Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-31
sHREWD SENATOR ALLISON.

EHREWD SENATOR ALLISON.
Politician and Statesman Who Never
Stops Ovsr-Gossip About His Coming
BIarriage-A Possible Candidate for the
Republican Nomination In 1892.
WASHINGTON, May 30.-senator Allison has
followed the example set by ex-Secretary
Bayard and Justice Gray and is soon to be mar
ried The woman of his choice is q Miss
Stoughton, Of this city, an attractive girl Of
about "a years and the daughter Of an army
officer now dead. The Senator is q little more
than go though stranger would not imagine
him to be IS. He is a widower his wife,
daughter of ex-senator Grimes, Of Iowa, haV-
ing died few years ago under rather
distressing circumstances. 1t is supposed that
she drowned herself while temporarily insane.
Since her death Senator Allison has mingled
very little with society, and but few persons
were aware Of his engagement BE has lived
with his sister IN house adjoining Senator
MorriIPs, on Vermont avenue for some years.
OF studious tastes, he Is seldom seen out at
gate, and although in considerable demand for
dinner parties, he has been in the habit OF
spending most of his evenings at home among
his books.
woman's Wrath Aroused.
He is now out on the Pacific coast on his way
to Alaska with Senator Hoar's committee,
which is taking tour over the United States
and British America preparatory to studying
the political relations between the two
countries His faneee, Miss Stoughton, says
correspondent of the New York Commercial
Advertiser, is in the Senatorial party
under the chaperonage of Mrs Hale,
the wife of Names junior Senator.
These are the only two women In the
party, and thereby hangs story. When
the committee was making preparations for its
journey Southern Senator, who is a member
of it, suggested that his daughter would ac-
company him on the trip. There was no objec-
tion expressed by any member of the commit
tee except Senator Allison. He did object and
Of so fs9ss rcng along ts9 ths
Southern Senator's daughter had to stay at
how. Now that she has learned that the woman
whom Senator Allison is to marry is in the
party, she is planning all sorts of vengeance
for the Iowa statesman.
The Senator'S Shrewdness.
Within two years Senator Allison has become
one of the half dozen prominent men Of his
party now in public life. His political growth
has been Iery gradual. and the prominence Of
the position he now occupies in the respect and
popularity Of public men is due to no conspic-
uous ability nor to any brilliant achievements.
He has been an unusually shrewd man. This,
united with conscientious devotion to the duties
of official position, has been the:secret OF his
success. He has been the most successful
straddler Of any man in Congress. 1t takes
smart man to shift his views according to
political necessity without the loss Of reputa-
tion or popularity, but this Senator Allison has
done, and seems by doing 1t to have only in
creased his popularity and reputation. John
Sherman, naturally much ADLER man, tried 1t
and committed political suicide.
His Views Subject TO Change.
Allison never loses his head, as more brilliant
men frequently do. He has been in Congress
25 years. eightyears in the House and the re-
mainder of the time in the Senate, and during
all that period of activity had plodded along
quietly, not doing anything startling, but keep
ing his eyes wide open, taking an interest in
legislation. making friends with the leaders,
keeping his record free from suspicion Of scam
dal, and watching keenly the currents Of pub
lie opinion. All these years of quiet observa-
tion have made him good politician. A few
years ago, when the people of Iowa were not as
strong protectionists Is they seem to be now,
he was what would now be called free trader,
and on the strength of his free trade utter
ances he was promoted fromrthe House to the
Senate. Last year, when his political instinct
side cf The m protectionists. his economic views
underwent few gymnastic performances and
the Senator came out high protectionist.
Sound on Finance.
Some of his friends say that the next Con-
gress will witness quite moderation in his
views upon revenue reduction and that he viii
advise his party to take less extreme position
than they took in the last Congress, with the
hope of checking any exodus that there may
be from the party because of its extreme atti-
tude. On the silver question the Iowa Senator
is also remarkably clever trimmer. In private |
his views expressed are as sound
as any sensible Eastern financier could ask. but
in public speeches he always seems to have in
mind the electoral votes of the silver producing
West. His chief reason for refusing the Sec
retaryship of the Treasury under Harrison was
the fear that he'would have to declare himself
decisively with the West or with the East on
the question of silver coinage, and now he is
said to be thanking his stars for this as well as
other reasons that he Is not in the Presidents
Cabinet.
A Presidential Possibility.
This is Allison's third term in the Senate. 1t
will expire in two years and he will be re-
elected, probably. Then look out for the Pres
Idental nomination of 1892, if you don't want
Allison to get it. His friends expect him to
get it, though they are not saying much about |
it now. And why shouldn't he if the party
doesn't want Harrison again7 Among both |
parties there is a strong prejudice against East
ern candidates and the desire to nominate |
Western man will become all the stronger with |
the admission of the new States. The West |
has other good Presidential timber besides Al |
ison, but none of it seems, from the present |
point of view at least, to be so available for /
party purposes. Allison would enter the field |
with probably the solid backing OF the Repub-
ican Senator's
An Interesting Figure.
None of the Senatorial CLUB is more popu-
ar. The Iowa Senator is now also one Of the |
most influential men in the horseshoe. The /
,,der statesmen of the Edmunds, Hoar and /
type are losing their grip, and the
more active and younger men like Allison and
Aldrich and Spooner are coming to the front
Is wise leaders. Although Allison Is 90 years
If age, he is lookedupon as one Of the younger |
men, because he affiliates more with them and
s still so full of energy and industry. He will
De an interesting man to watch during the
lext three years.
The just and the Unjust.
from the Philadelphia Times.1