The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-06
THE MCCLELLAN DINNER.

| Clellan of New York on Monday night
was not quite what Mr.. Murphy. the
| Tammany leader. intended it to be.
Neither Mr.. Cleveland. Senator Cor
1 man nor Judge Parker was present. All
nection with the nomination for Pres
idcnt, and though all of them offered
good excuses for their absence, it is
probable that there is an impression
in the public mind that the fact that
they are mentioned as candidates for
the nomination for President had some
thing to do with keeping them away.
1t is true that Mr.. Cleveland has
announced that under no circumstances
would he accept the nomination, but
1t is worthy of notice that so eminent
IL Democrat as Mr.. Oney hopes that
he will be the nominee. In his speech
Mr.. Olney took occasion to say that
| the man of all men most thoroughly
representative of the national policies
| for which, in his opinion. the Demo-
cratic party ought to stand, was Gro
yer Cleveland. From this it would
seem that Mr.. Olney doesn't think that
Mir. Cleveland would refuse the nomi-
nation if it should be offered to him
with anything like unanimity.
There isn't much probability, how
ever, that the nomination will be offer
ed to Mr.. Cleveland. While it is true
that his popularity is very great there
will be an element in the national con-
vention sufficiently strong to prevent
his nomination. Mr.. Bryan and the
men who were his chief supporters in
the campaigns of 1896 and 1900, while
they might not object to the nominal
ton of some one who wasn't in entire
harmony with the party in those
campaigns, will never agree to
the nomination of MIR. Cleveland. Mr..
Cleveland understands this, and it was
one of the reasons, if not the chief one,
why he announced that he wouldn't
accept the nomination.
Mr.. Olney and ex-Gov. Hill in their
speeches stated what they thought the
issues in the presidential campaign
should be. 1t Is worthy of notice that
both of them attacked the administra-
tons course in the Panama affair. Mr.
Olney said 'In matters of foreign pol
icy the Democratic party should stand
for international morality and decent
international conduct; for continuing
our traditional role as the defender Of
the weaker states of this hemisphere,
instead of becoming their spectator.
Ex-Gov. Hin said that the Presidents
course in the Panama affair was "a
species of contemplate Vaccinations,
unworthy of the head of great ma
ton" He said also that 1t was
prompted by personal ambition and a
desire to dazzle the people,. a. part of
a political scheme to prematurely force
his own nomination for the presidency"
He expressed the opinion that the SEN
ate ought to reject the Panama treaty.
1t is doubtful if Mr.. Hills advice will
be accepted. not because there is any
doubt on the part of the Democrats
of the Senate as to the motive which
governed the President in his course
in recognizing the Republic of Panama
promise of stability and Negotiating a
treaty with her,, but because of the be-
lief that II the treaty should be re-
jected 1t would be long time before
anything definite would be done to-
wards constructing a canal across the
isthmus. -.
A point in Gov. Montague's speech
that will attract attention is that in
which he said that the South should
not Only ask, but demand that issues
which are dead should not be stirred
up for our undoing." He expressed
the opinion that she should take the
initiative in the recrudescence of our
party upon the principles which here
tofore and for so long led US to VIC
tory" $500
The South is anxious for a Demo-
cratic victory this year, and it is prac-
tically certain that she is going to
make her voice heard in the councils
of the party in the shaping of the is
sues of the campaign. She isn't in
favor of losing the chance for victory
which the party has by adhering to is
sues that are dead.
While the Mcclellan dinner will hard
Iy Rrove to be. as potent as it was
thought it would be in adjusting diff
ferences and shaping issues it will not
be without it's influence in that direc-
ton