Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-12-10
AN ENIGMA.
Speaker Reed Keeps His Plans
and Opinions to Himself.
May Be Opposed to Some Plans Of the
Coming Administration
But Will Make No Trouble Story Of Pre- sident
and Sec. OIney.


friends of tho president elect. They are
not able to make him out They are not
as yet able to say whether Mr.. Reed Is 60
ing to be wholly friendly to the new ad-
ministration, q little friendly or little
unfriondly. They wish they knew. They
have been sounding him and trying him,
hut without mach success. imagine that
even Mr. Hanna's taking way, good hui
NOR and magnetism failed him for once
when he ran up against the big speaker.
Reed is peculiar man. He keeps his own
counsel pretty closely. Even his best friends
are not permitted to share al his politica:
secrets There is IL possibility of trouble
between the new administration and the
speaker, though the prevailing opinion is
that in good time everything will be
Strengthened out.
Mr.. Reeds Opposition.
From the hour of his arrival in town
last Saturday till the present moment the
speaker has been talking in favor of the
passage Of the Dingley BILL which was put
through the house last winter under whip
and spur. Let any other revision of the
tariff come after we have disposed of this
measure, - says the speaker. Tho Mckinley
people do not much like this. They have
no special objection to the Dingiey bill.
save that they regard it of temporary
character They argue that inasmuch az a
complete revision of the tariff will be nee
essary later on, why agjtate the business
interests of the country by having two tar
if bills when one will do just as well? The
Mckinley people, as reported to you some
time ago, had decided upon an extra ses-
sion of the new congress, to meet shortly
after inauguration. They still mean to
have it, but they do not like to have the
big man of the house of representatives
talking in sly opposition to their plans
Mr. Reed points cut that if the present
senate can be induced to pass revenue
bill it ought to do SO, for that would be
something gained He suggests that, while
the scheme to pass q general tariff bill at
a special session is a good one, sometimes
tariff bills fail of passage Men who rep
resent certain interest are always glad to
step aside and clear the way for opposition
interests, says the speaker in his dry
way. 1.-The universal generosity of hui
man nature is such that if any difficulties
be encountered in getting q tariff bill
through they can be instantly removed -
What he means is that a bird in the hand
is worth two in the bush, and that the Nc
Kinley policy may not he the wisest, after
ALL
Just Peculiar. Not QunrrelsOme.
OF course, if Mr.. Reed were to get in an
ugly mood about this or any other matter,
there would be lively tires ahead II he
djsapproyes wholly Of the Mckinley plan
to have new tariff bill framed by tie ways
and means committee during the winter,
perhaps the ways and means committee
will not do it, for it is pretty generally
conceded that the ways and means conf
mittee is likely to be loyal to Mr.. Reed.
In the improbable event of determina-
ton on the part Of the speaker to harass
the administration and delay the passage
of tariff bill n special session of congress
might not be Il success. The speaker has
great power in the house, and if his au-
thority We're tested there is not much that
he would fail in after having once set out
for it,
OF course tho sensational correspondents
will tell you that IL PARTY quarrel is on,
md that the party just coming into power
is going to be divided iAto factions at bit
ter war with one another, tkat McIiinley's
friends will be forced to run candidate
for speaker against Reed, and all that sort
of thing But level headed observers do
not thinl, any sach thing is likely to hap
pen. Mr. Reed is simply Il little peculiar;
that is all. He probably wants to have an
understanding about things and does not
wish to have policies instituted which he
is expected to carry out without being
consulted himself Innsinuch rs it is dis
tinpflV 1Ip flnlir-y IF .lf,,i,
ton to have peace and harmony and to
treat all men and factions fairly, it is safe
to say this little shadow of trouble will be
quickly removed, if it has not already been
swept away by what is going on behind
the scenes.
A Lost Speech.
am able to tell you most interesting
story concerning President Cleveland and
his secretary Of state. On the occasion of
the chamber of commerce dinner in New
York a couple of weeks ago Mr.. Olney was
invited to attend. The secretary has long
thought there ought to be in this country
practice similar to that which obtains
abroad, by which the minister of foreign
affairs now and then appears at public
dinner and by means Of Il speech concern
Ing some international difficulty allays
puDnc fear. In England Lord Salisbury
makes his famous Guildhall speeches and
In them generally contrives to clear the at
mosphere of good deal of the fog of ru-
NOR and misunderstanding. 1t was Mr.
Olney' 8 purpose to use the chamber Of COM
merce dinner for a similar purpose, and
Cuba was to be his text
AT that time the most alarming rumors
concerning our government attitude to-
ward Spain were in circulation. The SEN
ntion mongers would have it that war
was impending. Mr.. Olney had prepared
What he was going to say, had packed his
grlpsack and reached the railway station,
when messenger from the White House
asked him to return. The secretary had
nothing else to do. Now his friends are
asking these suggestive questions:
Was President Cleveland afraid to have
us policy foreshadowed by his secretary of
state, lest there might be change in the
situation before the message should be sent
to congress? w ssA'
or WAS the PRESIDENT unwilling to have
mr.. olney gain the personal credit which
might attach to him in case of his nnhi;c
appearance IN such an important rolep
~ oeher words. was it state business mr.
-. any rate the chamber Of commerce