The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-29
WHAT WILL THE DEMOCRATS Do?
Harper's Weekly Discusses Present Opportunity Of
the Democratic Party

alton viii quickly follow. 1t is high
time that Democrats should begin to
consider carefully the platform and the
candidate that they VIII present TO the
country. The situation in which they
find themselves is. from several points
Of view. unique. Never before in the
history of the republic has a vice pres
ident who became president by acct
dent succeeded in securing from mis-
party a nomination for the succeeding
term of the presidency. Yet, since the
meeting Of the Republican national
committee Mr.. RoOsevelt's nomination
seems as certain as any future event
can be. He has not a single aV0Wed
rival there is scarcely a sign Of oppo-
sition to him in the Republican ranks
This seems an astonishing state or
things when we recall what strenuous
resistance the candidacy of such men
as Blaine and Mckinley encountered.
What doubles our sstonishment at the
completeness with which Mr.. ROOse-
welt not by any means an experienced
politician. controls the party machin-
err is the fact patent 70 every close
observer at Washington, that he can
not be described as. popular among the
Republican leaders. He is neither liked
nor trusted by them in the sense that
Mckinley was. They regard him with
an uneasiness which has been growing
for upwards Of a year Some of them,
w no are DdLIlOAE d. We az H0AAtAAfAclAA0f
do not hesitate in private conversation
to express doubt whether it would
be safe for the country to confer the
vast and elastic powers of the presi-
Dental Office upon man OF MI. ROOSe-
velt's temperament for four years more.
1t is by no means with enthusiasm, but
rather with misgivipg, that they look
forward to a campaign with Mr.. Roose-
welt for a standard bearer. They are
not sure that they want him. They
have even been heard to- admit that
bat for his infatuation touching the
free coinage of silver at the ratio or
~ sixteen to one. even Mr. Bryan might
be a less dangerous occupant of the
White House than Mr.. Roosevelt They
do not believe. they say. that Mr..
Bryan would have disTegarded the con-
stitutional limitations of his Office IN
order to appoint the anthracite coal
strike commission: or that he would
have ventured to make something like
200 recess appointments when no recess
Of congress existed, except in his i'm
aginatiOn.
When even some Republican politi-
clans evince a certain amount of ap-
prehensiOn, it is not surprising that in
the business world the prospect Of Mr..
= ROoseveIt's nomination and election is
| j regarded with something like dismay-
, BY the business world we do not mean
the financial magnates Of any parucu-
lar city. nor the great corporations en-
gagged in production or transportatloni
? we mean every man who. by dlnt OF
? hard work, enterprise and thrift, mas
managed to accumulate some money,
, and whose capital be 1t small or large,
is invested I'm some channel of industry
or trade In country like the United
4 States. indeed, where there is no lels-
ure class and no proletariat, the term
. 4 aaanA aH y 10
with the whole mass of able bodied
males who have enough intellect and
o. character to be self-sUstaining. Not
3 only the so-calIed fnancier who ham
Z dies large blocks of securities. but
{ every skilled and economical workman
whose savings, have purchased the
r house he lives in or are drawing IN
+, terest in 9. savings bank. or have made
/ provision for old age in the form Of a
{ life insurance policy, is vitality inter
( ested in a wise. sober, cautious and
e conservative administration of the fed
= eral government that viii scrupulouSly
I avoid fiscal dislOcatiOn or financial dis
: turbance. and strive stUdiously to
{ maintain prosperity, confidence, and
3 peace. When we say, then, that Mr.
D ] Roosevelt is beginning to be eyed with
some distrust by the business world
we mean that the feeling is shared by
/ every sound sane. well balanced ana
: clear sighted intellect in the country.
7 / Not only does the feeling exist, but 1t
e is tending to gorw more widespread
: | and intense; nor are there wanting al
;. ready. some careful observers Of Mr..
/, Roosevelt's career who look forward to
j his election TO the presidency with anx-
= iety, not to say trepidation-
e What is to be done? Apparently. It
is useless to expect help from the Re
publican party. Its machinery is in the
hands Of Mr. ROOsevelts friends. Ihe
presidents nomination, therefore, may
be taken for granted. The only hope
I Of deIiverance from a chief magistrate
whom many sane and wise members
e OF his own party distrust lies in the
national Democracy, whose convention
e viii meet a week or two after the Re
q publican nomination has been made
V Not for twelve years will the Demo
a cratic party have had such golden
j. opportunity Mr.. Williams of Missls-
l. sippi. the leader OF the minority in the
p. house of representatives, is right IN
IF thinking and saying that the outlook
j. for the Democracy IS brighter than II
d has been for many years, partly De-
h. cause their opponents are committed e
- a dangerous candidate and partly De-
ia cause their own factiOnal differences
b have been removed ia a very large eX-
Is tent with the result that the Demo
cratic party is now more harmonious
m than it has been at any time since the
- autumn of 1892. Mr.. Williams does moi
a hesitate to express the belief that any
a. good. square. clean Democrat can neX'
1i year defeat Mr.. Roosevelt, to whom the
Republicans are chained, and from
So whom they cannot escape. They nave
al gone too far to retreat and canno
g. now refuse to nominate him, much as
to the conservative members of the party
e. may regret the fact Mr.. Williams
holds that Mr.. Roosevelts election
would not only imperil the business in
terests Of the United states, but woulC
be viewed by intelligent onlookers al
over the world as a menace to tn
's peace Of nations. The leader of TIT
Democratic minority in the house goe
re so far as to say that Mr.. Roosevelt i
"a the easiest man in the Republican
a. party to beat: much easier than sen
in ator Hanna, who would have been
in strong candidate, but who is now sell
-y eliminated from the race. Mr.. vii
t. liams preferred not 10 mention at thi
" time the names of possible candidate
to for the Democratic nomination, but n
Mt declared the conviction that any Dem
d. ocrat faithful to the fundamental MS
b. torica1 Democratic principles, and un
he associated with any special interest
lu would win against ln unsafe and spec
~ tacular Republican nominee. Request
n u he "a hon