Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-25
At THE WHITE HOUSE
Nebraska's United States At
torney to Be Removed.
SUMMERS SUCCESSOR
THAT IS WHAT IS TROUBLING
THE PRESIDENT.
Mr.. Roosevelt Gives an Illustration Of
His Splendid Memory for
Faces and Events.

The President has not taken any action in
the case Of Williamson S. Summers, the
United States attorney in Nebraska, whose
retention in office has created 80 much
trouble for Nebraska politicians. He Is eX-
pected to appoint some one else within a
few weeks. Senator Millard. Senator Die
trich, Representative Burkett and other Ne
braskans have talked with the President
about the tange and all Of them have
views.
There is no doubt. as has been stated in
The Star. that District Attorney Summers
will rot be retained in office. but the ques-
ton of who shall succeed him is the one
that will give the President the greatest
trouble. Senator DIETRICH Editor Rose
water and the Nebraska representative are
all favorable to H. c. Lindsay. state chair
man. while Senator Millard. John L. Web
ster and others want William Gurley given
the place if Summers is not retained. But
there is fierce opposition to Gurley and his
appointment would revive old feuds in Ne
braska and would probably involve John
l.. Webster to such an extent as to cripple
the unanimous support he would otherwise
receive from the Nebraska delegation for
vice President on the republican national
ticket.
Factional Fight of 1900.
The story goes back to the fierce fac
tional fight in Nebraska in 1900 Edward
Rosewater, editor Of the Omaha Bee, was
a candidate for the United States Senate
So was John L. Webster There were
other candidates, but these were the prin-
cipal ones The fight began early in the
year. Rosewater succeeded in the prelimj-
nary fights which sent delegates to the ma
tional convention He secured the twelve
nominees for the legislature in Douglas
county, his own home, but he did so at
heavy cost to himself. His victory preclpi-
tated such bitterness that the feeling was
carried into the election in the November
following. 1t was openly charged that hun
dreds of the followers of Webster knitted
the legislative ticket. composed of Rose
water men. At any ate, only nine of the
twelve men were elected to the legislature
and the nine who did win election managed
to squeez in by as few as ten to hundred
votes each. It turned out that these nine
men saved the legislature to the republi-
cans. If the Douglas county ticket had
been defeated as a whole, as was evidently
Bryan democrats and the populists would
have controlled the legislature and would
have elected men of their faith to succeed
United States Senators Harris and Allen,
then in the Senate.
Did as Mckinley Suggested.
When the time came, to elect two sena-
tors the fight was kept up, the legislature
being dead locked for days and weeks. 1t
Was about to adjourn without electing re-
publicans, but President Mckinley knew
that the republicans in the Senate did not
have the majority they have since secured
in that body and he interfered to the eX-
tent of asking the legislature not to adjourn
without sending two republicans to the
Senate. Mr.. Rosewater himself was one
of the first to accede to the request of
President Mckinley, and he withdrew from
the race. Webster also agreed to propo
siton, and the result was that Charles
Henry Dietrich and Joseph Hopkins Millard
were elected to the Senate, materially aid
ing the majority party in carrying out i'm
portant plans of the administration. Die
trich had just been elected governor of the
state. He was nominated by the republi-
cans at time when they did not have
any idea they would be able to defeat the
democrats and populists combined. That
was the year when Bryan was making his
second race for the presidency and it was
thought by the republicans that he would
certainly carry the state. Senator Hanna
never had any hope of carrying the state
until few weeks before the election. and
then he sent some men and money into Ne
braska and particularly into Douglas coun-
ty, where the factional fight was on.
H. c. Lindsay was the republican state
chairman who managed the campaign of
1900 and who was ad1udged by Senator
paign of any state in the country. Lindsay
has remained as state chairman since then
at a sacrifice to himself, 1T is stated. The
interests of the Webster faction in that
fight were managed by William Gurley of
Omaha, and it has been freely charged that
Gurley could have prevented the knfing of
the Douglas county ticket had he tried. At
any rate Gurley's demeanor during the con-
fiict was such that Editor Rosewater put
a large block of remembrance away in his
head.
The Presidents Splendid Memory.
There has never been a President with
better memory for names and faces than
President Roosevelt, and his visitors often
remark upon this marvellous faculty. A
week or so ago the President recalled with
out suggestion the name Of visitor and
the circumstances under which they met
twelve or fifteen years ago in the west.
Their meeting then was short and each
went away without expecting to see the
other again. Today Representative Gold
fogle of New York introduced Florence ].
Sullivan, the Tammany leader of the eighth
assembly district of New York. The Presi-
dent said he did not remember to have met
his caller, but he asked if Mr.. Sullivan had
not an uncle named jeremiah Sullivan, at
one time member of the New York police
force. Mr. Sullivan said this was true, and
the President then told all about the officer
and his record. describing his appearance
and characteristics minutely. "F'lorrie"
Sullivan was greatly surprised
Invitation for Miss Roosevelt.
Delegate Mcguire of Oklahoma called on
the President today with Miss Richardson
of Oklahoma City. Miss Richardson told
the President that Oklahoma as terri
tory will be sixteen years old September 5.
1t is proposed to celebrate the day with
great festivities at the Louisiana Purchase
exposition One of the attra ctions will be
exercises by sixteen young ladies commem-
Grating the event of Oklahoma s admission
a territory An invitation was extended
for Miss Alice Roosevelt to be present The
President said he would convey the invita-
ton, but he did not think it probable that
she would be able to accept