Bisbee daily review., 1902-07-26
4 DIVIDING WEDGE.

Those whose business it k to keep in close political touch with the coun- try and devote their time to the gath ering of information concerning public sentiment, are becoming more and more convinced that the tarin issue is a wedge now shaped to divide the re- publican party MT. Wm E. Curtis. a man pre-eminent as a newspaper correspondent. has been spending much of his time recently finding out the intention and disposition of lead ing republicans concerning what act ion that party is likely to take in meet ing the undoubted popular deu.and for reduction of the tariff, which is now carrying the blame for the exist ence of trusts. Mir Curtis says it is difficult to see how a split in the r.pub- lican party is to avoided. unless some body yields. Continuing in a letter from New York to the Chicgo Record. Herald Mir. Curtis says.
 
 Boxers" who defeated the Cuban re- ciprocity bill in the senate, and both declared with unnecessary emphasis, that President Roosevelt's confidence in the adoption of that measure at the next session of congress was very much misplaced. One of them went so far as to declare that the bill would not receive as much support at the next sssion as it had at the last. and assrted that the olnly thick-and thin supporters that the President had on the republican side in that fight were Platt, of Connecticut, Lodge and bsv- eridge. He says that if a vote had been taken by a secret ballot in the republican caucus the Presidents pol icy would have received perhaps six, and no more and that if it had been proposed by any other man than Roosevelt it would have received no support at all.
 Those are the sentiments of an extreme sugar beet senator, and must be accepted with caution, but some of tn supporters of the President think he. is over sanguine in his expectation that the senate vii adopt his recommn- dations next winter. He intends to make great fight for them, and one of the objects of his speechmaking tour through the country this fall is to preach reciprocity, although several of the Boxers" have begged him not to do it. When Theodore Roosevelt is advocating a cause he thinks is right there isn't much use trying to gag him, and in the states and dis tricts which those Boxers repre- sent he will plead his cuse with even greater earnestness and persistency than elsewhere. He is convinced that the people are with him, and he will ask them to express their views in manner that may not be mistaken by their representatives in congress. Ii some of the senators and representa- tives had known what he is going to talk about they would not have been so urgent in pressing him to visit their constituents.
 The president is already getting together facts and figures to use in his speeches, and they win be che ef- forts of his life. He intends to force the fighting and to stand or fall upon the reciprocity platform. AS an avow- ed candidate for Ienomination he is taking a great many chances, but no one can help admiring his candor and courage and the strength of his con victions, although some think that his plan proves him to be very poor pol itician. We will wait and see"
 There are other people in the Re publican party who are quite as posi- tive in their convictions and quite as determined in the purpose to defeat the Cuban bill and prevent the adop ton of the reciprocity principle in our tariff legislation as he Is to secure 1t and they have an organization of force and influence composed of many of the weaIthiest and most influential Republicans in the country. It was largely due to theft efforts that the existing rates were embodied in the Dngley law. and they do not propose to have them disturbed. no matter what method is proposed or what req