The times., 1898-10-12
GENERAL POLITICAL GOSSIP


signs of being better pleased with the
political outlook. especially regarding the
| coming congressional elections, than M
was week or ten days ago. Something
must have happened during his recent
| stay In New York that pleased hin
nightly and Inspired him with courage
1t is strongly Suspected that the some.
thing must have borne a strong resem
blance to substantial additions to the
| Republican campaign fund. Just how
| much cash Mr.. Hanna and his assistants
| have succeeded in raising is a question
| but 1t is known to have been great dea
| larger sum than is ordinarily provided
| In an or year campaign The amount
| Is more in keeping with a Presidential
| contest; therefore it is not surprising that
Mr.. Babcock and other Republican mag
mates are looking more cheerful. They
believe now they are in position to cope
| with General Apathy and put him tc
! flight. Time will tell
Senator T. c. Piatt is very practical
upon a number of occasions. The
| other night he attended a reception given
to Col. Roosevelt at the Union League
Club in BroGklyn. Several spreadeagle
speeches were made, in which the orators
waxed eloquent over the greatness of our
country and the glorious achievement OF
the G. o. p Mr.. Platt was called upon
for speech and he brought the company
down to earth in short order Il am
very glad to be here tonight, said MIR
Platt, Ito do honor to our candidate for
governor. / am counting on you gentle
men to help furnish the sinews OF war to
elect Col Roosevelt" The hat was pass
ed around Immediately and no one was
permitted to escape Mr.. Platt has the
reputation of being a splendid collector
of campaign funds 1t is related that in
1883 he raised over half a million dollars
by his own efforts alone for the Harrison
campaign. II is said that Mr.. C. /.
Huntington gave Mr.. Platt his check that
year for 100000, which was up 10 that
time probably the largest individual cam
paign contribution ever made.
There is prospect OF a revival of John
l. Davenport and his famous iron cage
over in New York and that city is not IN
dulging in uproarious hilarity over it. Mr..
Davenport, it will be remembered, was the
Federal supervisor of elections in New
York for a good many years until the law
was repealed under which he held office
He made numerous arrests at each
election of persons suspected of violating
or attempting TO violate the election laws.
His prisoners were locked up in big iron
cage, where they were kept on exhibition
TO terrorize evil doers until after election,
when they were promptly discharged. II
is said that there is no known record of
any of Davenport's victims ever being
prosecuted.
Davenport comes TO the front now as
the assistant OF fonmer Chief of Police
McCullagh, who was appointed superin-
tendent to carry out Mr.. Platts force bill
law enacted at the special session of the
legislature last Summer. The law Is most
unpopular TO begin With and the introduce
ton of Davenport and his cage will make
it still more obnoxious TO the people. The
prediction is made; by conservative cb-
servers that Col, Roosevelt VIII lose many
more votes thanhe will gain by this high
handed interference with popular rights.
There is some speculation in political
circles as to what will be the effect on
the future of the Prohibition party II DR..
Swallow should happen to be elected
governor of Pennsylvania. DR.. Swallow
is more of Republican than Prohibition
ist but he is running on the Prohibition
ticket and If he should be elected he
VIII be compelled to a certain extent at
least to recognize the members of that
party in making his appointments. What
the machine politicians fear is that the
Prohibition party will grow so rapidly in
the event of DR.. Swallows success that
ii would soon become serious menace
TO the old line parties in 1900 DR.. Swal-
low is personally very popular in the
Keystone State and he is gaining new
supporters every day.
Our foreign policy particularly with
reference to the settlement of the bonded
Indebtedness of Cuba and the Philippines,
is certain to become an all-important is
sue in the politics of this country for
some time to come. Speaking of the
scheme of the bond syndicate to fasten
the $40 0OO. 600 debt of the Philippines on
the United States a prominent interna-
tional lawyer had this to say last even
ing:
There are no established precedents
governing cases of this kind. In fact
there are about as many precedents on
one side as on another. Everything de-
pends upon the terms of the treaty en-
tered into by the high contracting parties
The United States. in the event of the
cession of the Philippine Islands to this
country, cannot be compelled to assume
the old debt of the islands Perhaps
there would be some element of justice
in our agreeing to do. 1t might be
good policy but that is a matter that will
have to be determined later on and will
be governed largely, l think by circum-
stances. Even If the Commissioners at
Paris should decide that we should pay
the Philippines debt its decision would
have to be approved by the President and
ratified by Congress before it would
amount to anything.
mo one knows what the temper of the
Congress will be or what the sentiment of
the people of this country is upon that
subject
''One thing you can put down as certain,
and that is that the speculative syndicate
mentioned in the cables from Paris is not
likely to make much money out of its al
legged scheme TO get control of the Philip.
pine bonds.
This Government will most assuredly
inquire very carefully into the matter be-
fore it takes any action and il will not
take the bonds at a price above that at
which they were originally funded, even
If il should decide to take them at ALL
which is doubtful. If the bonds in other
words, have been picked up by spectators
a % or 30 cents on the dollar we will not
fund them at par. ds
Behind all this. talk, however, is a gi-
gantic scheme to get us to assume por-
tion at least of the Cuban debt
'"rhe Cuban debt as represented by the
bonds issued by..'Spain on which the inter-
est is guaranteed by the revenues of Cuba
amounts to $3.50 9O0.0O0 Two-thirds of these
bonds are held by Paris bankers; some in
Berlin, Vienna ands0ther capitals of Eu-
rope, and perhaps $50, e09, 900 in the United
States. The Vatican, 1 am also advised