Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-12-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
TOM OUT hegulaI COfTtsp0uutHt.F
WASHINGTON, Dec 25th, 1gs

4
WASHINGTON, Dec 25th, 1899
The most notable thing about the pres
eDt attitude of the Hanua-McKinley ma
chine is its apparent reck lessness in arrang-
ing for legislation that will result in the
extravagant expenditure of public money,
They seem to take it for granted that the
people are too dazed to see through their
schemes, one of the most costly of which
is the ship-subsidy job, which is to be
started with an appropriation of 100000
600, TO be disbursed in ten years. This
Job was endorsed by Mr.. Mckinley in his
message, and by the Republican National
Committee at its recent meeting and it is
to push it along that Assistant Postmaster
General Perry Heath, and Comptroller OF
Currency Dawes have been selected so long
| in advance of the campaign, and in abso-
Lutte defiance of the Civil Service law, TO
prepare literature to be distributed by the
National Committee. The principal duty
of this Republican literary bureau for
several months will be to try and fill Re-
publican papers with demands for the
passage of the ship-subsidy bill by Con-
gress, in order that the weak kneed Re-
publieans in Congress, who are disposed to
balk on this subsidy business, may be
made to believe that the press of their
party is demanding the legislation. II this
job goes through Congress, and is signed by
Mr.. Mckinley, it ought TO and probably
will, make thousands of Democratic votes
in the Presidential campaign. And that
isn't the only contemplated job. 10 fact,
it looks as though the Hanna Mckinley
machine, in its recklessness TO spend pub
lie money in the interest of its favored sup
porters, would furnish frst-class lot of
vote making Democratic campaign ma
terial.
Boss Platt has already half won his fight
against Secretary Root as the nominee for
Vice President on the Mckinley ticket, as
Boss Hanna has publicly said that there
was no disposition to force Mr. Root on the
ticket, if he was not acceptable to the New
York delegation. But Platt is not to have
everything his own way, and it is prac-
tically certain that be will not be able to
get his man, Timothy Woodruff, on the
ticket. Hanna played strong anti latt
card when he got boom started for Cor
nelius Bliss, who was Mr.. McKinley's first
Secretary of the Interior, and who is every
bit as Objectionable to Platt as Root. And
he dropped hint for Plat when he said
that if New York wanted the second place
on the ticket, it would have to present
united delegation at the Convention /;
otherwise the nomination would go to some
other state. Already Attorney General
Griggs has a miniature boom.
That Mckinley does not regard his re-
election as an assured thing may be judged
from the fact that he has already partially
made arrangements for an across-the-conti-
nent stumping tour, similar to the one be
made last Fall. The excuse is to be the
launching of the battleship Ohio, at San
Francisco. which is to take place some time
in September or October. Mr.. Mckinley
will attend the launching on a special train
going by one route and returning by
another, and will make rear platform
speeches wherever the party managers may
consider them necessary. Similar trips
are to be made to the New England states,
all of which shows that Mr.. Mckinley
isn't expecting the walk-over that less
shrewd members of his party are predict
ing,
Subscriptions to the fund that is being
raised for the widow and children of Gen
Lawton, who was killed in the Philippines,
are coming in quite rapidly. The total
now exceeds $1l ,000
Lie ADMINISTRATION las ACluoCO " OA0SA
Gen. Wheeler either to remain in the
Philippines, where he is said to be much
dissatisfied with the command given him
by Otis, or to get Mr.. Mckinley to drop
hint on the subject and that is the sort of a
hint he got. II General Wheeler returns,
he will have to resign his commission as
Brigadier General of Volunteers.
Senator Marion Butler, Chairman of the
National Peoples party Committee, has
sent circular letter to each member OF
that committee, asking for their views as
to holding National Convention to nomi-
nate Presidential ticket. He thinks a
convention will be held and that it will
nominate Col. Bryan. Speaking of the
convention, Senator Allen, of Nebraska,
who is member OF the National Com
mittee, said it made no difference whether
the Convention was held before or after
the Democratic convention, because it was
already settled that Col Bryan would be
nominated by both conventions. Senator
Allen says the Bryan electors will carry
Nebraska by $4,000 majority.