Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-02-28
WALL STREET POLITICS.

WALL STREET IN POLITICS.
The mention of William r. Hearst
asa possible candidate for the dem
ocratic presidential nomination in
1904 seems to have thrown a decided
scare into the ranks of plutocracy.
Some of the financial journals that
have mildly criticised President
Roosevelt for mentioning the trust
question have all of a sudden discov-
cred that it would be very dangerous
for the financial interests to fight
against the nomination of Roosevelt.
Wall Street Journal, a daily paper
circulating among New York bankers
and Wall street spectators, in an
editorial on Feb. Is processes to have
discovered among Wall street men a
deep laid plan to defeat Roosevelt in
the republican convention if possible,
and ii not, then at the election. The
candidate picked to do the Job at the
election is said to be Judge Parker of
New York. After singing long
song about the phenomenal populari-
ty of Roosevelt with the masses the
Journal says:
How is MIR. Roosevelt to be beaten ?
1t seems to us that he can be beaten
in the convention only by Wholesale
treachery on the part of his party
10 say that he is much the strongest
candidate that the Republican party
could possibly put up, is to state a
fact admitted by every one It is pos
s1ble that another candidate might
better please Wall street, but il would
only be because he would forfeit the
support OF the people at large. How
is Mr.. Roosevelt, if nominated, to be
beaten at the polls?
He can only be beaten by the cleo
ton OF candidate standing for princi-
pies such as those embodied in the
yellow journalism.
A concentration Of the forces of
socialism, demagogery and "high f.
nance would be necessary for this
purpose, and even then it might not
be successful; and if it were success
full, would the ''high finance" feel
quite comfortable in it's new surround
ings?
In the issue OF Feb. 20 the Journal
contains long editorial under the
heading ''playing with fire." in
which it openly mentions the Hearst
candidacy and deplores any opposi-
tion to President Roosevelt as calcu-
lated to stir up popular feeling and
make the nomination of Hearst posi-
BILE. The whole burden of the edi-
torial is that Hearst wants to set
class against class and thus create a
popular feeling that would land him
in the presidential chair.
The intention is plain enough. The
Journal represents the opinion of the
real masters of finance in Wall street
While some of these would undoubted-
ly prefer for president some more
tractable man than Roosevelt they
have come to the conclusion tn at he is
not very dangerous and that they will
not oppose his nomination. What
they are anxious about now is to get
the democrats to nominate some man
that Wall street finds satisfactory.
They will then have a club to hold
over the presidents head. If he is re-
elected he may be under some obliga-
tions to them, and if he should be de-
feated they would be just as we'll off.
= They may not be as much afraid of
Hearst as appears from their sayings.
But his candidacy will be liable to
stir up the rank and file of the party
and make iteasier for the Bryanites
to get a stronger following in the
democratic convention. The pluto
Gratis would be better pleased If they
could once more control both of the
old parties entirely and play them off
against each other whenever they
wanted some special favors. The
democratic party is q handy thing for
them to have to put into power when
they want some very unpopular act
passed, like the repeal of the silver
purchasing act, and then use the re-
publican party for doing their ordi-
nary business. - 81. sst@: 6 I'll.
Democratic newspapers and poll
=ticians continue to ascribe the build