Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-04-12

would much rather he wouldn't. "Nev-
ertheless," cries the the lady, 81 re-
serve the right Of every American wom-
an to speak whenever l am so in
clined."
William =. Curtis is one of the best
informed Washington correspondents,
and his latest review of the Dewey
situation is interesting. He says:
THE Deweys are having beautiful
time. Their house is full of reporters
from morning till night; the letter ear
riers are not able Ito carry all the mail
shat comes for the admiral and so it
is sent up from the postottice by a
special messenger; invitations are re-
ceived almost hourly from all parts
of the country; portrait painters and
other artists, including the famous
pealing to both the admiral and his
are coming in from every direction;
the letters and kilograms are extreme
ly complimentary, and to Mrs. Dewey
it looks as if the admiral is as good
as elected president already, altho she
is quite put out because Theodore
Roosevelt declined the second place on
the ticket with something that sound
ed very much like a scornful sheer.
Admiral Dewey's political sagacity
gives him confidence that the Kansas
ity convention will nominate him for
president and Roosevelt for vice pres
ident on a gold-bug, free trade, eNpan-
sion platform, and when someone sug-
gested that a large majority of the
delegates would insist upon free silver
in the platform and two democrats on
the ticket the admiral declared indig-
nantly that it was ''all right" He de-
clines to admit or deny that he refer
red to Colonel Bryan the other day
when he said he had exercised greater
sponsibilities than some of the
clowns that are seeking the presiden-
cy.' He declares that he does not care
for the support OF the politicians. He
would rather have the politicians
against him, because, if he is elected,
they will want to run his administra-
ton and control all of the Offices.
yielding to the advice of friends,
however. the admiral'has decided to
place his interests in charge of com
mittee of three or five gentlemen of
experience and influence whose names
have not been announced. He would
like to have both political parties rep
resented on the committee, but it is
advised that such arrangement might
provoke jealousy, and that, if he ;lc-
cepts the democratic nomination., he
must leave his campaign entirely in the
hands of democrats. Since he went to
Philadelphia the admiral has heard
that New York, Iowa and California
will send unpledged delegations to the
Kansas City convention, and he has
about decided to make those states
the nucleus of his combinations. He
does not believe that Richard Croker is
against him. He believes him to be a
square man and would just as soon
trust Croker as anybody, altho the lat
ter may have promised the support of
New York to Bryan. The admiral does
not think it right to hold people down
to promises when the circumstances
under which they were made have
changed.
In a signed interview furnished to
the newspapers Mrs. Dewey denies
that the admiral is; acting under her
Influence. On the. Contrary, she, de-
clares that she is opposed to his be-
coming a candidate for the presidency,
because she prefers, a quiet life. New
ertheless,' she exclaimed, i reserve the
ri~ht OF every American woman to
speak whenever / am SO inclined