Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1901-09-19
wAsntssuroH LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent

of suEdued and undemonStrat1ve,
but genuine sorrow, to prevade
Washington. Everywhere one
sees the colors draped with black
framing pictures of the dead
President. The people in
charge of the "Oldroyd Collec~
ton of Lincoln Relics" which
fills the house in which Lincoln
died, opposite Ford's theatre,
have hung the whole front of
the house with Grape and flags,
surrounding portraits of Lincoln
and Mckinley. Yet, with all
this, it seems hardly possible to
believe that the genial, kindly
faced man, will never again
stroll along the streets or
through the White House
grounds, greeting everyone with
his accustomed unostentatious
courtesy. Washington mas st1f
fered personal bereavement.
There is some speculation in
evitably as to the possible and
probable course of the new Ex-
ecutive. While Pres. Roosevelt
is not so we'll known here, per-
sonally, as was Mckinley, he is
national figure and every one
is familiar with his eventful ca
reer. AS the most careful OBJ.
servers of public affairs agree. it
is not possible to fortell with
any certainty what he will do in
the next three years. His occu-
pancy Of the same ticket with
President Mckinley is another
proof of the old trouble that pol
itics make strange bed fellows,
for there never were two men
more unlike. Curiously enough
however, they held much the
same views on most public ques-
tons. Mckinley was wise, sa~
gacious, thoughtful; he avoided
making enemies whenever pos
sible. Roosevelt is entirely
careless on this point, and many
of his enemies have been made,
not so much by his policy as by
his way of carrying it out. He
has often appeared to seek dra-
matte effect, simply because he
was not thinking about effect Of
any kind and did not avoid max
ing one. He is the youngest
man, by five years, who ever
held the Office of President, be-
ing not yet forty>three; and
when it is remem bered that he
was prominent in state and even
national politics at an age when
most men are scarcely beginning
their careers, some of the popu-
lar impressions of this character
may be better understood. The
great responsibilities now laid
upon him will inevitably test
his qualities as an administrator,
and the country will certainly
know him far better a year from
now than it does today. He is
not a man to be guided. He
will do what he thinks is best
and remains to be seen whether
those Ill both parties who wish |
to oppose him will be able to do
so efectually.
1t is thought that there will
be some very important changes
in the Cabinet before very long,
though their nature depends on
the plans the new President
may have for 1904. Secretary
Hay is said to be much broken
in health since the death of his
son and may resign at an early
date, in which case the selection
of a new Secretary of State will
be a matter of moment. The
name of Lodge is suggested in
this connection. He, like Roose>
welt, has gone into politics un>
der conviction and for the love
of it, and tie two would proba-
bly, agree. Walcott is another
of the same sort, but he comes
from Colorado, and there is an
unwritten political law which is
against the selection Of Secre>
ta1y Of State from the far West.
The name of Depew has also
been mentioned, but this would
make rather too much Exselsoir
in the Cabinet for political pur~
poses, for Depew is also a New
Yorker. Besides, Depew is an
hum orist, and the joker does not
always win in the game of Of
fee seeking. Secretary Long,
while personally friend of the
President, might be forced out
by the Glamour Of political op
ponents, if the Schley~Sampson
case develops in a way to war;
rant it.
The Census bulletins group
ing the population of the states
by nativity, race etc, have been
made public and contain some
rather interesting information
on the race question. The ne
gro population of the country is
II.7 per cent of the total, practi~
cally the same as in 1890, white
nor,,1nfint, bnc innrnncol -, |