The times., 1898-12-04
GENERAL POLITICAL GOSSIP.

GENERAL POLITICAL GOSSIP.
This seems to be good year for the
indictment of Republican officials. Gov.
Tanner of Illinois has been indicted for
an alleged violation of his executive au--
thority during the recent strike at virden.
Senator Quay of Pennsylvania is under
indictment for alleged misuse of State
funds; George W. Aldridge. the superin-
tendent of public works of New York. and
Campbell W. Adams, the State engineer
are mixed up in the canal frauds in the
suspended from office at his own request
pending judicial inquiry into the man
agement of 3 office. Mr.. Adams holds
on. refusing to resign, but the Indications
are that both will be indicted. They will
be playing in good luck, it is said. If they
escape the penitentiaIy. The wholesale
indictment of Repub ican ofiice-hoiders
reminds one of old times. 1t is probably
only a case of history repeating Itself. rs
il has a habit OF doing now AID then.
ever is something out of the ordinary.
There is no record OF a governor OF
State ever having been formafy indicted
fer violation OF the law during his term
CT office. A governor is only one degree
removed from President. and il a gov
ernuor can be Indicted there Is nothing
to prevent the Indictment OF The chef
Magistrate of the nation by grand jury.
Gov. Tanner announces that he intends
to ignore the indictment of himself. If
any fool of sheriff undertakes to serve
warrant upon him. he says that he will
throw him out of his Office.
The question naturally arises. is a gov
ernor of State or the President really
amenabie to the law the same as pri-
vate citizen. In the event of the convic-
ton of either. before a legally consti-
tuted tribunal. would not the convicted
party have the authority to issue par
don to himself? In the absence of any
precedent the question will probably re-
main open until it is decided one way or
another.
The Republicans, however, are not
having monopoly of the Indictment noto-
riety. Senator Kenney, of Delaware. Is
In the same boat. Like Quay, Kenney is
charged with certain irregularities in
connection with a national bank. The
outlook ahead for KenEey is said TO be
more gloomy than that for the Pennsyl-
vania senator fIe has not got the re-
sources of Quay and his experience in
such matters has not been as extensive.
1t is said that a resolution will be
offered in the Senate this Winter calling
for the expulsion of both Quay and Ken
ney. They win probably be given first
an opportunity to resign and if they do
not avail themselves of il, steps viii be
taken, IL is said. to expel them There
is no record of a senator's being expelled
from the Senate since the close of the
Civil War. 1t is not likely that the
Senate will be called upon to pass form
ally upon the cases of Quay and kenney.
If the courts in their respective States
convict them of the charges that have
been brought against them the chances
are that each will make haste to tender
his resignation as member of the
Senate.
John D. Spreckles, the editor and pro-
prietor' of the San Francisco Call, and
| NJ II. de Young, the owner and editor
of the San Francisco Chronicle. are both
rival candidates for the United States
| Senate out in California. Mr.. Spreckles
/! is the son of the sugar magnate and is
supposed to have a long purse. Mr.. de
| Young has acquired a fortune through
| his newspaper. He is a pushing, agsres-
sive man, has been a member of the Re-
| publican National Committee for a good
| many years. and a standing candidate
rn,- ,-I lam Of
time. The Southern Pacific Railroad,
| with which the name of Coils p. Hunt
| ington has been more or less identified,
| has always taken an interest in the selec-
| ton Of United States Senators in Cali
| fornia. Regardless of the political COM
| plexion of the California legislature the
| Southern Pacific has generally managed
| to make its influence felt in the selection
| of senators in the past. But the railroad
| appears TO have made bad break in
| the present instance through the employ
4 ment of a stupid agent, The agent CT
| the railroad undertook to make a deal
/ at the same time with Spreckles and de
| Young. Each man was informed that he
| could have the naming of Senator Whites
I successor, provided he named the South
| ern Paeific's man. Somebody blabbed de
| Young and Spreckies compared notes and
discovered that they were being played
with. The agent was called in and forced
/ to acknowledge his perfidy-that IS. ot
| trying to do business with two men rep.
| resenting different interests at the samt
| time. Both de Young and SpreckIes have
| issued statements bristiing with virtuou:
| indignation. 1t Is safe to wager that g
certain agent of the Southern Pacific
| Railway is going to lose his job. 1t /:
almost equally safe proposition thai
neither Spreckles nor de Young will bC
elected to succeed Stephen NJ. White IL
the Senate at Washington.
Gen. Grants youngest son and name
sake has announced himself as a. candi
GATE for the Senate in California Youn.
Grant,, who is known among his in,i
mates as Buck is making his canvas.
solely on the strength OF his being a soI
of Gen Grant None of the Grant boyi
has ever been accused of being burdenet
with modesty. Col. Fred Grant was al
aspirant for the Vice Presidential nomi
nation in 1896. Buck Grant was a dele
gate at the convention, and said in al
interview that he thought his brothe
| Fred would make an ideal candidate fc
Vice President. Brother Fred rsturne,
the compliment by saying that IL TIL
| nomination for the second place on tn
ticket went West he did not believe tina
better man could be found than brothe
Buck. However, the Grant boom at ST
Louis did not get beyond the confines o
the Grant family. a similar result
anticipated in California when the legs
lature meets 10 elect a Senator.
Senator Francis E. Warren. of Wyom
/ Il e1;,