The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-03-11
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON. March 8. Is

WOIlu NOulu III several DdIISlo, anu
since the morning after his inaugural
ton, which was a record breaker, the
President has devoted the greater por-
ton of his waking time, Sunday ex-,
cepted, of course, TO receiving those
rendered in person. In consequence
he has had little opportunity to get
down to business. To-day 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
President 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 both
born in 1888, and both have hereto
fore declined to leave their large bust
ness interests to accept public office,
other than membership of the Repub-
lican National Committee; Secretary
Wilson, who was born in 1885, llt4tie!is
good record in Congress and the head
Of the Iowa Agricultural College;
Secretary Gage, who was born in 1886
has world wide reputation as bust
ness man and tinancier; Secretary Al
ger, who was born in 1887 has good
war record and business reputation;
Secretary Long, who was born in 1888,
made an excellent record both in Con-
gress and as Governor Of Massachu-
setts, and Attorney General McKenna,
the baby of the cabinet, who was born
in 1913, has a legal and judicial record
of which any man might be proud, in
addition to having been a brilliant
member of the House. With such ad-
visers and his own hard horse sense,
there is little danger that President
Mckinley will go wrong upon any i'm
pOrtant matters.
Senator Frye made sure that if there
was to be a squabble over the organi-
zatiOn of the Senate it should not
leave the Committee on Foreign Rela-
| tons without head, when he offered
! a resolution, which was adopted with
out opposition, authorizing Senator
| Davis, of Minnesota, to act as Chair
man of the Committee until further
notice. As the ranking Republican
| member of the Committee, Senator
! Frye was entitled to the Chairman
ship, but he preferred giving way to
Senator Davis and retaining his chair
manship of the Committee on Com
merce. 1t is not yet certain what is
to be done about a reorganization of
the Senate, and it may be that there
will be 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 incidentally
talked over reorganization without
arriving at any conclusion.
Although a Republican Senator
from Kentucky is very much desired,
it is very doubtful whether Maj AT
Wood, who has been appointed by
the Governor of Kentucky to fill the
vacancy pending action by the legis-
lature, which is called to meet in ex-
ira session to elect Senator, will be
seated. All the precedents are against
him. Within the last few years the
Senate has refused to seat men APP
pointed to similar vacancies by the
Governors of Washington. Montana
and Wyoming. 1t is in the power Of
the Republican majority of the Ken
lucky legislature to elect Senator
who will have no trouble about tax
ing his seat, and President Mckinley
and every Republican in Congress ex-
poets them to do so promptly. The
Senators appointed by the Governors
of Florida and Oregon are on an en-
tirely different footing from the Ken
lucky appointment
Ohio is generally spoken of as 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 1869 there are two Repu-
blican 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-all who were cock sure
that President Mckinley and Speaker
Reed Che doesn't happen to be Speaker
just now but as the title will be again
conferred upon him next week, it need
not be dropped We're not on good
terms will have to guess again. The
first man of prominence who had an
extended conference with President
Mckinley was Speaker Reed, and |
violate no confidence in asserting that
thay opn in tbOrouub ooon,I ~. 10 A.