The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-29
Wonderful Power Of the Man
Over Political Conventions
us Still Felt.

,np which Zine not single state ticket
hos been nut III the field without bear
Ing HIS O. IL 1t also Is interesting to
note that not d single one of these tick
cts has been elected, save only In 1897,
when, by ain unmlstnkable nuke, Alton b.
PARKER vas ,nndc chef Justice Of the
Court OF Appeals.
Hill's management Of the Parker cam-N
paign to date has been unique. No note
of concIiintlor To- the outsiders" has
been discovered at any point. and every
move that he has made has been OF u
nature TO give offcnsc to the Democratic
organization IN the city Of New York,
the organization which must deliver its
vote LOYALTY to the ticket IL the Demo-
cratic candidate for the presidency is to
carry the State Of New York. without
which he cannot be elected Yet this
management" has been distinctly Hill
esaue from start to finish. Hill has
shown himself great in many respects
Indeed he has given many signs Of po!t-
zeal genius; still, at the critical moment
he has always fallen JUST short OF
achievement Thus II is with his man
agement Of campaigns. Az controller
and dictator Of conventions none exists
who can excel him, but he seems to for
get always that an election is the natural
sequence OF convention. His domina-
ton of party machinery has been abso-
lutte. but. as before stated, his control OF
the popular vote has been CONSPICUOUS by
its absence.
He Tried to Smile.
TO those who attended the State Con-
vcntion at Albany on April Is, whether
they were working heart and soul for
Judge Parker, or whether they were fight
ing against the programme Of lnstruc-
tons which prevailed, 1t was more than
apparent that one Icy grip held the con-
vcntion. When the master entered the
conyention hall at the night session. the
crowd cheered. but3therc was the same
lack of enthusiasm and warmth In the
cheers that there was In the stony coun-
tenancc Of Hill as he tried TO smile back
his acknowledgements. Earlier in tho
day. at the Ten Eyck Hotel. where he
made his headquarters, the men who
were about Hill sawthe nearest approach
to human smile On his face that they
had seen in score OF years, yet be-
fore the smile had been born 1t was cx-
tingulshed by the chill that was fairly
exuded from the personality OF the man.
Politicians, statesmen, lawyers, oil who
came in contact with Hill. have learned
to fear him, have learned to admire him
FOR the qualities lie possesses, but his
tory has not yet revealed the name Of a
man who has been able to warm the
cookies Of his heart to this glacier.
Since his great love disaster Hill has
been a changed man. From Mayor OF
Elmiru, which for years was his home.
he became Lieutenant Governor OF the
State on the same ticket that elected
Grover Cleveland Governor in 1852. When
Cleveland became President. Hill succeed
ed him as Governor, and was twice elect
ed to that office 1t was during this
time he secured hold on the party ma
chinery that nothing since has been able
to break. although on more than one &C.
ca sion il has been dangerously near to
the cracking point. His arrogance as
boss OF the machine never has been On
celed, and his refusal to resign as Gov
ernor after he had been elected United
States Senator in 1891 WAS not an act
that endeared him to anyone. For ten
months no was Governor and Senator al