Gloucester County Democrat., 1902-08-14

Especial washington Letter.
WT~ HERE is one absolutely safe
rule by which to ascertain
whether a man is good
Democrat and true-if Re-
publican papers delight to at
tack him, he is all right. Judged by
that standard, my Democratic record
is mo. l."
When l was a child back in the hill
country of Kentucky, I heard philoso-
pher say, when | throw a stone
among a pack of dogs and one yelps
l know hit him." Applying that die
tum, which is full of wisdom, to my
speech delivered in Bangor, Me-, on
Bunker Hill day, at least one rock
which | threw went straight to its
mark, for under the fetching title of
'.The Republican Column Solid" the
st. Louis Globe-Democrat, Republican
organ grinder in chief west of the Mis-
sissippi river, yelps editorially as fol
lows:
One of Missouri's Democratic congress-
men, Clark. of the Ninth district has
just been telling few of the Maine Dem
know about politics. According to the
telegraphic reports of that queer PERSONS
speech, he said. 1.-THE Republican major
ity in congress is split into warning fac
tions upon every issue that is acute"
Clark is not the inventor of this observa-
ton. He has heard it from several other
Democrats. He has read it in some of
the Democratic papers. 1t is an error
nevertheless.
On some of the issues now before con-
gress there is little difference of opin-
ion among Republicans. On the Cuban
question there was something OF di-
vergence. So. too. there has been diff
ference on the canal question. which. of
course, is not partisan issue. But there
is no divergence on the great issue of
the day, national expansion. All the Re
publicans are in favor of the retention of
the Philippines. All the Republicans also
want to strengthen the gold standard, If
it needs any more Strengthening any
where. All are against any assaults on
sthe tariff, irrespective altogether OF the
at34%;sde of some of them on the Cuban
recinrocfty question. The only issue on
which there, has been any material diff
ference among The Republicans has been
on that of Cuban Reciprocity
Whether am the inventor of the OBJ
servation to which the G..5p. taxes eA-
ceptions l do not know. IT, IS true'
however, as the CD. says. that l I>hisis.tse NAY
heard other Democrats say so and Re
publicans also. 1t is also true that !
have read it in Democratic papers and
in Republican papers also. 1t has
been stated over and over again in the
Washington Post, one Of the most bril-
liantly edited papers in America.
high tariff shouter at that. Everybody
here and every intelligent person else
where knows that the Republicans are
split up on the tariff. and the CD.
man alone seems to believe that 1.-THE
Republican column is solid" Nobody
who has any reputation to lose will
claim to have originated that idea or
to have made that declaration.
Some of the "SoIids."
Forty-odd Republicans In the house
broke away from the machine and
voted with the Democrats to remove
the differential on sugar and rode
roughshod over the leaders and over
ruled the 'chair" on an appeal from
his decision. Has the CD. heard of
IudI! w III IL SApidiA lAtl pClAoA III
ance to it's readers and after explain
ing declare that it goes to show ''sol-
id Republican column?" Does the
CD. believe that the action of Repub-
lican senators-siXteen in the open and
1.-TWO in rcserve'-in refusing to do the
presidents bidding as to Cuban reci-
procity Is another evidence of solid
Republican column?' Oh. yes. but the
CD. says that the difference on Gu
ban reciprocity. which it inadvertently
confesses to be material" will not be
discussed i'll the campaign! And yet
the CD. knows full well that the
Roosevelt and Roosevelt factions
are living upon that very issue and
will make the fur fly from Martha's
Vineyard to the Golden Gate and from
the great lakes to the gulf of Mexico
The CD. knows that the hottest fac
tional fight among Republicans since
the Grant and anti-Grant clans gath
cred at Chicago in 1880 is now on be-
tween the Roosevelt and Hanna gangs.
and yet it prates about "solid Re
publican column" Such "hubdub"
may hoodwink the Globe Democrats
clientele. If so. it is easily fooled, but
it will deceive nobody that reads any
other newspaper or who. having eyes.
sees and. having ears. hears. Evident
ly the GID. is edited for the exclusive
benefit and behoof of the marines.
1t knows that Cuban reciprocity was
laid OH the shelf in the senate because
Senator Marcus A. Hanna is after
President Eoosevelts scalp and pro
poses to take it at all hazards. and
yet the GID. has the hardihood to bel
low about "a solid Republican column"
and to denominate me "a queer per-
son" because | told the truth-and
what the editor of the CD. knows is
the truth-up in Maine. have fair,
square proposition to make-if the eGi.
tor of the GID will make affidavit
that the Republicans are united in all
things. are Il harmonious family. and
will place tie affidavit in my hands, /
will institute criminal proceedings
against him on the charge of false
swearing. will conduct the prosecu-
ton myself If convict him, the
CD. is to 20 oat of business II he is
acquitted. | will resign my seat in
congress and agree never to be Il can
didate for any office whatsoever.
| propose herein to give Il few items
and extracts from Republican papers
and speeches to show that the Repub.
lican column. instead of being solid. is
bifurcated.
ltem.-The capers of the Republican
state convention in Wisconsin show
that the G. O. z. in that state is not
only divided into La Toilette and anti
La Toilette factions, but also into Bah
cock and nti-Babcock factions. Bah
cock opened headquarters to lobby for
plank in the platform indorsing his
scheme of tariff reform, but the con-
vention sat upon Bah.
Senator Joh4C. Spooner is one of the
ablest Republicans in public life. His
friends wanted him indorsed by the
convention. The convention refused
to indorse Spooner unless Spooner
would indorse La Toilette All went
up in the air and quit in row.
Item.-The New York Press is busy
denouncing President Roosevelt, Speak
er Henderson and other leading Re-
publicans as traitors, free traders, etc.,
because they favor Cuban reciprocity.
Touching the conduct of the Press, the