Even such
independent papers as the Chicago "Evening Post," the "Boston
Herald," the Springfield (Massachusetts) "Republican" and the New
York "Evening Post," and I can say the great body of the Republican
journals in the State of Ohio, warmly urged my re-election. With
this general feeling prevailing I considered myself a candidate,
without any announcement, and entered into the canvass as such.
I also regarded Governor Foraker as my competitor fairly entitled
to aspire to the position of Senator, though he did not, at first,
publicly announce his candidacy. Young, active and able, with a
brilliant military record vouched for by General Sherman, twice
elected Governor of Ohio, he was justified in entering the contest.
In the latter part of June he was reported to have said that I
would be re-elected, but this was regarded in a Pickwickian sense.
Candidates for the legislature were chosen in many counties according
to senatorial preferences, but, so far as I recall, there was no
contest over such nominations bitter enough to cause the defeat of
any nominee.

No serious difficulty arose until the latter part of July, when I
was advised that George B. Cox, a well-known politician in Cincinnati,
who, it was understood, controlled the Republican primaries in that
city, would not allow any man to be nominated for either branch of
the legislature who did not specifically agree to vote for whoever
he (Cox) should designate as United States Senator. This I regarded,
if the statement were true, as a corrupt and dangerous power to be
conferred upon any man, which ought not to be submitted to. I went
to Cincinnati, partly to confer with Foraker, and chiefly in
pursuance of a habit of visiting that city at least once a year.
I met Foraker, and he promptly disclaimed any knowledge of such a
requirement in legislative nominations. Cox also called upon me,
and said the delegation would probably be divided between Foraker
and myself. I could say nothing more to him. Foraker gave a
written answer to an inquiry of the "Commercial Gazette," in which
he said he was a candidate, and no one knew it better than I. This
was quite true and proper. In a published interview I said:

"Governor Foraker and I have always been friends, and I am always
glad to see him. He has a right to the position he has taken in
regard to the senatorship, and it is a proper one. One man has
just as much right to try it as another."

"Are McKinley a