Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1902-05-09
REPUBLICAN, DISASTER.

mot in ten years has there been time
when the situation in national politics wa
so threatening for the Republican party
We are just preparing to go before the coun
try for the election of new House of Rep
resentatives. Apparently 1t will DO 1890
over again. How are we preparing for it {
We seem 10 have no leader The Republi.
cans in the House are leaderless mob. A
minority of the 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 are elected as Republicans
stand ready TO form an alliance with the
Democrats-f indeed the alliance has not
been formed already-to overthrow the
policy of the Administration and bid de
fiance 10 party authority. How is it TO end 7
Unless the big men OF the party come 10
their senses it will end in disaster alter dis
aster aud the loss OF the presidency in 1904 I"
This statement was made Oy very promi
nent Republican,, who was asked for his
opinion as 10 what the signs OF the times in
the party meant His expressions are only
in line with what can be heard whenever
two or three leading politicians get together
On all the gravity of the situation Is grow.
ing Sentiment for tariff revision, Demo
cratic unity and Republican discord-that
is the situation in q nutshell. Since the
break down of party power in the House
there has been almost panic. This has
been intensified by the duplication OF this
situation In the Senate.
In some quarters is q disposition TO crti.
else the President and 10 throw much OF
the blame on him for the condition prevail.
ing. Republican representatives say that
Mr. Roosevelt had not been as firm as be
should have been in insisting on given
remedy for the Cuban situation from the
first. Instead Of that, they said that be had
not only once or twice, but several times,
declared that the Cuban difficulty was not
one of his making, but that it was some
thing which he had inherited from the late
President Mckinley. One prominent Re-
publican said that the trouble In the House
was to be laid primarily at the door Of Rep
resentative Babcock, of Wisconsin, who
stirred up the question of tariff revision.
This, said he, made the first trouble, be
cause il famed the flame of revenue reduc.
ton. The Babcock bill. he said, was really
introduced, not in good faith, but TO Brighten
the steel companies now merged in the Steel
Trust Tor refusing in 1900 to contribute TO
the Republican Congressional Committee.
Nearly all the Republican leaders, however,
Tail to discern that at the root of the trouble
lies the demand for reduction of the tariff,
by revision or by reciprocal legislation.
Much of the difficulty in the House is laid
by leading Republicans to the unpopularity
of the Speaker.
No disguise is made OF the feeling among
veteran Republicans that the party is in
critical state. The Congressional Commit.
tee, il is said on good authority, is feeling
very nervous, and is looking to the National
Committee to take hold of the coming Con.
gressional campaign and help ont 1t is
doubtful If they can get any help from the
National Committee. The House has from
the outset of the present session ignored the
National Committee.
The outlook is bad for the Republicans
all over the country. This statement is
made not on the authority of idle gossip,
but on reports gathered by members Of Con
gress, who have been in close touch with
the public. Washington Correspondent Ne,O
York Herald