The times., 1898-12-26
GENERAL POLITICAL GOSSIP.


Making IA Place for Reid.-The
President has been giving considerable at
tention of late TO providing place for
Whitelaw Reid. The trouble has not been
an unwillingness on the part of the dis
tinguished NSw York editor to accept
post under Mr. McKinley's Admnistra-
ton. Mr.. Reid pas 1t is well known, has
everything In sight from Secretary of
State down evef since the beginning of
Mr.. McK.nley's present term. But what
is bothering Mr.. Mckinley and keeping
him awake o nights, perhaps, is TO find
some Office for Reid that will be declared
by an Overwhelming majority OF the
American people to be just the place for
him. 1t is said that the President had be-
gun TO despair of ever being able To ind
such a position when the happy thought
struck him of appealing to Senator
Thomas {. Platt to help him out. Mr..
Platt does not like Mr.. Reid. although at
one time he had charge OF the circulation
department of Mr.. Reid's newspaper. Per-
haps the strain on his conscience In pre-,
pairing circulation afiidavits may have
been the basis of MIR. Platts dislike. but
the fact remains that II exists, and Is cor
daily reciprocated. But for Mr.. Platt.
Mr.. Reid today might be either Secretary
of State or ambassador to England. Still
Mr.. Plat sometimes forgives his enemies
as has been demonstrated in his support
of Depew for the Senate and Mr.. Choate
for ambassador at London; so, when the
President invoked his aid to help dispose
of Reid. he did not hold back. Since the
Government has decided to seize Wake ISL
and, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean,
for cable station, Mr. Platt thinks that
Mr.. Reid Is just the man to be its gov
ernor and ii is understood that he has
guaranteed the prompt confirmation OF
Mr.. Reid for that post.
Facts About Wake IsInnd.-Wake
Island is a coral formation from three to
five miles long. dependent somewhat upon
| the state of the tide. and about half mile
wide. In its center is small salt lake,
affording excellent facilities for yachting
parties The numerous attractions of
Wake Island have not appealed TO the ma
| ttons of the world, as no country had put
| In a claim to il. 1t Is uninhabited, but
| that should be no drawback TO Mr.. Reid.
| When it becomes generally known that
he is 10 become its governor general the
public viii probably rush there en- masse.
! An old navigator states that the island is
only about six feet above the level of the
| sea, and during severe storm it might
be entirely submerged. However. Mr. Reid
could build a tall tower to take refuge
| in in case of such accidents, and from this
safe retreat he could continue TO cable
advice TO the Pfesident-that is after the
cable line has been finished. If Mr.. Reid
| refuses TO go to Wake Island 1t is under
stood that Mr.. Mckinley. with Senator
Platts consent. will offer him the gov
ernorship OF Guam Island. If he spurns
both offers, the chances are that Mr.. Reid
will be compelled TO remain in private life
during the ramafrder of MIR. McHiiniey's
term. The President and Mr.. Platt will
feel that they have done everything within
| reason to crafty Mr.. Reid's vaulting am
| bition.
Representative COchran's UmbreI-
Ia.-Representative Cochran of Missouri
never goes out without an umbrella Be
fore he came to Washington he read In
a newspaper statement that the proper
equipment for man at the Nations
I Capital at all seasons was an overcoat.
a fan and an umbrella. He has discarded
! the fan for the present, but sticks 10
| the overcoat and umbrella-psrticularly
the latter. The day before Congress adj
| journed for Its holiday recess Mr. Ccch-
ran had occasion TO visit the Senate. He
had his umbrella with him and upon
leaving the Senate Chamber to return TO
| the House he carefully raised IL and
| marched with a stately tread down the
! corridor. 1t was several minutes before
| he discovered that IL was not raining
| inside of the Capitol building. Mr.. Coch-
rams friends say that he is quite absent
minded.
IL VIII BE senator Depcw.--An
doubt about the election of DIR. Chauncey
| NJ Depew TO succeed the Hon. Edward
| Murphy, jr.. In the Senate from New
| York has been removed. Senator Platt
| has given the word that Depew is to be
| the man. and that settled it. All of the
| gentlemen who had imagined that the
| senatorial lightning might strike in their
| direction took the hint and promptly
| withdrew. From the present indications
Mr. Depew will have no opposition in
| the Republican caucus in Albany next
month. The program is 10 nominate
and elect him by acclamation. When Mr..
| Depew becomes full fledged senator
| one of the great ambitions of his life
| time will have been realized. Mr.. Depew
| makes no concealment of the fact that
| in his judgment his political career has
| only just begun. The only thing he says
that has kept him out of the White
| House In the past has been his being
| Identified with great railroad corpora
| ton. He believes, however that
when he relieves himself of his railroad
| connections that it will be almost impossi-
BILE to keep the people from taking him
up. and electing him President. Mr. De-
pew may not think it best to interfere
| with McKinley's prospects in 1860. but it
is quite certain from present indications
that he is firmly convinced that his time
| will come In 1894.
Senator BurrOws's Hard Fight
There is new Richmond in the field
against Senator Julius Caesar Burrows, of
Michigan. His name is Irish. and he is
the colonel of the Tnirty-fifth Michigan
Volunteers, alt present stationed at Au-
gusta. Ga. Col. irish lives in Kalamazoo
Senator Burrows's home, and 1t is expect
ed that ne will draw support directly from
the Burrows ranks. The tactics of the
Pingree anti-Burrows people seems to be
TO get as many favorite sons in the field
as possible in order to undermine Bur-
rows's strength. 1t Is conceded now that
Senator Burrows has not got enough
..iron-clad'' votes to his credit TO insure
his election but at the same time unless
his opponents are able finally to concen-
trate on some one man. the chances are
more than even that Senator Burrows will
win Representative " illiam Alden Smith
of Grand Rapids has declined to formally
enter the race against Burrows, but his
friends believe that he will ultimately fig
ure in the contest. 1t is charged that Mr.
Smith is keeping out of the fight at this
stage with the hope of becoming Bur
rows's residuary legatee later on. In this