The Portland daily press., 1899-07-15
ROOSEVELT FOR SECOND
PLACE.
Report That MCKINLEY would szsnsl
Use ofHlls Popularity.
(Eoston Transcrlpt.)

Washington, July II. The hurried We
1t Of Governor Roosevelt to this city mst
Saturday still remains subject Of gossip
At first there was general disposition to
credit the reporst that Alger's coquetting
with Pingree had made his further stay
in the cabinet impracticable. and that
Roosevelt had been called 70 Washington
TO receive an invitation to become score
tary Of war. This view was strengthened
BY two circumstances First. the abb
sence Of Alger from the gathering at the
White House In Roosevelt's honor; and
second, by Roosevelt's own refusal to dis
cuss this subject in any form while per-
fectly willing to talk for publication on
some other subjects. On the other hand,
It was noted that Alger was by no means
the only cabinet officer who absented
himself from the evening meeting. which
Yves reilly composed OF men with whom,
as with Secretaries Lcng and Hay, Roose-
welt lad been on terms OF the greatest
intimacy In the past, aud further, that
within little whils the governor has
stated that he had found that the only
way 10 guard absolutely against saying
200 much, or the wrong thing on any
subject, is to keep silent on altogether.
This would amount for his silence on the
war portfolio even II the President mad
merely put out "feeler' towsrd him.
These are some of the negative reasons
tfur discrediting the Alger successorship
story, but there are few OF positive
| chara cter also. Fer example, 1t Is we'll
known that underneath all his personal
regard for Roosevelt the President con-
siders him something cf n firebrand. In
a position where be has free hand and
can take sole responsibility for his con-
duct, he shows to the best advantage.
differing Judgments his combative traits,
his absolute convictions and his irrepres-
sible energy make him q hard quantity
with which TO reckon. The Presidents
would prefer on many grounds 10 have
| abcut him either the sort of men who
Will try to reconcile their opinions with
those OF their associates, or IL they still
sling to their independent views after
opposition will simply stand aside when
they bnd themselves outvoted. Again.
the President knows that Roosevelt re-
CARDS the governorship of New York as
en- fife 10 much higher than any thing
the cabinet has to offer that such a TRIMS
seem to him like step backward In his
career. But there Is a good deal OF
ground for supposing that the President
my ke making overtures to Roosevelt
with view to having him in the second
place on the national ticket in 1900
MIR. Hobart is III. He Is kept In the fore.
ground as candidate. not with any as
surance that he will run when the time
comes, but in the hope of frightening of
sundry other men whore aspirations
might embarrass the Mckinley mama
gers. The statement IN the dispatches
the other day that Roosevelt is the legatea
of the Mckinley interest for 1904 was
made on authoritative information. The
Presidents idea may be now to have HIM
go into training. as IL were. through the
vice presidency, as some of the earle r
presidents did. and meanwhile to get the
benefit of bis personal popularity and his
record as governor to help pull the tick :
ct through in 1900.
10 return to Alger, 1t may be stated
on good authority that he had a talk
with the President only few days ago
atcut The demands of so many Adminis-
tration newspapers for his resignation,
and that the President told him TO give
1t no further thought. Whether this an
swer was indication OF the Presidents
real desire or only polite way OF dismiss
sing the subject and leaving AIger to
hand In his resignation voluntarily, no.
body knows, but there are many guesses.
LINCOLN.