The Washington herald., 1908-05-17

quite few men OF the present who loom
large in the public eye from time to time.
A complete list of the ambitious who
once had such rods up and all ready for
business would assume rather formidable
proportions. II would include the names
Of such well known figures as Senator
Shelby N. Cullom. for several RepubH-
can national conventions the "favorite
son, OF Illinois; Adlsi E Stevenson, OF
the same State, once Vice President OF
the United States, and eight years later
an unsuccessful candidate for the same
position; former Secretary of State Rich
ard Olney, who ran UP his lightning at
tractor while he held that portfolio, and
who polled thirty-nine votes at the last
Democratic national convention; the pres
ent Secretary Of State, who began tempt
ing the lightning while he was President
Rooseyelts Secretary Of War; Senator
Henry NJ. Teller of Colorado, who longed
for a nomination from two parties; John
G. Carlisle and Leslie NJ. Shaw, both
former heads OF the National Treasury;
the venerable William B. Allison, OF Iowa;
Horace BOies, the only Democratic gov
ernor of that State since the Republican
party was organized, and various other
former State executives, among them
David Bennett Hill.
Governors who Tempted Lightning.
David Bennett Hill became governor Of
New York when Mr. Cleveland was in
augurated President for the first time
He had not been very long In the execu-
tive chair Of the Empire State before he
ran I'D his own Presidential lightning
rod. Oh1cially, 1t was not taken down
until in August of last Presidential year.
when It's owner, to put a quietus on the
campaign tale that Parker, II elected.
would name Hill as his Secretary OF
State. announced his purpose 10 retire
from politics until January 1 following.
Well-posted Democratic politicians have
said that Mr., Hill, as late as 1902, still
had hopes OF being nominated by his
party, and IN the Democratic guberna-
tOTial conventions and campaign OF that
year, which he directed, laid his lines
accordingly. But between that date and
some time before the assembling OF the
1904 convention In St Louis Mr.. Hill
became convinced that he would never be !
called on to head a Presidential ticket |
and so gave his support 10 Parker, whom |
he had placed on the bench Of the States |
highest court
Former United States Senator Edward |
Murphy. jr., of New York. one of HHIs |
closest friends for many years. said |
shortly after the ex-governor made an
nouncement Of his impending political re-
tirement:
Mr.. Hnl is a greatly changed man. /
Some people have told me that Mr.. Hill /
at sixty-one could not change the men
taltty Of a lifetime disagree with them |
entirely. Mr.. Hill has changed from the 1
moment that he became convinced that
he could never be nominated for Presi-
dent by his party"
Hill Had Hopes I'm 1899.
HIS hopes OF being his party's stand
ard bearer were strongest. perhaps, when
the party vas getting ready to select such
a one in 1892. Tt has been charged against
him time and again by his party enemies
that at that time, by his snap" State
convention, he tried 10 force his csndi-
dacy On the party. The New York dele
cation went 10 Chicago pledged to him;
Tammany was there shouting for him
under the personal direction OF Richard
Croker: Gov. Fowler, of New York, Mr..
HilPs successor as head of the State
was among his cohort Of supporters.
Until just a few days before the ballot
ing began the Hill movement gave the
Cleveland boomers much concern. Then
the drift TO Cleveland set in, and Hill, In
stead Of receiving the 800 votes accredited
TO him by his boomers, mustered only ia
on the only ballot taken. At that time he
received the second largest number Of
votes, Gov. Horace Boies, Of Iowa, com
ing third with 10s. Cleveland got 617 I-S
votes. The great cry Of the Hill boomers
at this convention was that Cleveland
falsely they prophesied the ballots cast In
November showed. {
II was at this convention that the name ]
Of Horace Boies, who got only one vote {
less than Hill, first came before a Demo
cratic national convention for oonsidera-
tien.
Two years before he had been elected
governor IN the rock-ribbed Republican
State OF Iowa-the only Democrat who :
has held this post since the Republican .
party was organized. Naturally, this re-
Hnarkable victory gave Boles national
prominence. Democratic papers and poll
ticians began to mention him as prob :
abla Presidential timber, and It was not .
long after that before the governor ran !.
up his own Presidential rod. William J. =
Bryan, then a Congressman from Ne
braska. both before and at the conven-
ton, was an ardent supporter OF the I"
Iowan, whose strength surprised many Of =,
the political wiseacres.
BOies Had Many Votes.
Boies did not give up hope Of being Il
his party's candidate until after Bryan v
was nominated for the first time At d
that dramatic convention Boies at one Q
time stood second in the balloting. He =
was in his sixty-ninth year when he =
was an avowed candidate for the last :,
.ime; and he took down his rod shortly
after, not because he had been weaned
sf his ambition 10 be President, but be-
cause he realized that his age was against Ia
him. a,
The Presidential aspirations OF the late =,
Robert z. Psttison, twice Democratic :,
governor OF another Republican strong =
1old-Pennsy sylvania-also reached their q
;iimax at his party's convention Of 1896. o.
IN the first ballot PattisOn, the favorita II
ion Of the keystone delegation, stood M
lext to Bland and Bryan. On the fifth n,
ND deciding ballot Pattison still had his
votes, while Boises IS had shrunk to a .
'uny q. It was around Pattison that the :"
tanch gold" delegates rallied. ile
When Pattison was elected governor ell
y pennsylvania In 1882, by a plurality sa
y 10000. he became the first Democrat | nj
e hold that Office in thirty years. At to
he time he was only thirty-two. an age tn
which kept him from running I'D a Pres co
Dental rod just then. with the assistance tn
Il his friends But after his second nc
victory. which came IN tn
ssl' Pattison's Presidential lightning at he
raetor was put up and only lowered he
ghen his death occurred four years ago. lis
Francis a Prominent Figure. :.
David r. Francis. OF ST. Louis. who ~
taFted his career toward miIlionairedon Pr
s clerk in a commission house of tic
rhich he afterward hecsma nort ou,,or hi
A<'IS OFf44SAf %