Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-09-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.
from our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON. Sept. 1e. 1901

death was shock almost as great as the
report of his assassination. 1t is hardly
vet possible for the people of Washington
to realize that his familiar and kindly
presence is gone forever from the White
House. Although the emblems of mourn
ing are everywhere visible, perhaps only
the state funeral with its solemn and i'm
pressible ceremonies can wholly efface the
vivid memory with almost everyone here
has of the President as he lived, and make
it possible to think of him as dead.
With the incoming Of the new Executive
there will inevitably be many changes in the
official and social life of the city. A
hundred miner currents are distributed
and thwarted by the great event which has
lust taken place. There will of course be
no official gayeties during the coming sea-
son; there may be small army OF office
seekers, but this will depend largely on the
course which President Roosevelt takes in
regard to the appointments not under the
civil service law. There may also be
sweeping changes in the Cabinet.
There has seldom been SO great contrast
in the characters of two men closely asso-
ciated in official life as that between Nc
Kinley and Roosevelt. Even astute politl-
cal prophets are somewhat at sea in attempt
ing to predict the Executive actions during
the next three years. Nobody seems to be
quite sure what Roosevelt, as President
will do about anything. In his past career
he has too often been the apotheosis OF the
unexpected to make it safe to risk too many
prophecies on his conduct now. Many
people expect that he will make radical
changes in the policy of the Adminlstra-
ton, but this is by no means certain.
Mckinley was careful, shrewd, persua-
siye: but he never made an enemy if he
could help it. Roosevelt is resolute, fear
less, and entirely careless of appearance or
consequences The anomaly of the pres
ence of these two men on the same ticket,
supporting the same policy, is explained by
the fact that starting from opposite points,
and with opposite temperaments, they had
reached, for widely different reasons, very
much the same conclusions. To take one
among the many questions of the day, that
of expansion; President Mckinley favored
expansion because he believed it to be wise
from a commercial point Of view; Roosevelt
because he saw chance for lot OF lighting
and strenuous life generally; but they both
came out at the same end of the horn. 1t
is not necessary to anticipate that Roose-
welt will depart radically from. the course
of the Administration as now marked out,
but he will probably go over that course in
more Of hurry than some OF his advisers
think he ought to, and he may take short
cuts which will discomode people. 1t is
pretty we'll known that Senator Hanna
wanted Roosevelt on the ticket because he
thought it would get the strenuous young
man out of the way; but instead of being
tucked nicely away in the sleepy retirement
of the Senate, Roosevelt is in the White
House. 1t will be interesting to see what
Hanna can find to do about it now.
Another person who may view the new
development with horror is Secretary Long.
There was legend about the time OF the
Spanish American war, to the effect that
Mr.. Long tried to take vacation, but
before he had been away week, stories OF
the way in which his Assistant Secretary
was stirring up things reached his ears,
and he had to come back in a hurry. The
question whether Long stays in the Cabi-
net or not will depend partly on the result
of the Schley- Sampson business, and partly
on Rooseyelt's disposition to play politics.
If he starts in to break up the Navy De-
partment ring he will propably do it, but
some of the leaders of his party will not be
pleased. And all that sort of thing counts
in working for reelection.
1t is reported that Secretary Hay is much
broken in health since the death of his
son, and is likely to resign. In that case
the selection of new Secretary of State
would be an interesting subject for specula-
tion. Wolcott, Lodge and Depew are all
near the President. But Wolcott is from
Colorado, and there are not enough votes out
that way to make his selection good one
from geographical point of view. Depew
is from New York, as Roosevelt is, and a
New York Cabinet would be bad election
material, for Root is also from the Empire
State. Moreover, Depew's reputation as a
Jester would be fatal to any aspirations he
might have toward the State portfolio.
Nobody wants that honored article turned
into Joe Miller's joke book or a Farm
er's Almanac. Wilson, coming from the
Middle West, and being a canny Scot with
out offensive political bias, would probably
stay, and SO, perhaps, would the rest. The
general opinion seems to be that the new
Executive will later on give something a
shaking up, but he may surprise us all by
being tame and gentle.
The only thing which the Schley Court
of Inquiry has done thus far is to replace
Admiral Howison with Admiral Ramsey,
which agreement is said to be very salts
factory to the former. Howison is not
exactly the sort of man to deal with a
problem as intricate as this one, especially
when his preiudices are on the side of it
that is snarled up. If he had kept on
talking he might have convicted Sampson
of almost anything Ramsay, on the con-
trary, is cool, quiet, and deliberate, and
seems to be the man for the place.
A little story which is causing some
amusement here just now concerns ex-
Senator Chandler. That peppery gentle
man wrote letter to Secretary Long about
the Bob Evans affair, and part of it was as
follows: 81 am somewhat surprised that
you have not acted upon a recent commu-
nication addressed by me to you, in regard
to an attack made on me by Captain Rob-
ley Evans in book recently published by
him under the title IA Sailer's Log" !
wish you to understand that | was entirely
serious in what | said, and / certainly
expect you to take some action in regard to
it. And, by the way, did it ever occur to
you that some day Roosevelt may be Presi-
dent, Funston Vice President, and Allen,
Secretary of the Navy, and then what a
chance Admiral schley would have to
attack you, if he should write book-his
memories p All of which must have been
about as entertaining to the mild and
rotund Mr.. Long as the activities of lively
terrier would be to somnolent and we'll
intentional cat. Mr.. Chandler thoroughly
enjoys bothering people, and as q rule,
everybody excepted the bothered one enjoys
seeing him do it.
The Injunction Habit.