The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-12
POLITICAL NOTES AND GOSSIP.
Important Republican Admission.

Inc experienced ana skiiliui hepuOlcal
editor of the New York Tribune" ha
stirred up something very akin to cons.er
nation in the inner circles of his part,
| management by giving the deiibe-at,
opinion that the great battles of this year
| campaign are to be fought In the States o
| New York, Ohio. Illinois. Indiana, Ken
lucky Maryland, Minnesota. and Michigan
| His Judgment is somewhat at variance W Il
the best judgment among the Democrats
whicE at present Is that the battle grounc
will be in Illinois. Indiana. Wisconsin. Min.
nesota. and Ohio On the whole, there ore
| there is much comforting assurance tc
Democrats in the statement OF the New
York Republican editor. He foots up 8
; total of 1i2 electoral votes that are doubt
full. while conservative Democratic esti-
mates place only - votes in doubt, or the
States of Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana. NJ n
nesota, and Ohio. In his doubtful column
he puts Kentucky and Maryland, which
Democrats generally believe to b. as safe
this year as they ever were. But he adds
New York and Michigan to the doubtful list
also, two States which few Democrats yet
appear to be hopeful of carrying for Bryan
and Stevenson. However. they are willing
to concede to the editor superior judgment
as to New York at this stage of the cam
is wavering. there can be no question as 10
the final outcome in that State. That is to
say. If the Republican organization there is
no: sufficiently strong to hold tie Lines
steady in the preliminary skirmish. and il
the party spirit is not stiff enough to brace
up the rank and file with confidence for the
heroic struggle ahead it must be that de-
moralization and disintegration alrea dy
have begun their work. II New York is
doubtful now, Illinois and Ohio both can be
lost to Bryan without necessarily looming
him to defeat. for certainly the causes OPP
Grating to make the issue dubious in the
Empire State also are operating in Michi-
gan and Minnesota.
Where Is ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Of
estimates. what has become Of Mr.. Hanna's
greatest CT prophets and most rapid light
ming calculator. the Hon. Charles Henry
Grosvenor. of Athens? Not since he de-
nounced the Philadelphia platform as
'drivel." and its author. the Hon. LemueI
Ely Quigg. as ''driveler," has the coun-
try heard anything of or from Grosvenor.
Many person hereabouts naturally is
growing uneasy lest some bad luck has
befallen Grosvenor clouding his prophetic
vision and destroying his marvellous gift
as lightning calculator II is recalled
that not since the eve Of the Philadelphia
has General Grosyenor con-
tributsd to the gayety Of nations by care
fully figuring out Mr.. McKinley's triumph
ant re- election. In that estimate he placed
Maryland in the doubtful column, whereat
the mighty Hanna frowned and all the
world was dark to Grosvenor for more than
a week. Indeed. if babbling rumor. which
always is busy with the names OF great
men like Grosvenor is to be believed. Mr..
Hanna called bis lightning calculator to
task severely for classifying Maryland as
Mr.. Hanna is going to claim
Maryland until the votes are counted. He
told General Grosvenor that this was his
intention, and ever since learning this
General Grosyenor has been putting Mary
land in the Republican column ar de-
as a fake the estimate which got
him into trouble with Hanna.
Colonel Wetmore's "ThnnL Offer
after the adjourn
ment of the Kansas City Convention the
Hon. Moses Corydon Wetmore. the St
St Louis tobacco magnate. author of Star
Plug Wetmore's Best, and other poetical
that delight the souls Of con-
noisseurs. handed to Chairman Jones a
X,
ever since been the subject of much spec
ulation. All Colonel Wetmore has ever
said about it was that 1t was mere
thank Offering and not his contribution
10 the campaign fund. 1t is known that
the check was in five figures, and 1t has
been learned from a reliable source that /,
The amount called for by the check was
,niy $4,000. A close friend OF Colonel
Wetmore explained that he gave this sum
% Chairman Jones at the time stated |
% meet certain obligations of the National |
Committee that We're pressing for settle |
nent and also to enable leading members /
If the committee who were too poor to pay |
heir own expenses, or at least to afford |
he cost to make necessary trips to vari- |
JUS parts of the country in the interest of
he party 1t is intimated that Colonel |
getmore intends to give a great deal
more to the campaign fund this year than
lie gave four years ago. In the last cam
,aign he is understood to have paid the |
,uik of the expense of the Bland can
ass, and that drew so heavily on his pri-
ate bank account that he did not feel
warranted in making a heavy contribution
o the fund with which Senator Jones di-
ected the fight for Mr.. Bryan. This year.
owever, there has been no occasion for
'oionel Wetmore to make n big outlay
u TIE uOi,iiIdlIOI VI llt tieSl-
entail candidate, and therefore il is ex
ected that when they are ready to begin
ctive operations Mr.. Bryan's campaign
will start off with donation OF
everal hundred thousand dollars from Col
mel Wetmore. who is oneo of the richest men
i the Mississippi Valley: without chick or
hid to leave his vast fortune to and with
fondness for the game of politics which
.aGs him into liberal expenditures for his
an open secret that the ST. Louis man,
tho humorously is described by his
riends as an enlarged edition Of Mark
lama. could have had the craftsmanship
the National Committee If he had con-
ented to accept that place. Even Senator
ones. 1t is said. wanted him to take it
nd seriously urged it upon him several
'eeks ago. Mr.. Bryan. too, it Is stated.
Sked him if he would object to managing
re campaign in the event that Senator
ones. for any reason. should not again
o to the head of the National Committee
ut the st. Louis man recently has or |
anized a new tobacco concern on large
cale and is fighting the trust 1ercely,
tier having been forced to sell 10 the |
'ust about year ago the biggest tobacco |
establishment in the world.
y reason of this preOccupation Colonel
'etmore had to decline all the insistent
fers to become Chairman of the Demo-
attic National Committee. {
As to Hoss CoN.-The cause of the {