
ably was never a moment when he felt
the slightest temptations to enter the lists
for the nomination. but neither was there
a moment when he would have been will
| ing to fOrego the power to award 1t tC
some one else. If republican organization
anywhere saw fit to name him. as their
choice for president, why should he put
any obstacles in the way? He was en-.
| tirely friendly to Roosevelt and looked tt
see him nominated; he would not accep
] the nomination himself if it were offered
| him, and he did not expect it to be Of
/ fered but to go into the convention will
a large following at$hiss back and be able
| to prevent bad mistake If it threatened
would be a. great satisfaction s4
| Politics he knew Ito she like fire, Yer,
uncertain: no one could fefetell, wher
it would break out next. Everything AM
everybody might be going Roosevelt's wa.
to- day, yet tomorrow might witness
stampede toward another candidate or
general breakup. The wise politician, h
reasoned, is he Whenever takes anythin,
for granted, but provides himself agains
all emergencies" III
Mr.. Leupp's statement that Senate
Hanna was not and would not be a can
didate for the presidency was written al
most two months ago, and now tina
Hanna is no more, it will be widely in
dorsed. Had Hanna lived, however,
would probably have been challenged il
many places, by people not conversan
with the facts or conversant with sue
fragments of them as were filtered thr
the daily press. It is the general belle
: here and has been for some time, tina
Hanna was anxious to control a~goodl
number of delegates to the national re
, publican convention-not with a view t
bringing about his own nomination, or tn
defeat of Roosevelt, but for the purpos
) of convincing the country that his han
. had not lost it's cunning since Mckinley
death and that he was still the king
maker of the republican party. This wi
be the final estimate of political history
and Mr.. Leupp is the first writer of i'm
!, portance to bring it to the knowledge c
the people as whole. t1., G'......
w. w. Jermane.
Il