Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-07-17
SECRET oRTHBcUBAN FAILURE

that Washington correspondence of the
New York Evening Post has come the
nearest to being the personal mouth
piece Of the President, in his relations
with the newspapers. of any newspaper
representation at the national capital
Many utterances of the Post have lined
up so closely with the views expressed
by the President in personal confer
ences that general impression has
gained ground that the reports as we'll
as the papers comment is inspired di-
rect from headquarters. Several weeks
before the adjournment Of Congress the
Post admitted that there was no chance
for the Cuban reciprocity measure dur
ing the session just closed and in a
pretty direct manner indicated that the
President realized he was fighting a
forlorn hope.
The position held by the Post cores.
pendent, therefore. gives added interest
to the statement OF the why's and
wherefores" of the Presidents defeat.
The Post claims that Cuban reciprocity
was taken up as a convenient club to
punish the President or as a leading
Congressman put II to teach him =
lesson" This lesson was deemed ne
cessary because OF Roosevelt's attitude
toward powerful political influences in
the Senate and House, and the deter
mination to whip him into line or
blight his political prospects.
Few people not in close touch with
affairs at Washington. says the Post,
have known how large is the number
of Congressman hugging secret griey-
ances against President Roosevelt. In
public. of course. they have spoken as
his supporters. but those behind the
scenes have understood that II was but
another case of Pitt and the great
mobiles. They supported him." writes
Lord Rosebery, "on their necks, for his
foot was there" Mr.. Roosevelt has
heaped up sights to these members OF
Congress. or what they consider sights.
They have long regarded themselves
as a privileged guild. Theirs II was TO
name public officers. to determine party
policy to make patronage wash legils-
lation as one hand washes another:
and there were certain rules of the po-
litical game, as 1t was played between
the Capitol and the White House,
which they had come to think of as
possessing the force of imprescriptiblc
law. But President Roosevelt has not
observed those rules. He has been
horribly irregular. He has appointed
men to Office without first consulting
Representatives and Senators. Their
sensibilities he has ruffled, their AFRO
gance he has given cold douches. He
has done 1t smilingly. even hilariously,
as II he thought that was Just the sort
OF thing they would like. But they
have not liked 1t, and they have silent
" bided their time. In the Cuban i'm
broglio they saw their great opportun-
ity. and they are now chuckling with
delight to think how they have utilized
IL to make him know his place. They
have, they say, sent the young man to
school.
Every one can see that the present
crisis is big with the political fate OF
President Roosevelt. His defeat in the
Cuban matter has been brought about
by political managers who are hostile
to him in their hearts and who are
determined to prevent his renomina'
ton.
This view seems entirely feasible and
tallles closely with the hints from other
sources OF what was going on behind
the scenes. President Roosevelt is cut
ting swath OF his own in the ffeN Of
political custom. He is in fact build
ing up a machine of his own-a ma
chine that furnishes advice, assists II
getting the votes, but does not dictate.
/