The evening times., 1899-01-06
GENERAL POLITICAL GOSSIP

| MIR. Choate and Mr.. Reid.-The
| friends of Joseph H. Choate, of New York.
were disappointed because his name was
net sent to the Senate yesterday to be am
| bassador to England. Every days delay
! in the announcement of the official ap-
| pointment Is full of danger, they say, to
Mr.. Choate, particularly as Mr.. Whitelaw
| Reid is in the city and has got the ear of
Secretary Hay. AS has been mentioned,
Mr.. Reid would like to go to London in
| the capacity of ambassador from the Uni
ted States, himself, and Secretary Hay is
understood to be very friendly to Reid s
aspirations. The friends Of MIR. Choate
| will feel more comfortabl when the New
York lawyer has got his commission but
toned up tightly in his inside pocket.
They are remindful of the fact that there
is many slip betwixt the cup and the
| lip"
| West Vfrginia's Senatorial Fight.
The struggle for Senator Charles j.
| Faulkner's seat in West Virginia will
| open next week in earnest; in fact, it has
been ON for some little time. There is
| every indication of a most interesting and
exciting contest. as the legislature is al
| most tie on joint ballot. Neither side is
likely to have more than a majority of
| one or two on joint ballot after all of the
| contested seat cases are disposed CT.
| Upon the surface of things the Repubii-
| cans appear to have a slight advantage
| over their Democratic opponents.
| Commissioner of Internal Revenue
| Scott left for West Virginia today to take
| charge of his own canvass for the Sena-
torship. He is said to have the hacking
| OF Senator Stephen b. Eikins. Senator
| Elkins' father-in-law former Senator
| Henry G. Davis would like to succeed
Mr.. Faulkner, and it is said by persons
who are conversant with the situation in
West Virginia that Mr.. Davis holds the
| balance OF power in the legislature. Mr.
Davis is nominally Democrat but his re-
lations with Mr.. Elkins renders him open
| to suspicion. Years ago MIR. Elkins used
| to be known as Mr.. Davis SON in law
| Today Mr.. Davis is spoken of as MIR. Ell
| kins' father in-law.
One of the charges made against Mr.. Da-
Wis Democracy is that he assisted to de-
feat Hon. John T. McGraw. in the Second
Congressional district or West Virginia,
last fall. Mr.. Davis is self made man.
He was once brakeman on the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad. 1t is related of him
that shortly after he took his seat in the
Senate he was awakened from a nap by a
loud blast from Senator Thurman's Roman
nose. Springing to his feet Mr.. Davis. il
| is said, began to go through the motions
with MS arms OF man putting on brakes.
The explanation was that he had mistaken
Judge Thurman's trumpet call for a rail-
road signal for down brakes!
Is Mr.. Mckinley Against Quay:-
Friends of Senator Quay strongly suspect,
| 1t is said, that the Washington Admins
tfation is taking hand in the Senatorial
| fight in Pennsylvania, and that it's infiu-
ence is being exerted quietly to retire the
Beaver statesman 10 private life. Post
master General Charles Emory Smith is
known 10 be an anti-Quay man at heart
He has penned a great many strong edi-
torials in the past exposing the evils of
Quayism. When Mr.. Smith was appointed
to the Cabinet, however, Mr. Quay gen.
erously moved for his confirmation in the
Senate, and it was assumed that there
! had been some understanding" between
Quay and Smith on the subject. IL Mr.
Smith is working against Quay now he is
covering up his tracks very well.
1T looks said a Pennsylvania who
| returned from Harrisburg today, as IL
Quay were on the down grade. He is a
| resourceful man and has extricated him
| self from a good many tight places before
servative observers today is that Mr.
| Quay's star has set and that he is at the
! end Of his rope. Ii he does not win right
on the reel when the legislature begins
balloting for Senator on January II, it
will be a safe bet that he will not be
elected
Commissioner Proctor Indorses
ho"seEeit.-The remarks of Gov, Roose-
Welt, of New York, anent civil service re-
form. have aroused the particular interest
of the Civil Service Commission here. of
which the governor was member for a
number OF years.
Said John r. Proctor, president of the
Commission: Roosevelt has been con-
sistent in his stand on civil service re-
form ever since he left the Commission
His attack on the New York State civil
service law is entirely justifable The
New oIrk law is fraud. 1t does not in
any particular manner prevent an appoint
ment based upon nothing more than per-
sonal or political preferment.
Roosevelt and Woman SuTrage.-
Governor Roosevelt in his message to
the New York legislature recommends
giving women the ballot under certain re-
strictions. He says that he is in favor of
gradually admitting women TO the full
rights Of suffrage with men. He believes
that it would improve the condition of
womankind and would make in the in
terest of good government. Some psop'e
will see in this another bid by Roosevelt
for popularity. Woman suffrage, how