The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-12
WASHINGTON CITY GOSSIP Intense Diplomatic Interest in the Russian Episode
 Shall Friendship Older Than Government be sundered
BY VI. MANNING.

washington, July 11.-In diplomatic cir eIes the one absorbing subject Of eonyer- saflon and speculation Is the possible ais- ruptIon of the friendly relations which have subsisted between ourselves ana Russia, from a period antedating the TOT nation of the constitution. Engaaho' France. Germany, China and little Japan are particularly interested, but It IS or more or less concern to all the other pow CTS. small and great, and even to the South Ar1eriean republics. While the general opinion is that nothing immediate will come of 1t. the feeling Is that the lit- tle cloud of today may be In the course of events the nucleus Of gathering storm which will burst in fury In the far east or some other quarter of the world.
 sss
 One of our former ambassadors, or rath- CT ministers, to a European power, In commenting on the situation. said: There is one nation in Europe which will do everything within her power, secretly, Of course, to widen the breach, if breach shall be made, between ourselves and Russia. That nation Is Great Britain. At the present time the object nearest to her tory administration Is an understanding, if not an alliance, with the United States. In Europe she is isolated and Russia is pressing her close at several points. With America on her side, she could cope witn Russia or any combination that might possibly be made against her. Besides that. the eclat of having made an alliance with us would enable the Balfour ministry to hold the reins of government almost in- definitely. The agency which England will employ is her press. and you can see that this enginery is already in operation. Papers that have hitherto been foremost in abuse and ridicule of everything Amer ican are now printing insidious articles to the effect that we are the nation to call & halt upon Russian aggression and much else of the same tenor. It is easy to read between the lines of these arti- cles which are, of course, inspired by the government that MT. Bull would like to use us for pulling some of his chestnuts out of the fire. Some of these journals are beginning to exalt Mir. Roosevelt into Napoleonic figure which l honestly be- lieve he thinks he is The whole perform anee Is very amusing. MT. Roosevelt Is a Napoleon on a broncho."
 
 I understand that Tom Johnson will be nominated by the democrats for governor of Ohio, and that if the state is won M. b. Ingalls will go to the senate. Here are two good men who represent SofneInlnB. They are both rich. full of fight, capable and ambitious. They represent defined policies, they control an organization. On a platform embracing matters of conse- quence to the state they will be formld- able foes. Johnson is an aggressive and Interesting personality. With M. E. In- gals behind him he is a power. They would appeal not only to the business in- terests, but to the Bryan enthusiasts as well. These men, in Ohio, will be well worth watching. Senator Hanna will have his hands full.
 By the time what MT. Roosevelt calls his vacation comes to an end this summer, he will hold the record among all his pre- deeessors for protracted absence from the capital. The western electioneering tour took two months. There came short in- terval of less than two weeks at the White House, to be followed, according to pres ent arrangements. by another two months at Oyster Bay. John Adams was the first president against whom an outcry was made in this respect. During his single term he was in the habit of going to his home in Braintree for five or six weeks in the summer. It was wise and necessary preeaution on his part for the preserva- ton of his health. considering what Washington then was without a single laid out few years before his term be- gan. Jefferson followed the example of Adams and went to Monticello during the heated term. To come down to Grants time. He spent July and August at Long