The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-09-25
Our Washington Letter.

Washington, September 23. 1901
The news that President Roosevelt
will retain the present Cabinet intact
came as something of surprise to the
country in general. Perhaps no change
which he would have made could
have surprised the public as much as
this unlooked-for conservatism. But
it is an old story, as regards Roosevelt,
that the only thing you can really
expect of him is the unexpected.
It is no secret that Platt and Hanna
were doing considerable squirming for
few days after they realized that the
man whom they had shelved as Vice
President was really headed for the
White House. They did not like it.
They were afraid of him, and they are
still, but in a modified way. They
realize that Roosevelt is going to do
what he says he will, and they have
that much to build on, but whether he
will do it in the way in which they
want him to is another question.
When he says he is going head first
through a plate glass window the
window had better be insured, and
some of the enterprises in which these
two sapient gentlemen are engaged
are of the nature of conservatory.
They are raising infant industries
under glass, and that sort of thing. 1t
would not be nice if the Rough Rider
should put his boot through the shell
ter of the shipping subsidies. Hanna
says he will not, but maybe the wish
is father to the thought. 1t is known
that Roosevelt is very much interested
in the upbuilding of the Merchant
Marine, and particularly that of the
Navy. He wishes to unite the coun-
tries of the two Americas by COM
mecrial links. The question is wheth
er he can join the two wings of his
own party so that they will flap in
unison and take him where he wants to
go. President Mckinley never exactly
said anything in favor of subsidies,
but then, he never said anything
against them Roosevelt never was
neutral in his life. He reminds one
of remark Of one of the characters
in Tourgee's once famous novel, GA
FOOLS Errand.'' cold men generally
get the credit for all the conservatism
in the world, but it is a mistake. A
young man backs just as hard as he
pulls. If he is opposed to thing he
fights it tooth and nail" Roosevelt
is only forty-two, and that is the kind
of conservative he will be when he
is one at all.
The very exuberance of the utter
ances of various Republican senators
as to the confidence they have in
Roosevelt, since his decision to retain
the members of the present cabinet,
is little suspicious. It indicates that
they have been scared and now are;
reassured.
Another thing which should not be
overlooked is that Roosevelt's prlncl-
pal friends and supporters have not yet
come on the scene. 1t is thought that
when Senator Lodge comes back from
Europe there may be change in the,
existing situation. ;.
There is no doubt that Roosevelt
will be strenuous in some direction
It is said that he will favor not only
large navy but standing army OF
strength equal to that provided under
the reorganization act Of last winter.
Whether the army can be enlarged in
definitely without interfering with the
welfare of the people as a whole is one
of the questions not yet settled, We
are not ready for any such ideals of
military services as those which pre-
vail in Europe, and it is doubtful if
we really want to be. Another place
in which there is likely to be some
shaking up is the secret service.
President Roosevelt has been collecting
testimony about the performace of the
secret service men at Buffalo, and 1t.
is stated that he regards them with
contempt. as lot of incompetents,
and will make some radical changes
in that branch of the government;
very soon. In this connection there
is little story about Josiah Flynt,
the tramp detective, which is interest
ing. Flynt, as most people know, is
a college-bred man who has been
knocking about in the disguise of a
hobo for the last ten or fifteen years,
gathering information alb ,ut tramp
and criminal classes, and is possible
the best authority in the country. on
this subject. He published an article
sometime ago which was terrible ar
raignment of the New York detective
force, and the New York people were
mad. They said they would show him
that he could not talk in that way
about the police of a great city. For
two days they hunted for him. At the
end of that time be strolled into the
.:Front Office,'' talked with the chief
about an irrelevant matter, and asked
incidentally, Have they caught that
man Flynt YETI" He was regaledi
with unvarnished opinons OF himself
and strolled out again in state OF
inward amusement. They have not
caught him yet. The fact is that the
detective and the secret service men
are not as sharp as the criminal, and
until they are-until men who are re
sourceful, shrewd and incorruptlble
make up these forces, the criminal
will have about as good time as he
does now.
It was stated by some correspondents:
that Roosevelt had positively said that
he would not be candidate for the
Presidency in 1904. He has denied
this interview point-blank, but he ad-
mits that what he really said was