The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-02-18
CHAOTIC STATE
IL Situation Of Republican Party
In Ohio Caused by Senator
Hanna's Death.
Party May be Disrupted by Strug-
gle to Elect His Successor
Comments Of Commercial
Tribune.

Clip the following On tue sltudtlOn U
our party in Ohio which mention 1
made Of prominent Highland COUNT
citizens:
"A situation suggesting that chao
of which we read In the Inferno
has been precipitated by the deatl
of Senator Hanna, in life the uncon
tested leader Of the easily predomi
nant faction.
"Mr. Hanna had been undisputed
head of the party in Ohio for so long
that the men in his favor had begur
to vegetate in the upholstery tC
which he had assigned them, and the
rude awakening is sadly reminiscen,
of the time far back when they were
numbered among the unimportunate
who stood without the gates and look
ed between the palings at the lus
cious plums that hung suspended
from the Foraker tree.
"Mr. Hanna's rise in politics was lit
tie short of phenomenal, as he was
comparatively unknown prior to 1896
when he assumed charge of the first
campaign of William Mckinley, his
political and social intimate, He had
been known on the books of the Treas
urer of the State committee for a
dozen years as a liberal contributor
to campaign funds, but he was man
of large affairs in the business world,
and it is safe to assume that had 1t
not been for the candidacy of Major
Mckinley Mr.. Hanna would never
have become so conspicuOusly identi-
fed with the future of the party he
loved so we'll.
"He was, in way, heir to the influ-
ence of John Sherman, or, in other
words, of interests essentially oppos.
ed to those of Senator Foraker. Mr..
Sherman, Major Mckinley, General
| Dick and M. A. Hanna constituted the
big four with whom Senator Foraker
has had to deal in his efforts to gain
the heights of leadership.
"The secret memoirs of the historic
contest of January, 1898, when Mr..
Hanna was a candidate for the Sen.
ate to succeed himself, would releg ate
the diary of old Sam Pepsy to the
attic as dull reading. There were
charges and counter-charges relating
to the corrupt use of money, midnight
conferences and hurry hack rides and
long-distance telephone calls and
promises of reward that discredited
even the famous last battle of Mr..
Sherman.
"Mr. Hanna had been appointed
Senator by Governor Bushnell to fill
out the unexpired term of Mr.. Sher-
man. Governor Bushnell was For
aker man, a member of the Cover
por's staff and former Chairman of
the State Committee. 1t is now his
tory that he resisted for long time
the appeals of those who urged the
claims of Mr.. Hanna.
SIT was insisted that the National
Chairman was the logical candidate
by virtue of his being the biggest
man in the State, the friend of Nc
Kinley and the leader Of the Sherman
Republicans.
Governor Bushnell was besieged or
the other hand, by Foraker.Kurtz-
McKisson Republicans, and the names
of the two latter we're among those
presented for the place, but the great
majority of Republicans of the State
wanted Mr.. Hanna, and he was ap-
pointed.
"At the State Convention held in
Toledo Mr.. Hanna was unanimously
indorsed for election to the Senate,
but this Endorsement was not respect
ed by the Kurtz-McKisson following,
and Mr.. Hanna had the fight of his
life to succeed himself.
"While the voice in that strenuous
contest was the voice of Kurtz the
hand was the hand of Foraker, though
Mr.. Hanna never called Mr.. Foraker
hard enough to make him show his
hand.
"Senator Foraker did not appear
upon the scene, but neither did he
stop the fight, as he could easily have
done by urging his adherents to re.
spect precedent by which he him
self had profted and bow to the senti.
ment of the party as expressed at
Toledo.
"An incident cited to show that Sen.
ator Foraker was lending aid to the
enemies of Senator Hanna has to do
with the troublesome experience OF
Hon. henry II. Redkey, then a mem.
ber of the legislature from Highland
county, and lifelong friend of the
Foraker family, J. B. Foraker having
been born in Highland county.
"The enemies of Mr.. Hanna naturally
assumed that MIR. Redkey's sympa
thies would be with Senator Foraker
and they sent an emmissary to at
tempt to get his pledge for McKisson
the ex-Mayor of Cleveland, who had
been selected by the Democrats and
anti-Hanna Republicans to oppose
the Senator. Mr.. Redkey halted be
tween two opinions for some time,
but his respect for the Toledo indorsc
ment and the obvious ma iOritv senti.