, 1889-12-05
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular corrsspondeRt.)
WASHINGTON, Nov. %, 1889

WASHINGTON, Nov. -, 1888.
All the gossip and information on
the speakership question to be had at
this time comes from the personal
friends of the several candidates, and II
is fair to presume that there is more OF
less coloring. The guns of All the other
candidates are turned on Reed, but he
walks down the line with that cool
bearing that is peculiar to him under
all circumstances. His friends claim
for him that his election is certainty.
The friends of the other candidates say
that they are sure he cannot hold even
all the New England votes, and that
he cannot possibly get enough votes to
elect him. No one OF the other candi-
dates except Mckinley is making
claims tor himself as against the other
western candidates just ut this time.
They are all attacking Reed. With
the conflicting claims that are being
made it is impossibleIto judge OF the
chances. in the fight until more men,
bers have arrived. The fight, however,
appears ito he assuming sectional
character, with the south and west
against the east. All sorts of reports
are set afioat. One of the most start
ling statements is that Reed is not a
good enough prOtectionist.
There is n scramble after the MEM
bers from the new states and they are
claimed by most everybody. 1t was
reported last night that none of them
would vote for Mr.. Reed. The fact
seems to he that they are not yet
pledged and will not be for n while.
The claim of - votes for Mr.. Reed to
start with is very vigorously disputed.
The rain seemed to have Il depressing
effect upon the SPOONS" of some OF the
speakeaship candidates yesterday, and
Representative Reed was so disgusted
with the weather that he picked up
his grip and went to New York, "to be
absent" said the authorities at the
Shoreham, "three or four days" 1t
must be something pretty important
which takes the Maine man away from
Washington at this critical juncture,
but he generally knows what he is do
ing, and the probabilities are that he
will not lose any votes by his trip. Mr..
Reeds departure leaves Representative
Cannon alone in his glory at the
Shoreham, but there il no rush of brlsi
ness. Callers in search OF either can
didate Were few, and, as a rule, vote
less, most Of them being newspaper
men desirous Of making their diurnal
diagnosis of each patients condition.
1t is encouraging TO learn that the
commission having in charge of the Sc
lection of a site for the new national
geological park at Washington have not
so far as to submit their plot of the
ground to the president This is sign
that we are going to have park, and a
good one. 1t will not be SO large as was
at first expected, or as we shall pro-
badly wish it before many years. but
the region chosen is one of the most
picturesqe and lovely in the district. 1t
is safe to predict that the park will be
the favorite pleasure resort in the
nefgRborhood of Washington when it
has once got under way. Its collection
of animals will not only thrive in the
natural course of events, with an agree
able climate and the best OF care, but,
situated at the capital of the nation and
belonging to the general government, it
will attract gifts from foreign countries
as well as from all parts of our own.
Successive presidents will bless the
genius who evolved the idea of the park,
with its possibilities as a place of safe
keeping for the bears and csons, the
badgers and prairie-wolves, the hairless
dogs and the two hairy cats, the
gophers and owls and eagles which ad-
miring constituents insist upon shower
ing on newly inaugurated executives.
r.