The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-22

WhS n promise 10 De as SInDdTTdSsiH5 10
Mr. Whitney as circumstances can be.
As is well known, Mr.. Whitney and
Mr. Cleveland. once warm friends,
were reputed subsequently to be a
triae estranged. This estrangcment
was the result OF Mr.. Whitney's efforts
to advance the interests of the Stand
ard Oil company by allying the demo
cratic party with its fortunes. The
first intiruation of troubl was in let
ters from southern democrats warning
the president that Mr.. Whitney's power
with the party was being used with eff
feet by such populists as Tillman,
Simpson and KOlb to prove the. exist
ence of corporation influence. Mr..
Whitney was then in Europe, but his
political ieutenants lost no time in
meeting this attack. They at once
startsd to "boom" him for governor,
and succeeded in delaying the tariff bill
through their influence in the senate.
This vas done as a show OF strength
for the presidents benefit, and it need
hardly he stated that Senators German,
Brice. II IL and even Cameron were not
slow in ta king advantage Of an oppOr-
tunity to further their peculiar ends.
Now. the one new thing in all this is
the fact that Mr.. Whitney's followers
were instrumental in delaying the tariff
bill. In thr house it is an open secret
that Mr. Whitney and mir. Have1neyer
have pretty much the same cOterie OF
schemes to carry out their aims. SEN
ator Cameron, in the senate, Is said to
be very much in the confidence of both
Whitney and Ha'Temeyer, snd to be
very friendly with the democratic in
terests generally His personal sym
pathies are more with democratic sena-
tors than with republican ones.
The Standard Oil company being
factor in the situation unknown to
most onlookers, it seemed essential
that MIR. Whitney, should return from
Europe and help straighten matters
out This, it seemed, he could easily
have done, and the long, irritating de-
lay, which, even to this day, has never
been clearly explained, would have
been avoided. Nor can it be asserted
that ne intimation that his presence
was vital has been made to Mr.. Whit
new. On the contrary, he was made
aware IN no uncertain way that If he
returned he could play the role of the
savior of his party. Only he could set
tie the claims of the two great trusts
by making them cease an unseemly
strife Both the Havemeyers and the
Rockefellers obey Whitney's slightest
behest.
But for some reason Mr.. Whitney
would not return. Instead, he caused
the plainsst announcement to be made
that his tour abroad had been inter
rupted by illness in his family. and that
he was detained in London by the state
of his daughters health.
Yet the administration waited. Still
there was no sign. The fight went on.
The weary delay continued, disgusting
the country, and in desperation Mr..
Cleveland was compelled to write his
famous letter to Chairman Wilson.
And there was one thing in that letter
which has yet to be fully appreciated
by the country. When Mr.. Cleveland
mentioned trusts and their peculiar
methods, it was supposed be had sugar
IN MIND bu' the IL" WIZ Lave hHo" Ii
the details given above saw that Mr.
Cleveland was speaking Of the Standard
Oil company, and giving the plainest
notice to MIR. Whitney that he must
either give up his trust or his party. 1t
Is now nothing more nor less than
severe breach between Mr.. Whitney
and the president
Some democrats are wondering how
Ii will end.