The Leon reporter., 1902-10-23
TRIBUNE ROAsTs HENDERSON.


The Chisago Tribune. the leading re.
publican sswspapsr of the city, has the
following editorial comment on Col.
Henderson:
"Speaksr Henderson will confer .
favor upon many friends il he will de.
cline to discsss further witk reporters
or other people his withdrawal from the
congressional canvass in Iowa. Gradu.
ally the idea has filtered through the
public mind that the reason advanced
by the speaker for his withdrawal are
not the ones that controlled his action.
He did not retire from the contest and
from public life because he is agitated
about the tariff question or because he
believes that the CYRUS of free trade" is
to be injected into the political system
of the country. He was not seriously
dissatisfied with the Iowa platform.
He had expressed a reasonable degree
of satisfaction with it. He had accepted
appointments to speak during the cam
paign. He was aware that the platform
was substantially the same as the one
adopted in 1901. He had previously
been reconciled TO differences Of opinion
within the party far more serious than
which had become manifest in Iowa.
cit was not fair for the speaker-it
was not candid to allege that he retired
from the campaign because he did not
like the tariff resolution adopted at Des
Moines. He might have stated the true
reasons. They we're not discreditable
to himself. They we're purely personal
and related to the state Of his health
and business opportunities offered to
him which we're attractive and which he
did not feel like refusing to entertain.
Why not say so then? Why was it nee
essary to drag the everlasting tariff issue
into the arena and make it appear for
the time being to his friends in the party
and out Of it that irreconcilahle differ.
ences had arisen between him and his
party associates which made it necessary
for him to retire to private life? Speak.
er Henderson is not the kind Of man
ordinarily to take step of this kind
without consulting his political friends;
yet his withdrawal WAS announced
without previous consultation with the
men closest to him in public lfe-Sen-
ator Allison, Secretary Shaw, Secretary
Wilson and his colleagues in the con.
gressional delegation, and his principal
associates in the house.
'slt was not right Of the speaker sto,get
out of the campaign without consulting
these old and tried intimate friends, but
if he thought it was necessary to take
the step, it was still less becoming OF
him to do it on the ground that he was
dlssstie6ed with the action of his party
on the tariff question: 1t was not q
fair deal. The action of the speaker
might have had disturbing political
effect. Fortunately it had none. Th.
waters closed over his head as they dc
over drowning man, and twenty .foul
hours after he had disappeared from
view the surface was as serene and un
ruff1ed as if he had never made hole ir
the deep. But there was q man over
board and a commotion for while
1t was inconvenient.
From this time on there should b.
less talk of the withdrawal of MIR. Hen
derson, and the reason for it, and it,
supposed effect upon the public mind
We should hear nothing more about tn,
twenty years he has spent iu 'battlin,
for protection and the republican party
nor should illusions to the virtue Q
free trade receive serious attention
They mean nothing. AS Bob lngersol
used to say: Let US be honest, and
we can't be entirely honest, let US be a
honest as we can be-