The times., 1898-10-26
GENERAL POLITICAL GOSSIP.

GENERAL POLITICAL GOSSIP.
The demoralized condition of the Re-
| plainly revealed in a letter written by
Chairman Babcock, of the Republican
| Congressional Committee, to Senator
Penrose. The latter has been making
use of the letter on his stumping tour,
with the hope Of bringing the anti-Quay
Republicans back into line by showing
that the national Administration is vi
tally concerned in the outcome of the
| Pennsylvania contest Mr. Babcock's let
| ter is as follows:
My Dear Senator: You are doubt aware
| that this committee is making IN active cam
| paign to elect a Republican majority in the next
| House. We find no difficulties anywhere so Tar as
| national ISSUES are concerned, but our danger
| arises entirely from overconhdence and local
| party differences.
l am advised that there q number OF dis-
tricts in your State in which there is great dam
| ger TO the Republican nominees, and write you
this letter to call your attention 10 the situation
| Of all the States III the Union, Pennsy syiVanla
ought 10 stand by the Republican party and the
present Administration and not permit local fric-
ton and indifference TO rob us OF iour or hVe
members of Congress, and l wish you would en-
pubicans in these doubtful districts and endeaVor
to show them the great disaster that 1t Would
be TO the Republican party and the nation II the
free silver Democrats or Populists should CON
troll the next House.
1t will entirely block the Administrations
policy so far the settlement OF the war
measures is concerned; it viii paralyze business
interests and open again the question OF the
free coinage of silver. 1 believe that the results
on November viii have a greater bearing on
the prosperity and general advancement OF the
nation than any other Congressional election held
in the last fifty years. Yours very truly,
j. W. BABCoCK, Chairman.
Mr.. Babcock's letter was evidently
written at the request or suggestion of
Senator Penrose but 1t is not believed
that Mr. Babcock expected that IL would
be made public. He probably understood
that ii was to be used for private cir
culation only. The publication of the let
ter may be of some benefit to Senator
Quay in his life and death struggle, bug
it will hardly serve to save the doubtful
Congressional districts in the State to the
Republican party, as 1t disclOses the
weakness of the Republican situation
and will stimulate the Democrats to re-
double their efforts. The opinion in Ad-
ministration circles in Washington is that
Senator Penrose has played the President
and Chairman Babcock a very shabby
trick by making public what was OBJ
viously intended te be a confidential COM
munication. The loss of eight or ten
Republican representatives in Pennsyl-
vania will be likely to seriously Interfere
with Senator Hanna's arrangements look
ing 10 the control of the next House.
Senator Quay and his friends will no
doubt seek to make political capital out
of the Presidents presence in Phila-
delphia this week, but they will not, it is
said. be able totext-act any comfort out
of Mr.. McKinley's jubilee address Post
master Generals Charles Emory Smith
VIII be at the Presidents elbow and Mr.
Smith mas beenia Conspicuous anti-Quay
man for a good many years The Presi-
dent will not be permitted to eulosize
Mr.. Quay if Mr.isnlth can help it.
Gov. Black, of New York, is showing
his resentment for not being renominated
in number of ways. He made a tender
Of his services to stump the State shortly
after Col. Roosevelt was nominated. but
it transpired that ii was loaded down
with a condition which has made it al
most impossible for the Roosevelt mana
gers to accept The condition was that
the governor should be allowed to sound
the praises OF MS own administration and
incidentally defend MS course in the canal
scandals. A strong effort has been made
TO persuade Gov. Black to consent to
make few speeches on strictly ma
tiona! issues" but it has not met with
any success. Gov. Black points to the
plank in the Saratoga platform which
commends the wise statesmanlike and
economical administration OF Gov
Black" and wants TO know why he
should be debarred from discussing that
subject upon the platform. The indica-
tions are that Gov. Blacks voice will not
be heard on the hustings in the present
campaign.
Gov. Blacks most serious blow, how
ever. to the Roosevelt combination was
in refusing the other day to call a special
grand jury to meet in New York to pass
upon alleged registration frauds. Mr. Nc
Cullagh, the State superintendent of cleo
tions. who was appointed under a special
act passed at an extra session of the New
York Legislature, last Summer to safe
guard the interests of the G. o. p. in
New York City, made a trip to Albany
for the express purpose of inducing Gov
Black to lend helping hand by summon
ing special grand jury. He poured into
the governors ears long tale of woe
the point of which was that there had
been hundreds and thousands of cases of
Illegal registration in New York City;
that unless the governor appointed the
special grand jury requested It would be
impossible to bring the guilty parties to
justice. Gov. Black received Mr.. McCul-
lagh's appeal coldly He asked the su-
perintendent to furnish proofs of his al
legations, and added that until these We're
forthcoming he would not feel justified
in taking any action in the premises. The
existing laws, the governor is reported to
have said, were sufficient to prevent any
ordinary violations of the election law
Mr.. McCullagh returned to New York
very much crestfallen He reported to
the managers at Republican headquarters
that Gov. Black did not seem to care
whether Col. Roosevelt was elected or
not. And this is probably not far from
the truth With Col Roosevelt elected
Gov. Black will retire into permanent DO
litical oblivion, but If Judge Van Wyck
wins there may vet be a future in store
for the Troy statesman.
The so-called race war reported from
North Carolina is likely to cut some figure
in the election in the Tar Heel State. The
Republicans charge that 1t was brought
on by the Democrats for the purpose of
intimidating the coored voters but this
is emphatically denied. North Carolina is
one of the few Southern States where no
discrimination is shown toward. the col
ored man in the matter of his voting: he
stands on the same footing practically as
he w S.ata tor