The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-10-27
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Oct. "a, 1903.

WASHINGTON, Oct. "a, 1903.
Next to Doodle, Boss Hanna
rates Mr.. Mckinley as a Republi-
can vote-getter in the present CAM
paign. Consequently, he has de-
cided that Mr.. Mckinley shall take
a swing through the East, in order
to arouse the voters in that section.
Like the western trip, the eastern
trip is to be scheduled as strictly
non-partisan, but that did not pre-
vent Mr.. Mckinley begging sup
port for the administration in al
most every speech he made, and it
will not prevent him doing the
same thing in the East. 1t may
be possible, of course, that Mr..
Mckinley has made votes fo- his
party among the crowds that have
turned out to greet him on his trip
to and from Omaha, but, judging
from the effect of similar trips by
other Presidents, it is not probable.
There are number of good reasons
for crowds turning out to see the
President, entirely aside from polit-
ical considerations-respectf for his
official position, admiration of his
personal qualities, and last, but by
no means least, idle curiosity. That
all of these reasons added to the
number of persons who turned out
to see Mr.. Mckinley in the West is
certain, and it is equally certain,
that they will do the same in the
East but there is nothing in the
sight to show that the whole busi-
ness will enable the Republicans to
carry single Congressional dis
trict that they would not have car
ried had Mr.. Mckinley remained
in Washington and attended to his
duties.
Democratic expectation of wrest-
ing the control of the House away
from the Republicans is not based
upon visionary hopes, but upon fig
ures carefully prepared to show how
each Congressional district in the
country will vote OH the 9Th of No
vernber. According to those fig
ures, there are sixty one districts
which may go either way by very
small majorities. An attache of
the Democratic Congressional Cam
paign Committee, who came within
three of estimating the result of the
Congressional election of 90, esti-
mates that 4I of these doubtful dis
tricts will be carried by the Repub-
1icans, and 20 by the Democrats.
Should this estimate, which is ultra
conservative, turn out to be correct,
the next House would contain 40
Republicans and 1877 Anti-Republi-
cans, Democrats ard Popul;sts COM
bined. This estimate leaves out
conditions in Pennsylvania and
New York, which may result in
sending the Anti-Republican ma
jority as high as 40, because those
conditions are contingent, and may
be changed before election.
Secretary Alger received a hurry
call from Pingree, and has gone to
Michigan to see what he can do to
save the Republicans of the State
from the defeat which Pingree fears
they are going to get.
The War Department is still ex-
tending all the protection it can to
officers appointed from civil life,
who are under suspicion or who
have been proven to be inefficient
or negligent. Advantage was taken
of the absence of Mr.. Mckinley,
who held up similar order several
weeks ago, to order the honorable
discharge from the service of Lieut..
Col. Rush Huidekoper, the horse
doctor, who was chief surgeon at
Camp Thomas, Chickamauga Park,
and whose administration of medi-
cal affairs in that camp was so
openly criticised by officers and
men. 1t was believed to have been
Mr.. McKinley's intention, when he
prevented this mans honorable dis
charge, that he should appear before
the Dodge Commission. Why he
did not, is probably known to Sec
retary Alger and other War De-
partment officials, if not to MIR.
Mckinley. Capt. James G. Blaine,
the young man who made such dis
graceful exhibitions of himself and
his jags at Honolulu and at Manila
that he was ordered home, turned