Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-13
|AT THE WHITE HOUSE
Eastern Situation Discussed
in Cabinet Meeting.
WAR Is NOT IMMINENT
SENATOR CULLOM A VISITOR TO
THE PRESIDENT.
No Likelihood of Congressional Inves-
tigation Of the Agricultural
Department.
WAR Is NOT IMMINENT

According to the information in possess
| sion of Secretary Hay at the cabinet meet-
| ing today war between Russia and Japan
! Is not imminent. and Mr.. Hay is believed to
| have mighty good idea of just what the
| situation is Mr.. Hay gave to the President
| and the cabinet members the benefit of the
information he has been receiving from rep
resentatives of this country abroad, and all
| this information was contrary to the dis
! patches of the last few days indicating an
| almost immediate outbreak of hostiities.
Secretary Hay did not attempt to deny to
| the cabinet that there is ill-feeling between
| Russia and Japan and that serious results
may follow but he is positively aware, 1t Is
| said, that certain negotiations are in prog
| ress between the tYo countries which may
| not come to crisis for some time.
The eastern situation was the most inter-
esting subject at the cabinet meeting. but
it did not occupy much time. Secretary Hay
merely revealing the informal ton he has
and giving his opinion of the prospects.
| There was no talk of the necessity of
| strengthening the forces of the United
States in the east and nothing along these
lines is to be done at the present. This
country will merely watch the develop
ments in the east and be prepared to look
| out Tor our own ana1rS- OUTSIDE OF thaC
| the position of the United States is strictly
! neutral, although greatly interested.
The different cabinet officers placed before
| the President and the cabinet some affairs
| pertaining to their own departments. Sec
retary Wilson expects to go south soon
after the election in November to study the
| ravages of the boil weevil in the cotton
fields and to devote his time personally 10
| assisting in the fight on this dangerous en-
| emy of the cotton fields.
| Postmaster General Payne, in discussing
postal affairs, called attention to the great
| increase in the lumber of rural free deliv-
| cry routes throughout the country At the
| close of the last fiscal year, June 30 last,
/ the total number of routes all over the
country was 1925. Since July 1881 new
routes have been added to the total, making
nearly 1,000 rural free delivery routes In
| the country. Mr.. Payne presented the fig
ures as showing the deep interest felt In the
| rural free delivery service.
Senator Cullom Visitor.
| Senator Culiom of Illinois is in Washing
| ton and will probably remain here until the
close of the regular session of Congress,
| unless he should find it useful to his party
| to go to Ohio to make a few speeches in
| the campaign. Senator Cullom called on the
President today and had brief talk with
him, assuring the President that there has
been no change in the friendly attitude Of
the people of the middle west for him per-
publican standard-bearer next year.
Senator Cullom has come away from Illt-
| nois apparently without fear that his own
| political future is in jeopardy result Of
| the rather prominently known intention OF
| Governor Yates to make warfare on the
senior senator hereafter. Governor Yates,
whose political popularity has fiuctuated
| like the tide in recent years, IS said to have
| told some of his intimate friends recently
that he will defeat Senator Cullom for re-
| election. IF nobody else can do it Will do
| it myself" is the alleged remark OF the
young governor of the state.
Governor Yates is candidate for re-
election, and he has back of him big
machine By reason or the Yates Lori
is supposed to be pretty strong now, ana
when he talks about going for Uncle
| Shelby" few of the timid friends or
the latter feel little worried over the
prospect But Senator Cullom has no
worry. He has many times before en-
countered mountains of opposition IN
prospective that did not turn out 10 De
even high hills in reality, and he Is not
beginning to fear now. Anyway, MS
own reelection does not come up again
until the legislature meets in 1905 The
legislature to be elected in ILLINOIS next
year does not have anything to DO with
electing a senator, except some OF the
senators who will hold over 1t is the
hold-over senators that Governor Yates
is getting himself in readiness to cap
ture. He not only wants to be governor
again, but he wants to have some strong
personal friends in the legislature
which will elect a successor to Senator
Cullom. Senator Cullom will have a look
around over the field himself. ana VIII
pr obably not let everything drift toward
Yates, ii he can help himself.
Despite his machine Gov. Yates must
reckon with a strong fight from men VINO
have been laid low by him and some of his
many combinations. Ex-senator Mason
is one of these men. He is what the poll
ticians would never call a dead duck. He
Iola tn lon, a. la ".
and he has such wonderful powers OF re-
cuperation and such sticking qualities that
he is a dangerous man either with or with
out power Mr.. Mason bitterly hates Gov.
Yates and will fight him for all he is worth.
Mr.. Mason has quite following too. and
never loses an opportunity to increase the
following.
Gov Yates has been in the executive
chair four years, and a reelection for an
other four years would make him particu-
larly strong man in the state With the
machine fully in his control he would prob
ably be able to give Senator Cullom the
hardest race of his life. There is serious
doubt, however, whether he can again De
nominated for governor. Among his op-
ponents are Attorney General Hamlin of IL
linois Prosecuting Attorney Deneen of Chi
cago, and eX-Speaker Sherman of the llli-
nois house of representatives. The cam
pagn does not take place until next year,
but it has really opened months in advance
because of the bitter opposition to Gov.
Yates in certain sections, and because his
purpose of again standing Tor the nominal
ton is known.
Gov Yates and President Roosevelt are
strong personal friends, and it is recalled
that it was Gov. Yates who began booming
Col. Roosevelt for the republican nominal
ton next year prior to the assassination OF
President Mckinley.
No Congressional Investigation.
Representative Wadsworth of New York.
chairman of the House committee agri-
culture called on the President today. Mr..
Wadsworth does not that there has
been anything connected with the work OF
the Department of Agriculture in recent
years that would justify a congressional
investigation. Some old seed contracts
about which there has been trouble are
pending in the courts and Mr.. Wadsworth.
who has looked into the facts connected
with these to some extent, does not feel
that there is anything to cause an investi-
cation. He Is satisfied that Secretary Will
son Is capable of taking care of the inter-
ests of the government in his department
Edgar s. Wilson, United States marshal
of Mississippi, called on the President to-
day and told him about the great progress