The evening times., 1899-01-05
GENERAL POLITICAL GOSSIP

Having decided definitely to appoint the
Hon. Joseph H. Choate as ambassador to
England, Mr.. Mckinley is now understood
to be giving his attention to the selection
of successor to Ambassador Hitchcock at
st. Petersburg Mr.. Hitchcock is making
preparations to 1eave the Russian capital,
and he is expected to reach Washington
within the nexttwo weeks. Until his sue
cessor arrives in st. Petersburg the en-
bassy will remain in charge of the first
secretary. There are no very important
matters pending between this country and
Russia at the present moment, but the
President is anxious to fill the vacancy as
soon as possible He THINKS that it is par
! ticularly important to have an able and
experienced man to represent this country
| in Russia, in view of our new interests in
! the Orient. We have always had the
friendship of Russia, and the administra-
| ton is very desirous of keeping it, as with
| it our difficulties in establishing a stable
government in the Philippines will be
! greatly facilitated.
| 1t is stated that the President has drop
! ped the name of former Governor Mer
| riam, Of Minnesota from his list of possi
BILE successors to Ambassador Hitchcock.
/ MIR. Merriam was regarded as a hot favor
| tie few days ago, but the protest of SEN
! ator Cushman X. Davis the chairman of
| the Foreign Relations Committee, was
| sufficient to put an end to his prospects.
| There is a bitter personal feud between
| Davis and Merriam, growing out of a So
| cial war between their respective wives.
| AS chairman of the Foreign Relations
| Committee it would be a comparatively
easy matter for Senator Davis to defeat
! the confirmation of Merriam, especially in
view of the fact that Davis has just been
renominated unanimously for another
! term Of six years.
1t is said today that the President is
seriously thinking of rendering the post
OF ambassador 70 Russia to the Hon. John
! W. Foster OF Indiana. Mr.. Foster has
! lCng been classed by his friends as the
only real diplomat" in the United States.
! He has been Secretary of State, minister
! To Mexico. Spain and Russia. He has also
| served frequently as a member of numar-
/ GUS joint high commissions. Mr.. Foster
was called in by China to help her mo ke
a treaty OF peace with Japan. His fee IN
this instance was said TO be $lGO 600 in
addition to his expenses. Mr.. Foster re-
sides in Washington and at the present
| moment is laid up with a severe attack
OF the prevailing malady. the grip.
Senator Hale's Easy Victory.-After
all the talk of opposition to the reelection
OF Senator Eugene Hale, OF Maine It failed
10 materiaIze at the critical moment and
Mr.. Hale was nominated in the Republican
caucus at Augusta yesterday by acclama-
ton. Mr.. Hale frankly told the members
of the legislature that he was opposed to
the policy of expansion and should vote
against the ratification of the Treaty of
Peace. Apparently Senator Hales hearers
did not agree with his sentiments on these
| subjects as they cheered every mention OF
the name of Dewey Senator Frye. and
President Mckinley. But they voted just
the same TO give him six more years in tn
United States Senate.
One explanation of Senator Hales easy
victory is that it was due to the settled
policy of most OF the New England States
not TO change their Representatives and
! Senators any oftener than absolutely nee
essary. BY keeping their men in Washing
/ ton they have discovered that their infiu-
ence increases with each additional year OF
service. They get better committee places
than the hew men and consequently the
New England States have larger share in
shaping legislation in both houses than
New York, and many of the more populous
States where the rotation system in off ice
is in vogue.
senator Burrows and Governor
PinGrec.-The unanimous denomination OF
Senator Julius Caesar Burrows by the Re-
publican caucus at Lansing yesterday was
somewhat unexpected. The friends OF the
Michigan Senator were confident that he
would win, but they anticipated that he
would have hard tight in view OF the
vigorous opposition TO him of Gov Hazen
5. Pingree. Gov. Pingree has dominated
the Republican party in the Wolverine
State for good many years. He was re-
nominated last fall by reclamation and
carried the State in November BY the Iarg-
est majority ever given TO d candidate for
governor in Michigan Pingree made a
dead set against Burrows over q year ago
He announced from the stump the ros-
tTum and every conceivable place that
that man Burrows would never get back
10 the Senate Burrows election under
the circumstances viii be a sad blow to
Pngrees prestige. II Will probably be the
beginning Of the end of Gov. Pingree as a
political factor, as Senator Burrows friends
state that they intend to go ahead and
smash Pingree and Pingreeism into small
fragments. However, Gov. Pingree still
has two years ahead of him as governor
and he may yet make some trouble for the
Republican statesmen. II is said that the
Administration at Washington gave Sen
ator Burrows helping hand in his fight.