The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25
- >.
POLITICAL NOTES AND GOSSIP.

Never Net"es.-A wild STORY appears
! to have gained some currency in the West
to the effect that President mckinley, not
being unmindful of his .;'pIain duty mes
! sage. will veto the Cxnardized Porto Ricau
| Tariff bill if that measure is forced upon
the country by Congress II is supposed
that this story is due to two causes. One
is the unwillingness of the editors of the
| Republican papers to bsiieve 1t to be pos
/ Sible that the President could forget his
plain duty message. The other is that
! they do not know that the amiable Mr..
! Mckinley never has exercised the veto
! prerogative. either while he was Governor
! Of Ohio or since he has been President.
! That is to say. Mr.. Mckinley is famed for
trusting to the superior wisdom of his
/ party in all circumstances. Not even
| private pension bill--usually the fruitful
! source Of Executive dlsapproval-has been
! vetoed by the present very affable occu-
pant of the White House other Prest-
dents have slaughtered these measures by
| the wholesale. Particularly was this true
of Mr.. Cleveland and General Harrison.
| So also did these gentlemeh veto import
ant pieces Of legislation-enactm of
more or less political as we'll as national
| importance-sent to them by Congress.
| And the historian already has recorded
thai the firm clear-headed and conscien-
tious General Harrison served only one
term as President, and that the courageous
and stif-necked Mr.. Cleveland was de-
feated in his second race. though he re-
trieved himself sufficiently to be again
elected after the lapse OF four years. But
these statesmen had trouble with their
parties-a thing to which Mr. Mckinley
is very much averse. Indeed, so ;;reat
lover Of peace Is this genial and mild
hammered gentleman that it is foregone
| conclusion he is willing to sacrifice ',plain
duty to the exigencies of party harmony.
Wherefore, it is certain that a tariff law
against Porto Rico will be enacted as soon
I as the able and astute Senators are ready
TO cease their dilatory tactics in behalf
of various special interests: that are de-
manding free trade, and it is equally as
certain that this tariff Law will receive
the approving signature Of Mr.. Mckinley,
whose party in Congress Is harmonious
for such law. whatever may be the
threatening conditions in the party out
side OF Congress. Mr.. Mckinley will live
in history as the no-veto President.
As To "Ploss."-Henry Watterson-
Marse Henry" as the Kentuckians call
him when he is not fighting the Democracy
through his newspsper-seems to be
marked man in more senses than one. Not
since he entered an eloquent and moving
plea to be taken back into the fo,d has he
been able to do or say anything that has
not been construed by somebody as evil
dence of dark plot to betray the cause OF
bimetallism and cruelty the Hon. William
Jennings Bryan upon cross of gold.
When "Marse Henry was in Washington
last week he expressed himself as being
very unhappy over these various reports
concerning his intentions, and talked as If
he felt like going back TO his beloved but
somewhat distracted Kentucky and hiding
himself from the gaze of man. He went
from here TO New York, and no sooner did
he land in that town than he was pounced
upon by a clamorous horde OF reporters
who piled him with all sotts of questions
as to what ne is doing against Mr.. Bryan
and the present organization of the Demo-
cratic party. To all OF these ques lions he
made reply indicating that he is deeply
wounded 10 be placed under the ban of sus-
p'cion. and that he is only too anxious TO
let politics alone il politics will let him
alone. One of the enterprisiHg newspapers
of Gotham even goes SO far as to declare
that "Marse Henry is now in New York
for the sole purpose of plotting the undoing
OF Chairman Jones. Of the Democratic Ma
tional Committee as the first move in the
conspiracy to undo Mr.. Bryan. Poor
'Msrse Henry almost wept while denying
this story and denouncing it as cruel and
unjust reflection upon his. sincerity.
Taking Mean Adrantage.-Con-
certed effort is being made by the Repub-
licans to have it appear that the Kentucky
Democrats who are now trying to peace
ably dispossess Taylor. the usurper have
broken faith by declining to carry the It'll
CATION through the Federal courts up 20
the Supreme Court. The kentucky Repub-
lican leaders now in this city are claim
ing that the Democrats covenanted with
them at the Louisville peace conference to
submit the dispute to the Federal courts
for final adjudication. and also to repeal |
the Goebel law 1t is distinctly recalled
that the Democrats repudiated every part
of the agreement reached at the confer |
ence held in Louisville between repre- |
sentatives of Taylor and Peckham a day or |
two after Goebers death 1t is true that |
the conference arrived at terms that We're |
suitable to those who participated in it, |
but these terms never were ratified by the |
authoritative representatives of either side. |
Taylor held out against them strenuously. |
and positively refused to sign the so-called |
peace treaty. II is unwritten history that |
If Taylor had signed the agreement the |
Democratic State Committee would have |
been called together Immediately and re
pudiated the agreement. The fact is that |
Senator Blackburn and the other Demo-
Gratis who participated in the Louisville |
conference had no formal authority or |
even request TO meet in conference for any
such purpose. Furthermore. Senator
Blackburn and those who acted with him.
have been roundly abused by the Goebel |
leaders for having gone into the affair and
for attempting to bind the party to such
hard bargain. Until Taylor's representa-
tives came TO Washington this week. no
body had regarded the Louisville peace
treaty" as anything more than an express
sion of a number of gentlemen unofficially,
representing both parties in an effort to
reach an early and peaceful settlement of a
very unhappy condition of affairs in Ken
lucky The conference agreement is bind
ing ca nobody, and the efforts OF the Tay-
lorites TO make it appear differently is re-
garded only as a desperate resort to
methods which they believe will arouse
sympathy for them in influential quarters. |
Mr. Dsai<e. of Texas. - The sensa-
tional troubles in the Republican party of
Texas at present are typical Of the history
OF aepublicanism in that State-the big
sest Democratic State in the Union The
Texas Republicans have no fixed principles.
as the old Southern Republicans of the car
pct bag type have no fixed residences In
Texas the Republicans. who are In noisy,
orf-colored and ridiculous minority have
tried every sort OF fusion for years to no
effect. In 1892. when there was a split in
The Texas Democratic ranks. they allied
themselves with the followers of George
rlar. the bolter. and deprived the indie
pendent movement of whatever respecta-