The "bosses" of American parties are in consternation. Admiral Dewey,
who took Santiago, has consented to stand for the Presidency as "the candidate of the people "—that is, without a party nomination—and Mr. Hanna and Mr. Platt are wild with rage and doubt. Suppose the Admiral draws away half a million voters from the two parties, what becomes of wirepullers' calculations ? It is dreadful, and the Admiral is derided and denounced by a thousand pens. As he formerly refused to engage in politics, some strong pressure must have been put upon him, and we fancy it proceeds from that section of the Democrats which is in favour of gold and expansion. They are so afraid of Mr. Bryan that they would rather wreck their party than see him President. If that hypothesis is correct, Mr. McKinley's re-election is almost a certainty.
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