The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-03-19
Washington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent

President Mckinley has certainly
been very extensively congratulated
man. Those that have come by mail
and by wire from every section of the
world would fill several barrels, and
since the morning after his Inaugural
ton, which was record breaker, the
President has devoted the greater por-
ton of his walking time, Sunday ex-
cepted, of course, to receiving those
rendered in person. In consequence
he has had little opportunity to get
down to business. Today is the first
time that the members of the new
Cabinet have been in charge of their
respective departments, although they
were all sworn in Saturday. The more
one considers the men chosen by Presi-
dent Mckinley for his advisers, the
stronger grows the conviction that
this is going to be business admins
tration from the jump. There are no
experiments. Secretary Sherman, the
oldest member, has been in public life
forty two years; Secretary Bliss and
Postmaster General Gary were born
in 1888, and both have heretofore de-
clined to leave their large business in
terests to accept public office, other
than membership of the republican
National Committee; Secretary Will
son, who was born in 1885, made a
good record in Congress and at the
head of the Iowa Agricultural College
Secretary Gage, who was born in 1885,
has world wide reputation as busi-
ness man and fnancier; Secretary
Alger, who was bora in 1887, has a
good war record and a fine business
reputation Secretary Long, who was
born in 1888, made an excellent record
both in Congress and as Governor of
Massachusetts,, and Attorney General
McKenna, the baby of the cabinet,
who was born in 1843, has legal and
judicial record of which any man
might be proud, in addition to having
been brilliant member of the House.
With such advisers and his own hard
horse sense, there is little danger that
President Mckinley will go wrong up
on any important matters.
Senator Frye made sure that if
there was to be a squabble over the
organization of the Senate it should
not leave the committee on Foreign
Relations without Il head, when he Of
fered a resolution, which was adopted
without opposition, authorizing SEN
ator Davis, of Minnesota, to act as
Chairman of the Committee until
further notice. AS the ranking repub-
lican member of the Committee, Sen
ator Frye was entitled to the Chair
manship, but he preferred giving way
to Senator Davis and retaining his
Craftsmanship of the Committee on
Commerce. Il is not yet certain what
is to be done about a reorga nization of
the Senate, and it may be that there
will he no reorganization further than
the filling of vacancies on the Com
mittees. The republicans held a
caucus and elected Senator Allison
Chairman of the Caucus to succeed
Senator Sherman, and incidently
talked over reorganization without ar
irving at any conclusion.
Although a republican Senator from
Kentucky is very much desired, it is
very doubtful whether Maj. A. T..
Wood, who has been appointed by the
Gov. of Kentucky to fill the vacancy
pending action by the legislature,
which has been called to meet in extra
session to elect a Senator, will be seat
ed. All the precedents are against
him. Within the last few years the
Senate has refused to seat men ap-
pointed to similar vacancies by the
Governors of Washington, Montana
and Wyoming. 1t is in the power Of
the republican majority of Kentucky
legislature to elect a Senator who will
have no trouble about taking his seat,
and President Mckinley and every
republican Congress expects them to
do so promptly. The Senators ap-
pointed by the Governors of Florida
and Oregon are on an entirely differ
ent footing from the Kentucky ap-
pointment.
Ohio is generally spoken OF as a re-
publican state, but the opposition has
managed during long period to con
troll the Legislature often enough to
keep one Senator. Now for the first
time since 1859 there are two republl.
can Senators from the state, and that
Senators Foraker and Hanna will
creditably represent the state is as
certain as that they have taken rank
among the leaders of the Senate.
The know-it-alls who were cock sure
that President Mckinley and Speaker