The evening times., 1899-05-06
GENERAL POLITICAL
NEWS AND GOSSIP.

Mr. Payne and the speakership.-
Representative Serene e. Payne, OF New
| York. appears to be confident that the
! Speakership matter has not been settled In
MIR. Sherman's favor. In discussing the
| situation. he said:
Il have good reason to expect to be MT.
Reeds successor. but 1 observe that Mr..
Sherman. who is my most formidable COM
petitor In the East, is also confident OF
being elected Speaker. One Of US must be
| mistaken. Of course, but do not believe
that 1t is myself 1t Is an open fight. The
Western Congressman may combine to
elect some one man, and II they do he
will win. But 1t is too early to predict
what the Western mel are going 10 do
Many members of the House from New
York and other States have told me that
am the logical candidate for Speaker on
account OF my position at the head of the
Ways and Means Committee, my ten years
service on that committee. and my 1ixteen
years service in the House. have good
! many friends in the New York delegation,
! and / think that they will stand by me-
However. the contest will be OF friendly
character. The East, fhi my judgment. Is
is entitled to the Speakership. but sectiona!
lines ought not to enter into the matter.
Gen. Nelson A. Mtles-The report
that General Miles Was to be relieved OF
his position as Major General Commanding
the Army has been revived and army OH
GERS believe that it, has some foundation.
A friend Of General Miles. In commenting
on the matter today said: "Mr. ASger has
been determined to get rid Of Miles ever
: since he became Secretary. Nearly every
move that Alger has made has been made
with that object In view and 1t looks as II
he had finally succeeded. 1t Is true that
Mr.. Mckinley has ordered the report OF
the Beef Court to be toned down. but un-
less 1t gives General Miles a complete vim
dication he will probably himself ask to
be relieved OF the command OF the army.
This will bring matters to focus forth
with. l am advised that the Administra-
tion would prefer. for the sake of appear
ances and to avoid scandal, to have General
Miles retain the nominal command Of the
army. but General Miles will. / believe.
refuse to carry out this programme Gen
eral Merritt has apparently been captured
by the Alger clique. His speech at the
banquet given In Detroit the other day was
4 truly remarkable exhibition. General
Merritt is the man who preferred charges
of cowardice against Alger during the civ
IL war and recommended that he be dis
missed from the service In disgrace. And
yet at the Alger banquet Merritt declared
that Alger was entitled to rank above
Stanton or any OF the great War Secreta-
ries Of the past. General Merritt has un-
doubtedly been promised by Aiger the hon.
or OF being designated as the Major Cen
cral Commanding, but he may discover
that he has paid too high a price for the
distinction. There will be q Presidential
election next year and the American peo-
pie are not all FOOLS
Some Views Of Depew.-Seuator De-
pew has been out West taking observa-
tions. and after much pressure has been
induced to take the public into his conf
dence through an interview. Depew in
terviews are SO rare that they always at
tract attention. Speaking OF the Alger
dinner in Detroit. which he attended. Mr..
Depew said: The dinner was primarily
in honor Of our ancestors, and to prove to
posterity that the stock had not decayed,
but II developed into a glorification of AL
ger. Alger got on his feet and flung def.
ance at all his critics. General Wheeler
arose and said Alger was the greatest war
executive he ever knew. General Merritt
said that Alger surpassed Carnot and STAN
ton as war bureau chiefs. The dinner was
enthusiastic. and was surprised that after
the practically unanimous attacks made
upon Alser by the papers there should
have been no dissenting voice; but there
was none. and he was cheered to the echo.
Michigan IN solidiy behind Alsor He 10
candidate for the Senate, but 1t seems tn
me 1t will be close contest Senator Nc.
MILAN is shrewd man and a powerful
campaigner. and rich. Whatever the re-
suit, 1t is apparent that Michigan believes
IN Alger''
Mr.. Depew pats Hanna on the hack ,a-
fers to him as superb" and says that the
Republican party cannot afford to lose him
Speaking OF Mr.. Bryan Mr. Depew said.
II the convention were tomorrow. 1 think
he would have four-fifths OF the delegates.
There seems to be hardly any opposition
to him outside of New York The glamour
and romance about the man are odd. His
following is a sentimental one. II Bryan
were to come out and say that free silver
at the present time is not feasible for
plausible reasons such as could be given
that under conditions again such as there
were in 1896 free silver would be essential
but that so -and-so and so-and-so were the
issues-his people would follow him blind
iy 1t Is the worship Of the man. More
over, We must not get the idea that Bryan
Is weak candidate. He is far and away
the strongest man the Democrats have.
There Is sentiment that hangs around
him, and he would run strong upon what
ever issues he may make dominant, and
with the added strength Of the sympathetic
vote Of those who naturally feel sorry for
the under dog who made good fight and
was beaten. l think Bryan will be nom
mated again next year, and the platform
will be just whatever he chooses to make
it."
Mr.. Depew was asked II he would vote
for the seating of Senator Quay under pres
ent conditions. He said: II do not think
that State for any reason should be left
unrepresented In the Senate. l. do not
think I would care to make a question of
the individual would rather by vote es-
tablish a rule to govern such cases, and
then act under that rule"