Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1898-10-26
A coNcREssMANs VIEW.
A Clever Kansan Scores a Num-
Der Of Timely Campaign Hits.

TOPEKA, Kas, Oct, Congressman
J. ID. Botkin does not agree With the
Republican speakers when they say
that Republican congressman should be
elected this fall in order to back up
McKinley's war policy. In speaking on
the subject he said:
Zone of the most unreasonable posi-
tions taken by the Republicans in this
campaign is that the people should elect
the Republican congressional candi-
dates SO as to have congress In har-
mony with President Mckinley in the
solution of the grave problems growing
out of the war with Spain. In the first
place the congress elected this fall will
not be in session until year from next
December, unless we have an extra ses-
sion, which is not likely. My confidence
in the president and his advisers and
the present congress is such that l am
sure these problems will practically be
solved with good degree of satisfac-
tion to the american people long be-
fere that time arrives.
In the next place the American .pso-
pie are not ready for dictatorship
even though the dictator might be Will
liam Mckinley. The theory is that we
send people to congress to represent the
people, not the president. If our rep
resentatiyes are to be controlled by the
president, why send men to congress at
all? Let us abolish congress and en-
throne the president as dictator. 1t
will be remembered that one of the
greatest roars ever made in this ceun.
try went up from the Republicans and
the rank aud Gle of all parties q few
years ago. when Grover Cleveland was
said to have absolute contrel of his con-
gress through the power ofpatronage-7
when he was the whole thing 1t is
also we'll known that many Republi-
cans and all Democrats and Populists
of this nation are in revolt against
Speaker Reed because he has converted
the house of representatives into
house of registrars, whose real work is
toregister hls sweet will And now
the Republican bosses of Kansas
yravely propose that the people shall |
slect men to congress, who by the very |
position they take in this matter, have
pledged themselves to be
subservient to the presideptrather than
10 the people. Thus ars the Republi-
can politicians and leaders getting |
farther and farther from the people
Never Ia the history of our government
have we so much needed independent |
men In our legislative bodies. Much |
as I admire the many splendid quail
ties of MT. Mckinley. I, for one, am
not willing that he should be made the
whole thing.
Another statement that seems to be
stereotyped for the use of Republican
speakers, and which is as silly as 1t is
false, is that "a vote for Republican
candidates is vote for
Mckinley and Americanism, while
Vete for Demo-Pop candidates is vote
FOR SPAIN" This statement may fool
few Republican voters, but the masses
IF the people in this country who
watched the proceedings of congress
Turing the extra session, as well as the
'egular session, know that it was the
Democrats, Populists and silver Repub-
leans who made repeated and persist
INT efforts to bring up the Cuban bel
igerency resolution that had passed
10Th houses of the Fifty-foruth con-
yress, and had passed the present sem
lte early IN the extra session. They
llso knew that it was Republican
'peaker backed by powerful Republi-
,an majority in the house, and by the
that prevented even its
They know, too, that it
xas the minority in congress that
Toiced the sentiments of all the national
platforms adopted in 1896, and repre-
ented the general sentiment of the
American people in demanding that the
should hasten to the
escue of the wretched victims of Span
sh misrule and cruelty, even though it
night involve war.