Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1897-10-23

VI every rcpuDhcdn NOSer IN any state
who follows his example. There is
nothing surprising in all this; it would
have been surprising to those who knox
the man, had President Mckinley in
dicated any intention of acting other
wise.
COMMISSIONER KAssoN.
Nothing but commendation has been
heard of President McKinlev's saIec-
tion of Hon. John A. Kasson of Iowa-
to be Special Commissioner of the
United States, with plenary powers to
negotiate reciprocity treaties with 9TH
er governments, in accordance with
the provisions OF the Dingley tariff act.
Mr.. Kasson served in ConQ-ess sar
many years, where, as a member of the
House, Ways and Means COMMITTEES.
he acquired valuable experience, and
his diplomatic career has been brff
liant and enviable. He was first Min
lister to Austria. then Minister to Ger
many and later United States Commis-
sioner to the Berlin conference. which
arranged the present Governments of
Samoa. The country may rest assured
that MIR kasson will see that its inter-
eets are properly taken care of in anv
reciprocity treaty he negotiates. Me-
gOtiations with France have been under
way sometime. and that country is
likely to have the honor of the first
reciprocity treaty under the Dinglev
law. Austria and Germany have given
notice of their intentions to omen me-
gotiations for similar treaty.
JUSTICE FIELDS RETIREMENT
There was no surprise at the pubIicn-
tio1 of the tender OF Justice Fields
resignation from the United State Su-
preme Court, and of President McKin-
ley's acceptance thereof, To take effect
December l, 1897: The fact is gener-
ally known that Justice Field would
have retired during the last adminis-
tration-he has been eligible for retire.
ment under the age limit nearly elev-
en- years-but for his disinclination to
give Mr.. Cleveland an opportunity to
appoint his successor, aud he an
nounced last year to his friends his in
tention TO retire early in the present
administration. His health is quite
feeble at this time. There seems to
be little doubt that Attorney General
McKenna will be named for the vacan-
cy as soon as Congress meet.
MARYLAND POLITICS.
Senator Gorman's latest bluff, Offer
ing to withdraw as a candidate for re-
election and to give up the leader
ship of the Maryland democrats. If the
publisher OF the Baltimore Sun would
agree to take the leadership and stoD
fighting the German machine. is so
transparent that it has furnished moth
ing but amusement for the republi-
cans. German knows that the NEXT
Maryland legislature is almost bound
to be republican, and he is anxious to
uHload the responsibility for defeat on
somebody, and he preferred Mr.. Abel.
of the Sun. who has for years been his
most influential enemy inside the
democratic party. to anybody else.
Mr.. Abel has been fighting Gormanism
too long to be caught by such scheme
he knows as we'll as German does that
democratic defeat is we'll nigh certain.
and he wishes his paper to share in the
credit for bring about that defeat, this
year, just as 1t did in the carrying of
the state for Mckinley and Hobart last
year. Mr.. German has been credited
with much political shrewdness, but
he will have to get up better scheme
or many will think that he has been
much overrated in the past.
ANOTHER STORY,
Those who started that story about
President Mckinley intending to stop
the sale of the Union Pacific Railroad
overlooked the fact that the sale was
ordered by q decree of United States
Circuit Court. The only thing that
could have stopped the sale would have
been an appeal to the United States
Supreme Court, and that the Govern
ment decided sometime ago not to
take.