The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-21
HITCHCOCK LEAVE CABINET?
oyGHT no BE RETIRED FOR GOOD
or PARTY, SAYS KERENS.
National Committeeman Says Secretary
and Ills Friends Have Stirred Up Strife
in MIssourl-Three Reasons why Grover
cleveland Could Not De Elected.


lived here to-day. accompanied by eX-
r.,ited States Senator Henry G. Davis,
non,ocrat, Of West Virginia. Both are
prominent in national politics.
AR Kerens was member OF the National
ryacutiye Committees which conducted tie
na,,les for Blaine in 1884, Harrison in 1888
and 1902. and Mckinley in 1895 and in 1900.
Mr. Kerens had charge OF the battle Tor
Mckinley in the intermountain States
,rnb Headquarters at Chicago. beside
,noss Of Chairman Hanna OF the Republic
can National Committee. On three occa-
,ons lie was offered the complimentary
vote Of the minority in the Missouri Legls'
,atilre for United States Senator.
Mfr Davis is the father-in-law OF Senator
s,enhen p Elkins, Republican, and il a
first cousin of Senator German Mr. DAVIS
az n Democratic United States Senator,
has been a powerful hacker in national
Affairs in the border States.
Mr., Davis said he did not care to say any
hing for publication. Mr.. Kerens, on the
contrary, said he did. and after no naa
zone over his remarks very carefully he
said You are at liberty to print every
word I have said" Mr.. Kerens said that
Secretary OF the Interior Ethan Alien
Hitchcock of ST. Louis should be retired
from President Roosevelt's Cabinet for
the benefit Of the Republican party"
AZ am not bothering much about poll
tics nowadays he said. -as it is an on
voar in Missouri In the first place, my time
is very much occupied In assisting to build
Any los IN 81
I, il a difficult undertaking, but the line
will be constructed and successfully oper-
atal
How do the Republicans OF Missouri
regard the National Administrations Mr..
Kerens was asked.
president Roosevelt" he replied. has
no opposition, so far as know, among Mis-
souri, Republicans The last Republican
State convention, held at Jefferson city
in June, 1902, passed very complimentary
resolution with regard to him and his Adj
ministration. At that convention. now
ever the first glimpse OF discord was lnau-
eurated by some Of Secretary Hitchcock
ot,iceholders, who insisted that separate
and suecial resolution should be embodied
IN the platform indorsing Mr.. Hitchcock
personally.
There was strong opposition to this, and
upon roll call about three hundred out OF
the 600 delegates voted against it. The
resolution was unwise and unnecessary and
had the effect of inaugurating split in the
party in Missouri, which grew wider and
wider as the campaign progressed, Win
the result that the party was defeated.
In the election OF 1900 the Republicans
Of Missouri cast $4,000 votes and were
only beaten on the Governorship ticket by
n little more than 10000 votes. In 1895 81
Touis gave Mckinley 1900 majority. In
ioOO this was increased. and in Kansas City
and the whole Of jackson county there
was a clean sweep for the first time III
twenty-eight years.
sJp to last year, when Secretary Hitch
cooks office-holding friends intertered
in the State st. Louis had been KePuollG;a,n a
for fifteen years. Secretary Httchcook
friends are charged, it is declared with ms
concurrence and assent, with deliberately
antaGonizing the plans OF the Republlcahs
who had been so victorious in the past,
These plans, say, were defeated by
an open alliance with the Democratic state
and city machines and portion Of the
Republican party's organization who were
wholly the friends of Secretary Hitchcock
aThe results of the election last year,
under the alliance OF Secretary Hitchcock
friends, were that about nineteen Demo-
cratic counties in the rural districts, where
Secretary Hitchcock's friends could not
DESTROY the organization to defeat the
viii Of the party were brought into the
Republican party while all strongholds
Of the Republican party in cities like st.
Louis, Kansas City and st. Joseph were
lost.
an other words, the Republicans changed
the complexion of the representatives IN the
legislature in nineteen counties, whiie
in the hitherto strong Republican legisla-
tive districts like St Louis, Kansas City
and st. Joseph, Secretary Hitchcock's
followers succeeded in defeating the party.
missouri has had SchlTz, Noble and
Francis MS Secret aries OF the Interior. Not
one of these men ever asked for personal
Endorsement at the hands OF State con-
venton.'
tho Presidents Cabinet?' Mr.. Kerens was
Il have no knowledge on that subject, .
should Mr.. Hitchcock be retired from
tho Presidents Cabinet?" Mr.. Kerens was
then asked.
callv He should be retired for the benefit
Of the Republican PARTY
Il was ascertained that Secretary
Htchcock's possible retirement from the
Presidents Cabinet has been discussed
At the White House and elsewhere and that
HE President has invariably replied:
II didn't appoint Mr.. Hitchcock. / found
him here when | came TO the Presidency
President Roosevelt's friends here say
that neither did he appoint Secretary Long,
Secretary Gage, Secretary Charles Emory
Smith and Secretary Root, the first three
Of whom have retired from his Cabinet,
and Mr.. Root is shortly to take the same
step.
Mr.. Kerens had few words to say about
Grover Cleveland He said:
There are three reasons why Mr.. Cleve-
land could not be elected even if he could
since Washington's time that no man can
I've President three times. The feeling
among the people is very strong on this
subject. Second when Mr.. Cleveland, in
his second administration, performed that
great service to the country that alone will
make his name historic, and put down the
riotous mob in Chicago and saved that city
from the flames, he antagonized the labor
men, and they have good memories. Third,
Bryan and his followers would sit up all
night to beat Cleveland
Ex-Gov W. Murray Crane of Massa-
chusetts, talked with some Of his friends
to-day and returned to his home in Dalton.
Mr., Crane said there was very little TO be
said about Republican affairs in his s ate.
Senator Lodge is still in Europe. The
Republican S,ate convention Is to meet
early In October and renominate Gov.
Bates and Lieut. .-Gov, Guild. Republican
Governors OF Massachusetts usually get
three nominations and are succeeded by
he Lieutenant Governor. On this plan
ian, Gov Child NAV eventuallv hanorna