The times., 1898-12-19
GENERAL POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Col BryaiE has been holding conferences
with the Deidocratic leaders at the
National Capital and in New York
for the past three or four days.
His idea; " is understood, has been
to get the leaders to agree upon general
line of policy to be followed in Congress
this Winter regarding expansion and
other matters ,iof national Importance.
But from al accounts he is not meeting
with much success. Most or the Demo-
cratic senator's and representatives and
other gentlemen consulted by Col Bryan
have listened patiently, if not respectfully
to Col. Bryan's arguments. but they are
not inclined to accept his advice without
question. Col Bryan does not appear to
/ be able to please either the rabid anti
expansionists in his party or the men like
Senator Morgan of Alabama, who be-
lieve in expansion. The extremists are
for opposing the ratification of the peace
treaty. Mr. Bryan wants the treaty rati-
fled and the fight made age,nst expansion
afterward. The Democrats who favor ex-
pansion say that nothing can be gained
by quibbing; that the moment the treaty
Is ratified expansion will be an accom-
piished fact, and that the only effect of
following the course recommended by the
gentleman from Nebraska will be to de-
prive the Democratic party of sharing in
the credit of the acquisition of the new
territory. After the treaty reaches the
Senate the Democratic senators will prob
, ably hold a caucus on the subject. From
present indications the caucus will not
take decided stand to oppose the ratifi-
cation of the treaty. Each senator, 1t is
understood, will be left free to act as he
pieases regarding the matter. The pros
pect for the ratification of the treaty be-
I'm rhG uff y,
terially within the past week
Col Bryan's leadership, In the judgment
of some shrewd observers, Is in danger
The next few weeks will, they think, de-
termine the matter one way or the other,
There is said to be quiet movement on
foot to shove Senator Arthur Pue Cor
man, of Maryland, to the front The
Maryland senator has long cherished an
ambition to occupy the presidential chair,
and he is not likely to discourage his
friends from doing what they can in his
behaif- 1t Is, perhaps. rather in the nature
OF JOKE but there are politicians who
actually believe that the proposition is
serious
IF l had been gifted with second sight
or something akin to it," remarked Gen
James S. Clarkson at the Arlington Hotel
last night. II would perhaps be a great
deal better off today in many respects.
When l made up my mind to resign my
position as First Assistant Postmaster
General under the Harrison AdmInistra-
tion President Harrison offered me the
choice of either the Chinese or Japanese
missions. He insisted upon my taking the
former place. and in looking over some of
my papers the other day / discovered a
letter which Gen. Harrison wrote to me
on the subject. If had gone to China at
that time would have been right on the
inside of all of the subsequent transition
which has taken place in the Celestial en-
pire. l certainly could have made connec-
| taons in business way that would have
been invaluable as things have turned out.
But could not. at the time see
any inducement for me to go to
either China or Japan. The salary
of the position was no temptation,
but If | could have foreseen the changes
that We're coming in the orient l should
have accepted President Harrison's offer
1t would have been worth great deal OF
money TO me personally to have been out
of this country during the panic of 1885,
But there Is no use in wasting time in
vain lamentations over what might have
been. There are perhaps. just as fine fish
in the seas as ever have been caught, still
there is some satisfaction to be found
occasionally in going out and kicking
ones self for not possessing a perfectly
developed and regularly working fore
sight"
Gen Clarkson and Senator Quay have
| been associated together on the Repub-
| lican National Committee for good
| many years. 1.-The fight against Quay In
| Pennsylvania" said Clarkson, will
amount to nothing. 1t is merely con-
| spiracy on the part of ring, consisting
| of John Wanamaker and number of
| others of that type that is jealous of
| Quay and his power. The prosecution of
| Quay is largely a bluff. 1t would be
| dropped at any time if Quay would agree
| to retire from politics. | am assured that
a direct proposition to that effect has
| been made to Quay, but of course Quay
| is not the kind of man who can be
| worked by any cheap buff of that nature.
| l do not believe that he cared to return
| to the Senate. and he would in all prob
| ability not have been a candidate for re-
| election if his enemies had remained
! quiet. Quay, however. does not retire
under fire, as he has demonstrated before
l am willing to make the prediction that
4
| ate. but that the case against him in the
| courts will end in a complete fizz,e."
| President McKinley's failure TO an
point an ambassador to London before his
departure on his present Southern tour is
| likely to cause him some embarrassment
When he returns to Washington and
again takes the matter up he will find
the Hon. Whitelaw Reid waiting in his
ante-room, an anxious and insistent can
didate for the vacant ambassadorsfip. Mr..
Reid considers himself. it is said, past
| master in the art of diplomacy As min
lister TO France during the Harrison Ad-
ministration Mr.. Reid secured a revoca-
tion of the edict against the admission of
the American hog into French territory.
This achievement was of sufficient i'm
portance. Mr.. Reid's friends assert. to en-
title him now to the English ambassador
ship, not to mention his services as special
ambassador to Quen Ntctoria's jubilee in
1897 and as member of the Paris Peace
Commission. 1t is, of course, we'll known
that Senator Platt opposes Mr.. Reid's am
bition to be Col. John Hays successor as
ambassador at the Court of st. James
Mr. Reids friends, however, have OBJ
tained copies of letters written by Sena-
tor Piatt to President Harrison recon-
mending his appointment as minister to
Paris in 1889. In these communications
it is said that the New York senator
speaks of Mr.. Reid in the highest terms,
and declares that his appointment "is de-
sired by the entire Republican organiZa-
ton of the State CT New York" Mr.. Reid,