The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-21
POLITICAL NOTES AND GOSSIP.
The Presidents Lctter.-ou the b,y,

The Presidents Letter.-On the high
est authority it can be stated that Mr.
Mckinley's formal letter of acceptance
will not be made public before the first
week of September. Upon the same au-
thority it can also be stated that actual
work on the letter has not yet begun,
though Mr.. Mckinley has decided on its
main features. The letter will be under
Canton date line. and will be given
cut from that city as soon as its authos
gets time 10 prepare 1t after dsposing
or other matters now pressing upon him
for attention. Mr.. Mckinley will leave
Washington Friday for Chicago, where he
| &C. S TO ride a horse in the street parade
o. the annual national encampment of the
| Grand Army OF the Republic, and to par
| ticipate in the other exercises of the en-
| campment. He will arrive at Chicago
| Saturday evening. The encampment will
| begin Monday and close Wednesday. That
evening Mr.. Mckinley. accompanied by
| Mrs. Mckinley. Secretary Cortelyou, and
| DR.. Rixey. will return to Canton in n
special car, and will probably remain in
| his Ohio home until he finishes the work
| on his letter of acceptance. The greater
| portion of the letter will be devoted to a
reply to Mr.. Bryan's Indianapolis speech
! of acceptance. and as that speech dealt
! mostly with .the question of imperialism
as the paramount issue of the campaign.
| the President will so frame his letter as
| to make its argumentative features reply
| to Mr.. Bryan's anti-imperiaiist contention.
| Mr.. Mckinley will call attention to the
| fact that the people of Cuba have been
ordered by him to hold an election for a
| constitutional convention as the first nee
| ess1Ty step in the direction of local self
| government and will claim this as evil
dence of mis- intention to see TO it that the
pledge made to Cuba is carried out in good
faith. He will also descsnt at considerable
length upon the substitution of civil for
military rule in Porto Rico. as recon-
mended in his last message to Congress.
AS to the Philippines. he hopes to be able
TO claim that the military authority there
has been supplanted by the civil at his
personal direction. for 1t is expected that
before the Presidents letter is issued the
Taft Commission will have been inaugu-
rated at Manila. The President will bring
his conduct in th= Chinese crisis TO bear
witness to the falsity OF tie Democratic
charge Of Imperialism against him. and
will reiterate in substance the principles
laid down by Secretary Hay in his note 10
the powers. defining this nations atti-
tude and purposes in the Far East. In
brief, Mr.. McKinley's letter will attempt |
completely to answer Mr.. Brysn's Indian |
apolis speech, and IL the Democratic stand |
Topeka accepting the Fusion Populis:s
nomination dweils at length on the cur
rency question the President will tahe /
advantage of that to again parade the free |
silver corpse and rattle its bones as Re |
did in his Canton speech OF acceptance.
4 DueI Tbrentened.-Scme people |
who know both gentlemen well would not |
be surprised if the question of veracity |
which Senator McComas has raised with |
his colleague. Senator Wellington, should |
lead to a sensational denouement. Even |
pistols and coffee for two" are considered |
to be a possible outcome of the issue. |
Since his hurried return from Europe at
the call of Mr.. Hanna, Senator McComas
has used language in criticising Senator /
Wellington which plainly is meant to i'm |
pugn the veracity Of the latter. Ii Will be |
recalled that one of the chief reasons SEN |
ator Wellington gives for boiling Mr. Nc
kinney is his allegation that the President
grossly deceived him in the matter of the
Paris Treaty Or at least in the promise
made by Mckinley with reference to his
treatment Of the Ffllpiuos as a condition
precedent to securing the Senator's vote
for the ratification of the treaty. Senator
McComas feels called upon to declare that
the President made no pledge to Senator
Wellington. and, indeed. that the Presi-
dent did not even send for Wellington and
invoke his aid in the ratification of the
Paris Treaty. Judge McComas thus gra-
tuitously denounces Senator Wellington as
prevaricator, and II is not believed Mr..
Wellington Will taIneiy submit TO this de-
nunciation. He is man of great courage
and high temper. and 1t IS feared that IL
he does not formally demand and receive a
public apology from Senator McComas he
win create sensational scene the first
fr,.., h.. 81 ~
Conger 10 Take the Stump.-Witb-
out waiting even to learn the condition
o. his health or the probable date OF his
return to this country. Mr.. Hanna al
ready has announced his purpose 20 put
Minister Conger on the stump for Mr..
Mckinley as soon as the allied army OF
rescuers gets the American hostage from
Pekin, delivers him to the admiral OF the
United States fleet in Chinese waters and
that official transports Mr.. Conger safely
to these shores The humor in this an
nouncement seems not 10 have struck the
guarded and oak-minded Hanna yet. IL
may be that Mr.. Conger will be in neither
physical nor nervous condition to obey
Mr. Hannas command 10 take the stump
for Mr.. Mckinley. The Minister has been
penned up in close quarters in the Chinese
capital for nearly three months. and ac-
cofGlng 20 the latest auFiceS from MIN was
under continuous shot and shell for more
than a month. 1t is possible that he ia
even now battling for his life. Anyway.
il seems almost certain that Mr.. Conges !
viii not be fit for campaign work when
he arrives home. And besides, 1t is
pointed out that he would simply be a
curiosity on the stump. without the power
to present arguments TO the people in IA
vor of the reelection OF Mr.. Mckinley.
unless it be that the very fact of Mr.
Conger's life having been saved under such
perilous circumstances would be considered
an argument by the people. 1t is con-
tended, though, that this use of him would
raise the question as to why he was not I
sooner rescued from his captors and that
the whole course Of the Administration In !
waiting upon the slow moving Britishers
before taxing definite action would be laid
bare before the country. On the whole,
therefore. il is believed Mr.. Hanna will |
reconsider his hastily formed determine
ton to make Minister CongeT take the
stump, as it viii soon be made plain to
him that the voters would resent his
of the distressed diplomat. 1t
IS probable that If Mr.. Congcr reaches his
home in Iowa before the campaign closes
which IS not at all certan-he would
respond cheerfully to the local demand TO,
a public speech describing his recent ex-
but it is not believed that his Z
townsmen would be so boorish as to in :
sist upon political address from him
4 New Candidate.-It seems that a =
quiet but very strong movement is row in I
progress to make Judge ID. Cady Herrick of G
the State Supreme Court the Democratic y