The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-07-29
A Politician for Our Chairman.

vote of the National Democratic com.
mittee Thomas Taggart of Indian.
apolis, was elected chairman. Mr.,
1'aggart is a brilliant organizer, tire.
less worker and master politician.
A history of presidential campaigns
for the last 2S years reveals the fact
that whichever party chose the most
resourceful field marshal is the party
that wins the day in national contests.
In 1876 the Democratic chairman was
Abraham S. Hewitt of New York, and
and the Republican chairman was
Zachariah Chandler, of Michigan.
But Chandler with all of his adroit.
ness and political cunning could not
cope with Hewitt in that contest and
especially not when Mr.. Tilden, the
Democratic candidate for president
was also one of the shrewdest and
most resourceful political managers of
the age. The result was that Tilden
swept the country by quarter of a
million majority of the popular vote.
In 1880 William II. Barnum of Con-
necticut, was the Democratic chair
man and Marshall Jewett of the same
state was the Republican chairman.
Barnum was a genius in the art of
politics. He could not be licked in a
campaign where he had any thing like
a fair shake but he could be overpow-
cred. Jewett was an astute politician
but his long suit was in the knack of
raising money. Barnum swept Maine
away from her Republican moorings
in September Of that year and it took
Jewett several days to get over the
chill. But the Maine victory was to
the Democratic cause what the battle
of Bull Run was to the southern con-
federacy. The Republicans imme-
diately organized for war. Indiana
was then an October state and the fir
ing line of battle was moved west.
ward. A large corruption fund was
instantly raised and there was no re-
sisting the volleys of Doodle that
belched forth in the Hooiser state
from the Republican cannon. Indi-
ana going Republican in October was
a wet blanket around the Democratic
party but Barnum pulled himself to-
gether and took California and Ne
vada from the Republicans and in a
vote of over nine millions Hancock
was defeated for president by less
than 1000 votes.
In 1884 William Barnum was again
the chairman but by reason of his de-
clining years the greater part or the
work fell upon Senator German of
Maryland. Mr.. Blaine, the Republican
candidate for president selected b.
F. Jones of Pennsylvania. Jones was
no politician but he had at his COM
mand lots of persuasive power"
Barnum and German were more than
a match for him and the "Plumed
Knight" who for many years had
nursed the ambition of becoming pres
ident fell by the wayside.
In 1888 the Republicans profited by
their mistake Of 1884 by selecting
that prince of all politicians, Matthew
S. Quay as their chairman The Dem
ocratic chairman was Calvin S. Brice.
Brice could consolidate railroads as
good as any man in the country but
he could not run a national campaign.
Brice had every advantage in the
The Democrats were then
in control of the federal government
and yet he let Quay take the presi-
dency from him when the Democrats
polled over 100000 more votes for
Cleveland than the Republicans did
for Harrison.
In 1892 the Democratic chairman
was William F. Harrity of Pennsyl-
vania and the Republican chairman
was Senator Carter of Montana. Car
ter could perhaps put up a fair or
ganization in pocket commonwealth
like Montana but to spread him out
over the United States, the covering
would be very thin. He was simply a
political tenderfoot in Harrity's hands
as the result showed, Cleveland
getting nearly twice as many electoral
votes as Harrison.
IL the campaign of 1896 and 1900
Senator Hanna, of Ohio, and Senator
Jones, Of Arkansas, were the re-
spective chairman. Jones was no
organizer and no politician. Hanna's
organization in both campaigns was
invnlnernable. Such a contest was