The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-03
POLITICAL NOTES AND GOSSIP.


has supplanted the Hon. John Hay in the
affections and esteem of the amiable Mr.
Mckinley has gained considerable vogue
out in the provinces. Very little credence
is given to it in Washington. From the
viewpoint of Washington it appears almost
ridiculous. The surface indications seem
to justify the PRONUNCIATION of the report
by excitable journalists, and therein abides
"a story which doubtless will be developed
in good time. The facts are that Mr.. Hay
is rusticating at his summer home in the
mountains of New Hampshire and the Adj
ministration is taking advantage of his
absence to make it appear that his diplo-
macy is very reprehensible sort of thing.
Because of his bold, straightforward course
! in favoring Great Britain above other ma
tons in nearly all of this country's inter
national relations the Secretary of State.
| at best a poor politician, has gained the
sobriquet of Sir John. Nobody doubts
/ that if his course were not approved by
! Mr.. Mckinley and the influences that con-
/ troll the Administration that he would have
been permitted to persist in it as long as
he has. In this connection il is pertinent
/ to record the popular observation that
| whenever any stroke of diplomacy that has
aroused the admiration of the nation has
/ been made by the State Department the
/ affable Mr.. Mckinley and not the austere
Mr.. Hay has managed, by some means, to
1 get all the credit~for it. This is stated to
show that the President runs the State
Department whenever he wants to- Now.
/ in the absence of Secretary Hay a large
body of troops has been despatched to
/ China for sor,e purpose that is not yet
fully developed to the public mind. This
naturally has brought the Secretary of
War, the Hon. Elihu Root. into contact
with international questions which he had
| not before had the opportunity to enjoy.
His name is attached to many dispatches
that have passed between this country and
various ports of China. Announcement is
made that the United States, observing the
spirit of the recent so-called International
peace conference at The Hague, is CO.
operating with Russia instead of any other
power-and especially Great Britain-in
the conduct of affairs in China. Forthwith
there crops out in all the Administration
organs the report-a regular rash of it
that this course proves beyond peradven-
ture the fact that all the stories of an
alliance. secret or otherwise. between the
Mckinley Administration and the Sails
bury Government were lies made out of
the whole cloth And more important still
IS the announcement in these same
organs that Mr. Root and not Mr.. Hay is
now the Presidents chief adviser. If this
is true conclusive proof may be looked for
soon in the resignation of Mr.. Hay from
the Cabinet. He is not the kind of man |
who would stand the humiliation which
the supporters of the Administration are
boastins has been put upon him. The in
huences which put MIR. Hay into the Cab |
inet-indeed. the influences which sent him
as Ambassador to the Court of st. James |
and then brought him back here as Pre- |
mier of the ADMINISTRATORS very well /
understood by people who have bothered /
themselves with the trouble of investi- /
eating. These influences are not foreign |
or unknown to the far-sighted and saga
cious corporation lawyer who was put at /
the head of the War Department when the |
weak and inoffensive Alger was sacrificed. |
1t is believed that before the trouble in 7
China is settled the whole case will be
made plain enough for the veriest fool in |
the country TO understand. If the astute /
Calvin S. Brice were alive It is thought he |
would know all about it: for II was he who |
promoted in this country that marvellous
scheme of exploitation in China known as
the Chino American Development Com
pany, in which great deal more British
than American capital is directly inter
ested. However. it is confidently expected (
that until after the November election the
fiction of cooperating with Russia instead
of England in China will be maintained by
the Administration. There is the finest
sort of domestic politics in 1t.
Negroes in West VirEinia.-Senator
Bacon. Of Georgia. by personal observation
and enquiry has been able 10 add corrobo-
rative evidence TO the widespread suspicion
among Democrats that there is something
doing" in West Virginia. When he ar
rived at the PENNSYLVANIA Depot in Wash
ington the other day from Georgia Senator
Bacon's attention was attracted by large
bodies of negroes at the station and upon
asking them where they were going he
learned that they were being shipped to
West Virginia to work on railroad"
The colored folks very frankly told the
Senat tor that they didn't know to what part
Of the State they were TO be taken, or,
IN fact. where the railroad was being built
from or to what point. All the information
they could voucksafe to him was that they
we're under contract for three months to
work a railroad in West Virginia.
These negroes were all picked up in this
city by somebody WHO ogtensibIy repre-
ients~this mysterious railroad Thousands
u others have been imported into tina.
state during the past few months from
Virginia. Georgia. and other
States Of the South. II Is suggested that
probably il the Democratic national man
'gers will address themselves to this mat
er they may make a discovery of some
nterest. If not of importance Senator
Bacon. by the way. will soon return TO I
Georgia for campaign work Abo.t the 1
irst of October he will probably be able {
o fulfill a promise to the Delaware Dem
,crats to make some speeches in their
State. He will also probably be heard in
ohio and other parts of the Middle West.
10 his friends say.