Daily Globe

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AND THE GOSSIPS.

When a man becomes a candidate for the Presidency he must expect that his every action will be closely watched and made the subject of comment and criticism. It is currently believed that every movement he makes is designed to advance his interests in the direction of the White House, and if he pays a friendly call upon a man of prominence or is seen shaking hands with a local leader of his or the other party, the fact is supposed to have some political significance, and the gossips at once set to work to devise some impelling motive for his visit or for his cordial greeting. It will do him no good to complain of being misrepresented, or to object to the privacy of his life being invaded. The gossips will not be quieted, and his remonstrance will only make matters worse. It is sometimes decidedly amusing to read the paragraphs that are set afloat relative to the various Presidential aspirants, and to note how sorely distressed the writers appear to find that desideratum of all personal paragraphs affecting such persons-a political motive for even the most trivial acts. Grant's criticisms of his generals are construed as a part of his programme to reach the White House for a third term; Tilden's walks "on the beach at Long Branch," dressed in natty style, are tortured into a desire on his part to keep himself before the people as the great martyr of the century; Thurman's waving of his red bandanna is viewed with alarm by his opponents as betokening his desire and intention of fighting the campaign under a red handkerchief for a banner, as Horace Greeley fought his campaign under a white hat; while Hendricks outgoings and incomings are watched with the keenest interest by all parties, and careful notes are made of all the people he greets with a bow or the shake of the hand. The latest rumor relative to his Presidential schemes comes from Saratoga. He was at Newport attending to some important legal business, and very naturally found himself, en route for home, at Saratoga. It happened that there was a consultation of Democratic politicians there at the time, and he drifted into their midst, and in the course of the evening exchanged a few words privately with John Kelly, the boss of Tammany Hall. This was a regular bonanza for the gossips. It was pregnant with meaning, and column after column of speculations were sent flashing over the wires to all the leading papers of the country, the Globe included. The gist of the speculations may be briefly given.

The conversation between Hendricks and Kelly portends a union of their forces for the control of the Empire State in the next Democratic National convention in Hendricks' interest against Tilden. Mr. Kelly, it is well known, never had any particular affection for Tilden, and his protest against his nomination at St. Louis was perhaps one of the most dramatic incidents of that or any other convention. That he will do all in his power to ruin Tilden's chances for 1880 does not admit of a doubt, but that he favors Hendricks more than any other of the dozen aspirants we have no reason to suppose.

The conversation between the two men may or may not have had a political significance, but the chances are that it was merely the interchange of the compliments of the season-perhaps a commentary on the weather, or a criticism of the quality of the wine they had drank at dinner. It must be decidedly unpleasant to be a Presidential candidate.