The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-04-24
THE E a wIpENINa.
Split Over the Cuban Bill Only
Eorav7,D,sr oF HFo-o nigrene5ous

Spit over the Cuban Bill Only q
Forerunner of More Discussions.
washington Cor. san Francisco CALI
Not in ten years has there been a
time when the situation in national pol
itics was so threatening for the Repnb-
lican party said a very prominent
I Republican today. We are Just pre-
Z pairing 10 go before the country for the
election Of a new house Of representa-
tives. Apparently it viii be 1890 over
again. How are We preparing for it?
We seem to have no leader. The Re
pubiicans in the house are a leaderless
mob. The minority of Republicans
there combine with the Democrats. and
that is an end OF party responsibility
and party discipline.
Exactly the same situation prevails
in the senate. There is no leader. and
a few senators who were elected as Re
publicans stand ready to form an alli-
ance with the Democratic, indeed.
the alliance has not already been
fOrmed-to overthrow the policy Of the
administration and bid defiance to par
ty authority. How is It to end? Unless
the big men Of the party come TO their
senses 1t viii end in disaster after dis
aster and the loss Of the presidency in
1904"
These expressions are only in line
with what can be heard whenever two
or three leading politicians get togeth-
eT. The gravity OF the situation is
growing The sentiment for q tariff,
Democratic unity and Republican dis
cord-that is the situation in a nut
shell.
Since the breakdown OF the party
power in the house on Friday there has
been almost a panic. This has been in
tensihed by the duplication Of this stu
alton in the senate Administration
senators are all asking. What can be
done? VIII the Cuban situation be du-
2licated on the canal bill? Will not
this session Of congress end in a cOiOs-
sal failure, which viii make defeat in
evitable in the fali?'
Men who have much TO do with max
ing the policy Of the Republican party
ldeclaTed that for the time being con
gress had got into a position Of an
tagonism to the administration, and it
was for the administration to step in
and assert itself. They point U that
the Republicans have ceased to have
leaders in either branch OF congress.
and that the Democrats, who have had
no leadership for Years and no hxity Of
purpose in a decade, are really molding
legislation.
In some quarters there is q DISPOSE
ton to e~ritieise the president n TO
throw much OF the blame upon him for
the condition prevailing. Republican
representatives said today that Mr..
Roosevelt had not been as firm as he
should have been in insisting on giving
a remedy for the Cuban situation from
the first. Instead OF that. they said,
he had-not one or twice, but several
times-declared that the Cuban diff
something he had inherited from the
late President Mckinley.
The color given TO his was that the
president was Indifferent to the Cuban
cause and was seeking 20 get relief for
Cuba in a -perfunctory way. simply be-
cause the late president was commit
ted to 1t, and not because II was some
thing that was right and 10 which the
national honor was pledged.
No disguise is made Of the feeling
among Republicans that the party if in
q critical state. The congressional
committee. it is said on good author
ity. Is feeling very nervous and is look
ing to the national committee TO take
hold Of the coming congressional cam
paign and help out It is doubtful if
it can get any help from the national
committee. The house has from the
outset Of the present session ignored
the national committee. Its advice,
whether given by Senator Hanna. the
chairman. OF Postmaster General
PAYNE, the vice chairman, has been
coutemptuoUsly rejected.