Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-25
LOOKING FOR ISSUES
Democrats to Hold a Caucus
Friday Night.
TARIFF AND TRUSTS
HOPE TO MAKE THE CAMPAIGN
ON THEM.
Philippine Situation Not a Good Sub
ject-Republicans Are Not
Worried.

| The democrats in Congress are expert
| encing difficulty in alighting upon suitable
| and trustworthy issues for the coming Con-
| gressonal campaign. A caucus of House
| democrats has been called for next Friday
evening a. the suggestion of the managers
| of the democratic congressional committee
to outline a campaign against tariff and
| the trusts.
| Some of the Senate democrats thought
! they had a fine issue IN the Philippines stu-
! alton, especially in the alleged crueities
| practiced by the army on the natives. The
| promptness with which the republicans met
| the question, and the unanimity with which
| the country rallied to the defense of the
army in the Philippines took the sap cut
of that club Immediately. The House dem
OcratS, keeping a little closer in touch with
the people than their colleagues at the other
end of the Capitol, felt the electric thrill
of resentment pervading their districts at
once.
Hot End of the Poker.
You've got the hot end of the poker;
drop it, was the suggestion of the House
democrats to the senator's In the mean
time the republican senators had loaded
down the Record with speeches defending
the army and pOrtraying the arraignment
of the army by the democrats. These will
go to the country in due season and will be
read by millions of voters.
J ne EepuDllCdnS also TOOK care TO point
out the weakness, as they claimed, of the
democratic proposition for dealing with the
Philippines problem, and showing that the
latters plan did not solve anything. The
republicans are ready to go to the country
on the Philippines question the day the
Philippines bill is signed, and they believe
they have good case.
A great many democratic representatives
nave been chafing under the senatorial cam
paign and urging a change of policy.
Great guns" said one indignant demo
cratic representative to a Star reporter
yesterday, how in blazes can | get up on
platform and call the army ruffians
brutes, Neros, etc, when / can look over
the crowd and myself pick out from one to
dozen old fellows who have sons or
nephews in the army?'
Chairman GriggS of the democratic con-
gressional committee circulated Yesterday
the call for Friday nights caucus. The OBJ
Ject, 1t is understood, is to get a ringing
caucus declaration against trusts and the
tariff to present to the country as a prom
| Use of what the democrats might do if they
were in power.
Republicans Not Worried.
This isn't worrying the republicans at
all. They have anticipated that game,
and will they say. forestan democrat
ic promise with republican action The judi
| clal department Of the government now is
proceeding against two great corporations
| the Northern Securities railway merger and
| the beef trust. 1t Is practically certain
| mat about the time the campaign gets
| hottest there will be developments in these
| cases.
| The republican managers point out that
| this very law under which the actions are
| being brought was passed by a republican
congress, the democrats voting against
| the rule for it's consideration 1t was in
| force during a democratic administrations
! but was not invoked.
| As to the tariff. the republicans are more
! than willing to have it made an issue by
| the opposition. They will just rest the
! case, they say, and let the other fellows
| convince the country, if they can that the
| lean days of '93 and the Wilson tariff are
| preferable to these times.
Very Pretty Fight.
1t IS going TO be very pretty fight how
ever. Each party is kicking up a dust to
try to blind the other as to where the real
fight will be made and how. One feature
of the campaign will be the effort to win
individual and scattered districts. In the
election of 1893 and 1900 many districts
We're carried one way or the other by plu-
ralties small as to make them good
fighting ground for both parties. In some
instances the reappointment and gerry
mander have modified these conditions, but
many still present a close vote.
careful study of local conditions will
be made by the democratic and republican
managers in these districts, and money. .
literature and speakers will be used as
necessity dictates. In this fight the aim
is not so much to carry a state as to get
the units which make up the total mem
bership of the House.