The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-27
Chat Of the Capital
Washington Gossip. Political and otiscr-
wise, for tho Readers Of the Gibbs.

| WASHINGTON, D. c., JAM 26--(Spe-
cial.)-The administration is hopping
mad at Webster Davis, assistant secre-
tary Of the interior for putting it in one
of the most embarrassing positions it has
| occupied sincet the war in South Africa
began All kinds, of derogatory reports
are now put into circulation from ad-
mlnlstratlon sources in order to damage
Davis, who ISL byl this time making
| speeches at banquets rendered him. by
! Dom Paul and-the Boer officials in Pre-
| toria IN serene ignorance or disregard OF
the wrath he has engendered in Washing
| ton official circles
| The cause ofe all the trouble is Davis
visit to the Tr&nsVaal republic. He made
| the trip to Africa with the full consent
and approval Of the administration Sec
| rotary Hay told him to remain there
three months and, study the situation. The
| inference was inevitable that Davis sailed
| for Cape Town in a semi-official capacity
1 to make observations for the admin1stra-
| ton. q But thec mistake that Hay made
| was In supposing that Davis would con-
| line his field of observation to Cape Town,
and load up the archives of the state de-
| partment with reports of Boer atrocities,
Boer stupidity and furnish material that
would enable the administration to coun-
| teract the anti-Brit1sh sentiment in this
| country with eloquent denunciation OF the
Kruger and Steyn administrations. For
| this reason not a peep was heard from
! administration sources when Davis ar
| rived at--Cape- Town. and was feted by
Sir Alfred Miner and invited to attend
| the reception of Lords Roberts and K1tch-
| ener Nothing was said until Davis asked
permission, to have Consul General Stowe
accompany him to Pretoria. Then Hay
| suddenly realized that Davis had taken
his instructions literally, and was going
| to make observations on both sides of
! the question.
Nothing was thought of the offense
| accorded the Beers by Davis reception
| by the British in Cape Town; but when he
| continued his journey to Pretoria the
White house and the state department
were thrown into commissions, and Hay
| has been busy for two days cabling
apologies to the British government, while
| Hitchcock, secretary of the interior, has
been industriously circulating discrediting
rumors about Davis connection with the
! interior department..
|
The only offense of which Davis has
rendered himself guilty as assistant sec
/ rotary of the interior is that he has con-
! Sistently overruled Pension Commissioner
| Evans, who, In turn, is simply obeying
| the administration in applying new and
| arbitrary rules to the pension laws. This
| policy was denounced at the G. A. r. en-
| campment in Philadelphia last summer,
| when the administration had a narrow
/ escape from it's best friends, and is again
made the object Of attack by so good a
| Republican as Representative Curtis, of
| Kansas, who has q bill pending in the
! house at the present time providing for
| an investigation of the pension office.
! So long as Bliss was secretary of the in
| terror there was no friction between the
secretary and Davis, but when Hitch
| cock came in there was. And the trouble
had its origin in this:
Hitchcock, who was appointed from
Missouri, is jealous of Davis popularity
| with the rank and file of the Missouri
| Republicans. Hitchcock, head of the
| glass trust and one Of the chief promo
| tiers of the scheme Matched in st. Louis
| to secure possession of the gilsonite de-
posts in the Ute reservation, has no other
I title to fame Davis Is today the most
popular Republican In Missouri and has
| the active support of r. C. Kerens, the
| Missouri boss; who Is also heartily dis
liked by Hitchcock. The administrations
| realizes that Davisls a power as an ora
| tor and the friend of the soldiers, and
| while 1t long ago realized that he was
| bigger man than Hitchcock and too
| big for the position'Fhe occupied in the
interior department., has up to this time
|
| Grafton.
| 1t is now said that the president and
! Hay did not know he was going to Pre-
! toria or his departure would have been
|interdicted. It proves that the alleged
neutrality of the administration. is con-
fined only to the English side. but II
such an order had been given 1t Is GER
| tain that Davis would have resigned his
| secretaryship and gone as an fndependent
! citizen in spite Of all obstacles. Hay,
| unsolicited, furnished him with letter
asking for his recognition wherever he
may 3D.
| Davis friends are thoroughly aroused
| over the attempt Of the administration to
! discredit him, and say he is being made
| IN suffer as a sacrifice to Great Britain
! They threaten If the persecution along
4 This Zine is continued they will summon
| him back to make personal campaign
in Missouri and other states to defeat
The election of Mckinley delegates on an
anneal to the young Republicans that
| tbis government has been delivered to ths
| domination Of Great Britain. AifeauS
| they are drawing ugly contrasts pc
tween the energy displayed by Germany
In bringing Great Britain to terms 1or
| tho seizure of her ships and tne-su-
| nineness of this government TOWARD
the british government in failing 10 oe-
| ,,end the unconditional release soI the
American -four seized in Delagoa bay.
AI+ouether the Davis incident IS preg-
| nant with events " A+,orn