The evening times., 1898-12-27
GENERAL POLITICAL GOSSIP.

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Levy and Lewis to COmbine.-
There is talk going on in the inner po-
litical circles of partnership being form
ed between Representative elect Jefferson
NJ Levy of New York and James Hamil-
ton Lewis, of the State of Washington.
MIR. Lewis was not reelected last fall,
and he will be out of public employment
after March 4. Mr.. Levy, it will be re-
called, decided the morning after the cleo
tion in November that the Democratic
party needed a new leader on the floor of
the House at Washington. 1t did not take
him long after that to make up his mind
that JEFF Levy was just the man for the
position. He accordingly made the proper
announcement of his selection as leader
in place of the Hpn. Joe Bailey. Since
Mr.. Levy has taken charge of the Demo-
cratic party he has heen amazed at the
amount of work there was for him to do.
His correspondence has increased very
rapidly, and he has felt the need of an
able assistant who can advise with him
on constitutional and other matters of
grave import such las; leaders are c0Itin-
ually having to wrestle with. 1t is not
surprising that his choice fell on Mr..
Lewis. The latten who has just reached
Washington from his home in Seattle, is
understood to have accepted Levy's Of
fer. 1t is said that no SALARY is attached
to the position. Mr. Lewis will get his
compensation in the glory Of being asso-
ciated with Levy. 1t is stated. however,
that Mr.. Lewis has been promised by his
new chief the second place on the national
ticket in 1900, along with an Eastern gold
bug Democrat.
Roosevelt and the PIatt Machine
Gov.-elect Roosevelt will move on to AL
bany on Friday and take formal possession
of the State executive mansion on Satur-
day. His inaugural address has been fin-
ished, and while Senator Platt and the
leaders of the Republican organization in
the Empire State have been permitted to
see it they have not been allowed to change
or alter line OF the document. This is
most extraordinary departure on the part
of Mr.. Roosevelt, but ii is only what might
have been expected. The greatest reform,
if ii can be called by that name, that
Roosevelt has wrought up TO date is the
abolishing of Platt's Sunday school, which
Has USeu IutStIAS ieSuiaiis SsNis
day afternoon at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in
New York during the sessions of the legis-
lature at Albany for a good many years.
All of the leaders from the governor down
were required to attend and receive in
structions to govern their conduct during
the week. No excuses were accepted, and
the discipline maintained by Teacher Piatt
was most excellent. But MIR. Roosevelt
has broken up this school, or, TO be little
Ia has dismissed the old tahcn-
er and ordered the class to assemble at
Albany where Roosevelt will of course be
in the chair and give out the lessons. 1t
will be interesting to observe whether Mr..
Platt will prove 10 be as apt pupil as he
was teacher Time will show.
Talk of an Extra Session.-During
the past week there has been a renewal
of the talk about an extra session of the
Fifty-Sixth Congress. The Administration
it is said is coming around to the point
where it believes that an extra session is
desirable and can hardly be avoided. 1t
appears now that there is likely to be more
opposition to the army bill than was at first
anticipated. This will take up time that
should be given TO other matters. Senator
Hanna has given it as his opinion all along
that there would be an extra session.
The House. said a close friend of
Senator Hanna today. has made good
progress with the regular appropriation
bills, but it has not tackled anything as
yet out of the routine character. There
will be, from present indications, hlibus-
tering against the army bill in the House.
and all hands are not agreed on the Ha-
waiian legislation proposed or what is best
la ln,,a h.. ~
nal Mr.. Reed can, of course, stifie oppo-
sition If he wishes 10 do so. but, on the
other hand, he can also let the opposition
have full swing ii he so elects No one
knows positively just what his attitude is
going TO be. Last winter he said that he
was in favor of the Nicaragua Canal but
he did not wish the Mckinley Administra-
tion TO have the credit of constructing it,
Unless he has changed his mind it will be
almost impossible to get the Nicaragua Ca
nal bill through the House before the ex-
piration of the present Congress on
March 4.
But even if Mr.. Reed promises to be
good and lives up to his pledge | do not
see how we can get all the important mat
ters that are pending through the Senate
in the few weeks remaining to this sas-
sion. There is no power TO shut off de-
bate in the Senate, even If cloture rule
IS proposed as Senator Chandler threatens,
it will have TO be debated just as long as
any Senator cares TO talk about il and
that would be for six months or more. a
determined minority in the Senate can
prevent any important action by the Sem
ate at this session. even a vote on the
ratification of the Treaty. / think an ex-
ira session will be advisable for many
reasons. 1t will give more time to the
study and consideration of important
questions that ought not to be settled off
hand. Then it will be better TO have all
of this expansion business disposed of and
out of the way before the Presidential
campaign Of 1900 opens