The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-13
REPUBLICANS ARE ALARMED.
Loss OF SUPREMACY IN STATE AND
NATION FEARED.

president ROosevelt's Action in the
northern. Railway Merger Has
CaDped the Climax of His UapoP-
uIarity with Wall Street-Oden
and PIatt Fear Contributions viii
Re Lacking for the State and Ma
tionaI Campaigns-Many Other
Things show Tendency to Dis
organization in Republican
Ranks.
Washington, March 12.-The division
of the Republican party over the
question of tariff concessions for Cuba
and the fractional differences which are
growing in some of the states where
unity is essential to the success of the
rartv have alarmed administration
leaders to such an extent that a sys-
tematic effort to repair the weak
places has been begun.
OF great political significance was
the visit to Washington of Gov. Odell
of New York. Coming as this did on
the heels of Senator Platt's visit to
Albany, it is regarded by political OBJ
servers as a most important move to-
ward party harmony. 1t was impor-
tant because it brought President
Roosevelt directly and personally into
the movement; it was important be-
cause the future of politics in the En-
pire State was involved; it was impor-
tant particularly because it served to
emphasize the conditions that exist in
side the Republican party.
Republican leaders do not attempt
TO conceal their alarm over the posi-
bilities of a Democratic victory in New
York this fall. In the state at large
there are many fractional differences,
while in New York city the party is
handicapped by responsibility for the
present reform administration which
so far has succeeded in making rec
ord for nothing else than broken prom
ises. The extreme critics of Tammany
Hall, whose agitation made the cleo
ton Of Mayor Low possible, have al
ready turned their batteries against
the Mayor and his administration, and
the split between Low and District At
torney Jerome over the dry Sunday"
s!e2cr.d de vshrdlu cmfwyp vbgkqj xz
questions are, in the opinion of the Re
publican leaders, playing into the
hands of the leaders.
Dissatisfied with Roosevelt.
To add to their troubles, the Repub-
licans find that there is a great deal
of dissatisfaction among men who have
been the strongest supporters of their
party with some acts of President
Roosevelt. This dissatisfaction is real.
1t is not mere newspaper talk. The
large money interests of New York,
whose support has made Republican
victory possible made no attempt to
conceal their present lack of confidence
in the man in the White House. They
do not question his honesty or integ-
rity but they do question his political
wisdom, and they are not very enthu-
siastic over the political wisdom of
number of his closest advisers. This
lack of confidence is not of particular
recent growth 1t antedates by a good
many years the Presidents action the
other day in springing the news of the
merger suits to be instituted by the
government. which threw such a scare
into Wall street, but these suits-or
rather the Presidents method of taking
action without in any way consulting
the men in whom Wall street have the
gre1test confidence-serve to give his
critics the opportunity of saying, Il
told you So" and they are doing it
with a great deal of fervor.
This Wall street feeling toward
Roosevelt was clearly reflected in a
talk which l had with several gentle
men prominent in the financial world
with whom 1 was thrown at the press
dinner given at the Waldorf Astoria in
honor of Prince Henry. The under
standing was, of course, that these gen.
uemen were not to be quoted, and l
cannot, therefore, reveal their iden-
tty further than to say that
one of them is high official
Of the Standard Oil Company. another
is a partner in one of the greatest