Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-09-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From our Regular Correspondent

ident Mckinley has been almost the
sole topic of conversation in Washing
ton since Friday night. The news
came just as people employed in the
ner, and just before the shops closed
| for the night. There were some hun
dreds of people who did not go home to
dinner at all. They stood about in
front of the bulletin boards watching
for the latest report and discussing
the news. The three great newspaper
offices, the Time, the Post and the Star,
all accupy buildings Oh Pennsylvania
| avenue within about four blocks Of
each other. and that part Of the great
thoroughfare was black with people.
To one standing in front of the Treas
ury and looking toward the Capital it
might have seemed that an actual
shadow had fallen across the pathway
which has been twice traversed by
President Mckinley on his way to take
the oath of Inauguration. These
crowds were not mere curiosity i'm
pelled sensation hunters. They felt a
sense of personal atfiictiOn, for there
has been no more popular President in
the White Honse since its erection
than Mr.. Mckinley has been SO far as
bis private character is concerned. His
"a inc hy7 h nv1hIf,a oata
and the party to which he belongs; his
personal friends are found In all par
ties.
The lesson taught by this tragic event
was pointed out Immediately. AS one
energetic person put 1t, in discussing
the first bulletin. "This means Round
up the Reds ," While to the masses
of the people the tragedy was unex-
pected and unaccouEtable, it was not
so to many astate observers of public
events in this city and elsewhere The
assassinations of the Empress Eliza
beth and of King Hum bert foreshadow-
ed only too plainly the selection of an
other victim in the near future, and
the United States, as yet untouched
by Anarchistic plots of this kind, was
the field most likely to be selected for
the next coup President Mckinley
owed his misfortune to the fact that
he happened to be President at this
particular time, not to anything what
ever that he may have done.
This is fortunate, since it relieves
all his antagonists from the fearful
odium of having suggest ed or encour-
aged any crazy fanatic to commit such
a crime. The matter had been care
fully arranged and planned by So
ciety of Anarchists, and the man
selected to Go the deed calmly did as
he was told. The question is, how
such things can be prevented in future.
1t is futile to expect to prevent them
by guarding all public men The net.
work of police in Russia does Lot pro-
tect the Gar. There is no way of
shutting out immigrants which will
absolutely nullify the danger. The |
suggestion of morning paper the day |
after the event, that restriction of i'm |
migration is the lesson whlbh it teach |
es, became absurd when it wac found |
that the assassin was born in this |
country. The remedy deems to be |
strict police supervision of such dan
gerous societies. They are against the |
law, as much as burglars association
or murder club would be; in fact,
they are murder clubs. They shonld |
be compelled either to hold their meet
ings in public, with the understanding
that incendiary speeches will not be
tolerated, OF they should be suppressed,
imprisoned and deported It viii! not |
do to tolerated such epidemics, any
more than to let small pox remain un-
quarantined.
The Navy Department has conclud-
ed that Captain Forsyth 3 explanation
Of his alleged newspaper interview on
the Schley case may be accepted, and |
he is forgiven. Possibly the compari-
son with the case of Admiral Howison |
and Captain Chadwick, so promptly |
made by dozen alert papers, had had
something to do with this magnanimi-
ty, for an Interrogation point some
times pricks.
The historic National Watchman.
once the Silver Knight, started by
Senator Stewart, has been put into the
hands of Mr.. Bryan.
Mr.. A. A. Adee, Assistant Secretary
of State, has gotten himself into lit
tie very hot water. He wrote letter
to Director-Genera Buchanan of the
Pan-American Exposition advising
him not to invite the Duke and Ouch
ess of Cornwall and York to come to
the Exposition. The letter was per
sOnal and unofficial, and intended to
save embarrassment to everybody
Mr.. Adee, IN his official position, was
aware of the fact that the Duke and
Duchess would not leave Canada on
their tour, that they had declined all
invitatio ions to foreign countries, and
that they would either have to decline
this one or be obliged to ignore it,
neither of which would be very pleas
ant for them or for Mr.. Buchanan.
The diplomatic circle of Washington
has talked about the letter more or less,
and the general opinion seemed to be
that Mr. Adee should not have written
it even in an entirely personal and un-
official way. Such are the troubles of
kind hearted people who want to do
some good In the world.
Before last Friday there were two
reputed Presidential booms moving
ab0 ut the country, but it is safe to say