Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-06-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.



portant conversational topics this
week. First, there was the great BIZ
metallic speech OF Senator Sherman.
which strongly indicates that the Re-
publican party intends to maintain
its friendly position towards silver
and not follow Mr.. Clevelsnd's lead
In worshipping at the shrine of the
single gold standard. Then came the
harmonious action of the Ohio Re-
publican convention, in nominating
. winning ticket, adopting plat
form that all good Republicans can
stand upon. and endorsing ex-Gov.
Foraker for the u. S. Senate and
Gov. Mckinley for the Presidential
nomination. Gov Mckinley may or
may not be the national standard
bearer of the Republican party next
year, but the Ohio convention made
1t plain that he Is TO be earnestly
pushed in the national convention by
his own state.
Another topic much discussed by
Republicans is the "harmony" dinner
given by Hon. Chauncey M. Depew,
at his New York home, in honor of
ex- President Harrison, and attended
by number Of leading Republicans,
includ NJ Gov. Morton and Gov. Nc
Kinley. A gentleman who was
guest at that dinner told your CORE
spondent that what struck him most
was the extreme cordiality shown to-
wards each other by the gentlemen
who are by general consent regarded
as leading candidates for the Repub-
lican nomination. He said he was
convinced that whatever envy and
jealousy might exist between some OF
the followers OF the principal guests
at Mr.. Depew's dinner no such feel
ing existed between the gentlemen
themselves.
/ have no desire to wave the
4bloody shirt" but 1t does have a
queer look when you come to think
about 1t, that in all the various cele-
brations of Memorial Fay in the i'm
mediate vicinity of Washington not
single official of any prominence con.
nected with the admin stration took
any part. 1t Is only fair to mention
in this connection that Secretary
Herbert has accepted an invitation to
deliver the address at the st. Eliza
beth Asylum cemetery, but was pre-
vented by having to accompany the
funeral cortege Of Secretary Gresham
to Chicago. But it doe, seem strange
that of all the hundreds OF assistant
secretaries and bureau chiefs under
the government which those soldiers
fought to preserve. and did pre- erve,
not one should have taken part in
the ceremonies in honor of the dead
defenders OF the nation.
With the sudden and entirely I'M
expected death of Secretary Gresham
all hard feelings toward him were
buried, his mistakes forgotten, or at
least overlooked, and everybody who
had ever known the man could recall
some pleasant trait of the personal
geniality which made him easily the
most popular man personally in the
cabinet. 1t is matter Of deep re-
greet to his warmeso personal admi-
rers that he ever became Secretary Of
State. He had ability enough to sue
cessfully administer the office, but
his education, temperament, previous
life and modes Of thought were all so
many stumbling blocks in the way Of
his doing so. This is not a time to
criticise his career at the head Of
that department, but his most par
tial friends do not claim it to have
been the success his judicial career
was.
Some people got little mixed up
about the length of time within
which Mr.. Cleveland would be COM
PEELED to select the successor to the
late Secretary Gresham. The cd
law said the President could appoint
an acting secretary for a period of
only ten days, but in 1891 the law
was amended to read as follows; "A
vacancy occasioned by death or resig-
nation must not be temporarily filed
for a longer period than thirty days"
Thus it will be seen that Mr.. Cleve-
land having designated Assistant
Secretary Uhl to act as Secretary of
State has thirty days In which to Sc
lect a permanent Secretary of State.
Some OF those who are being dis
cussed as eligible for the vacancy are
impossibilities. One Of these IL ex-
Secretary Whitney, who very posi-
lively declined to become a member
of Mr.. Cleveland's second cabinet
when it was being formed. Mr.. Whit
ney may, IL he decides tn become
candidate for the Democratic nomi-
nation next year, be willing to accept
all the support the administration
cares to give him, but he Is far too