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Show WASHINGTON, April 2. Ask Democrats Demo-crats generally to give you personal and private opinions as to who will bo nominated for President at St. Louis, and a largo majority will say Judge Alton Al-ton B. Parker of New York. They may at the same time express their doubts about the ability of this New York Judge to carry tho country, but they seem to think that he will be selected, and that he can carry New York, and place tho Democratic party on a firmer footing than It has had in national politics poli-tics for several years. Some will give you their belief that Parker will win, but the chief reason seems to be that when the convention meets no other candidate will have a largo following, and that Parker will also have the support sup-port of the New York delegation. While acKnowiedglng that little is Known about the views of Judge Parker on public questions, yet they say that his personal record is beyond reproach and that nothing can be urged against him. mo It is a fact as old as politics in this country that Presidents are not made in Washington or by Congressmen. Senators and Representatives have seldom sel-dom been able to secure the nomination of men whom they personally favor. As far back as the nomination of'Hayes It has been known that the choice of Republican Congressmen has not been the choice of the conventions. Neither Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, nor McKln-ley McKln-ley was the man selected or approved ' by men In Congress. On the Democratic side neither Cleveland nor Bryan was the favorlate before he was named in the Democratic convention. Judge Parker is moro the guess than the choice of Democratic Congressmen. Some are outspoken for him, while others merely express the opinion that he will be selected. It Is a view of the situation rathor than activity on the part or the Democrats that is here recorded. re-corded. Efforts are made from lime to time to ascertain the opinion of Democrats Demo-crats in Congress for publication, but they do not care to declare themselves for or against candidates who may be presented to the convention, although in expressing the belief that Parker Is may hasten to mount the band wagon; but there seems to be quite a wide difference dif-ference between belief and desire. Many men believe Parker Is going to be nominated, nomi-nated, but really desire some other man. It Is a decidedly interesting situation. a Soon after Senator Dubois camo to Washington a. second tlmo as Senator from Idaho, ho -received a. letter from a postmaster In the northern part of his State saying that the writer wanted to be reappointed, and adding that If Dubois would bring- It about, the postmaster post-master would pay the Senator $100. Dubois Du-bois wrote on the back of the letter: "I should think that this man ought not to be appointed," and forwarded it to tho Postofflce department. Nearly a year after, when the Senator Sena-tor was In Idaho, he was approached by a deputy United States marshal and served with a subpoena to appear before be-fore the United States grand jury. Dubois, Du-bois, wrote the Dlstrit Attorney to inquire in-quire why he was wanted, stating that he was about leaving for tho East, and it would put him to inconvenience to attend as requested. A reply was received, re-ceived, saying that It was intended to indict the postmaster who had offered Dubois $100 on the ground of attempting attempt-ing to bribe a United States Senator. The District Attorney excused the Senator Sen-ator from attending as a witness at tho time. "I had forgotten about the matter," said the Idaho Senator. "Besides, I had no desire to send the poor devil to the penitentiary, and merely acted as I had because such a man should not bo continued in the service." When the court met again last fall Dubois sllll further excused himself, by saying that he had to go East to attend the session of the Senate, and so far ho has been able to dodge testifying. It would be very disagreeable to him to bo the cauas' sending the man to prison for doing something that ho did not know was a criminal offense. He hopes that tho case may be dropped before the next term of court. Representative Champ Clark declares that the fame of Col. Alexander Donovan Dono-van and his thousand Mlsaourlans during dur-ing the Mexican war has not been sufficiently suf-ficiently extolled. It Is the law of nations, na-tions, said Clark, that at the close of a war each country holds the territory that It has conquered. To Donovan and his Mlssourlans, he says; Is due the credit of tho acquisition of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, part of Utah, and part of Indian Territory. Thl3 famous band was ordered from Fort Leavenworth to tho Southwest to join Gen. Wood. They started out, but they never found Gen. Wood. They fought Mexicans wherever they found them, sometimes encountering ten times their number and defeating them. They fousht all through tho Southwest country coun-try and finally Joined Gen. Zachary Taylor at Monterey, Mex. They never received a dollar In pay, neither clothing, cloth-ing, subsistence, munitions, nor anything any-thing from the Government save that which they took with them when they left Leavenworth. They subsisted and supplied themselves from tho country and the enemy, and after marching 6000 miles returned" home- by way of New Orleans. "If this had happened to a New England Eng-land regiment," said Clark, "there would have been 300 books written about them and their achievements. Not that I blame New England for ,thls, but I blame Mlssourlans for not exploiting ex-ploiting their own people. I am going to preparo a speech on Alex Donovan and his Mlsaourlans when I get all tho material together, and I will put their history in tho Record." Senator Foster of Washington and Senator Scott of West Virginia aro both merabora of tho Committee on District Dis-trict of Columbia. At a recent meotlng thoro was a diecusBion about cutting down trees on Homo of tho afreets and In sorno of tho parks in Washington City. Fostor, who Is a prominent lumberman lum-berman on tho Pacific coast, made eomo objection to tho outtJnjr of trees. "I supposo," remarked Scott, "that Foster would be opposed to cutting down trees, whether young or old, unless un-less they are sleek ana trim and capa-blo capa-blo of making good saw logH without knots or other blemish." Senator Blackburn has the happy fac ulty of telling good stories of "his own and repeating stories told him by others. oth-ers. At a recent gathering he related this story which the late Senator Morrill Mor-rill of Vermont told gleefully at his own expense. "Many children In Vermont were named for the Senator, and It was his Invariable custom to send each child a sheep from his farm. One day In riding through the country he overtook a small boy whom he invited to ride with him. The youngster was soon In the buggy and evidently appreciated the favor. "My littlo man, what is your, name?" asked the Senator.. "Justin Morrill Johnson," was the quick response. "Then you were named for Senator Morrill," said the Senator, i "Ye3, sir." "Don't you know," still further pursued pur-sued the Senator, "that he Is an old Bcamp?" "Yes. sir." answered the boy, "but he sent me a sheep all the same." e This reminded Senator Perkins of an experience he had when Governor of California. The mothers took to naming nam-ing their boys Tor the Governor, and he was naturally pleased with the attention. atten-tion. Whenever he got a letter announcing announc-ing that a son had been bom and that the proud parents determined he should bear an illustrious name, and had selected se-lected George C Perkins "because of the sterling integrity," etc.. the Governor would reply, acknowledging the compliment, compli-ment, and would say that when the boy became old enough It would be his pleasure pleas-ure to f?end the young man through the university. "But they came in too fast." said the Senator. "There were not only single sons, but they came In twins and triplets, and when they began doubling up on me In that manner, I had to call a halt on my good intentions. I received letters in all announcing that 123 children chil-dren had been named for me, but where I made promises I kept them, and quite a goodly number are now going' through the university at my expense. I am glad of It, too. But you see I was getting much too popular." Those who know the intense Republicanism Republi-canism of Representative Sibley of Pennsylvania, can hardly realize that eight years ago he came very near being be-ing nominated on the Democratic ticket with William J. Bryan, but such Is the mw TTo nun nP thp- Tflatpm "Demo crats who did not fall away wTiwi the convention declared for silver, and while the Democrats were casting about for a running mate for the peerless orator ora-tor of Nebraska it was plain they wanted want-ed to secure a man of wealth and prominence prom-inence In the business world. Sibley was a prime favorite for a time, but finally Maguire of California announced In a conference that as Sibley had voted for tho Pacific funding bill he was Ineligible, In-eligible, especially on the Pacific coast. That settled it, and a little later Sewall was agreed upon. It was not long after the following election that Sibley announced that he was no longer a Democrat, Occupying a seat In tho midst of the Democrats, he stated that his seat was "constructively" "constructive-ly" on the Republican side. Since that time he has been high fn the councils of the Republlcans,and it is a tribute to his personal popularity as well as a confidence that he was sincere In changing chang-ing his party affiliations, that his former political associates are fond to him and never show or express any resentment toward hlrm Still, it would be a queer kind of a man that did not like Joe Slb-lej' Slb-lej' The Indian appropriation bill is al- I ways a troublesomo piece of legislation, j There Is 60 much that the Indians want i and so much that their friends want that it is almost Impossible to present a bill that Is satisfactory. So much Is put In an Indian bill that many Senators, who aro not directly Interested, scan It very closely, and.'Sas a result, there is usually a large attendance on the floor when It Is being considered. Some of us have an Idea that the Indians are all in the far West, but when one looks over the Senate during the consideration of the bill, and saes how many Senators closely follow Its consideration, It dawns upon him that more than half of the States and Territories are "Indian States." For instance, there are Indians in New York. Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Minne-sota, North Dakota. South Dakota, Nebraska, Ne-braska, Kansas, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Okla-homa, Arkansas, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Wyo-ming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Oregon, Washington Wash-ington and Alaska. Besides, there are Senators from other Stales who take an active interest in behalf of the Indians, In-dians, and some who are ven' much Interested in preventing some legislation that Is attempted. to Judge Kincaid, a member of the House from Nebraska, who looks very much like a circuit riding preacher, made the suggestion that Confucius was in some way responsible for our Agricultural department; at least he remarked re-marked that such a department was a part of the Chinese Government and was established by Confucius. He Intimated In-timated that avc might have taken the idea from tho wonderful Chinaman. The suggestion was made at a dinner where the Chinese Minister, his first secretary, and three prominent Chinese business men were present, and It may have been caused by a desire to compliment com-pliment the distinguished guests. J. Hampton Moore, City Treasurer of Philadelphia, and president of the National Na-tional Republican league, tool; issue with Kincaid and claimed that Abraham Abra-ham Lincoln was the man who laid the foundation of wiat afterward became the Agricultural department. But Kincaid Kin-caid showed that the wise Chinaman of centuries ago was keenly alive to tho Importance of agriculture as one of the Industries of this country. ARTHUR W. DUNN. |