The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-16
TX E L o E B,
 JeWeIer.
THE DECKS CLEARED COMMITTEE MEETING IN WASH
 INGTON. Attitude of Hanna of Most Interest to the Repubiicans-Many Would Like the Democratic
 Nomination.
Advertiser Bureau,
 Colorado Building,

COIOrado bulIQlnS,
 Washington, Jan. b.
 While the meetings of the National Committees of the two parties which are held to choose the time and place for the assembling of the National Conven- tions do not constitute the same person. mel as the committees which conduct the campaign as cut out by the Convention, they are not without wide popular inter- est and are sometimes attended by incl dents that are shadows of coming events that carry the name of the candidate likely to be named.
 The two committee meetings, Republi- can and Democratic, recently held in Washington. enlisted the usual public in- terest. The chief popular concern in the Republican meeting was as to the atti- tude of Chairman Hanna. Senator Han na settled agitation of his name as a can- dtdate as sincerely as he could in the negative. That having been done without any slopping-over upon the only candidate left. the committeeman went to their homes to resign themselves to the man described by former Senator Thurston as the man everybody was for and nobody wanted" Reduced to the monotony of Roosevelt's name, the Republican Party, with all the future possibilities of drl- matic antics in their standard bearer. are
 
 tions which sometimes make a cause pop ular. Roosevelt has about given the whole party a Surfeit of the sensational, as he has the great body of the people.
 The meeting of the Democratic Coni- mittee has not in prospect any apprecia- ble effect upon the plans of the Republi- cans. They must so on accepting what ever the President gives them for a pol icy to defend or champion. They must YHaAA- AA<sn n.. publicans in Congress are undoubtedly and absolutely on the defensive. and will continue to be until Congress adjourrs for the fight to be renewed on the hust- ings, they are not enthusiastic. nor earn- est. except when reused by the proddirg of debate. They are for Roosevelt, but not with the same unprecedented devotion they gave to William Mckinley; for never before in the history of party politics did a candidate for President exact and re- ceive as many iterated and reiterated as- surances of loyalty as MT. Roosevelt. Nothing with them seems to be taken for granted. Suspicion of fealty to Teddy en- velops every mothers son of the party until he hastens to the White House and declares himself faithful. And Mir. Roose- welt doesn't hesitate to catechize his wis. itors in such way as to pin them to the issue The paramount business of all Republican visitors to the White House. therefore, 1t to make 1t plain beyond per adventure that they are for or against the President. Those in the party who most radically oppose him do not go to the Executive Mansion. They stay away and pray for Hanna, or. in the event he can't be gotten to run, for the Demo- crats not to play fool; that they nominate some man who will beat Roosevelt So 1t Is that the Republicans who go to the White House go there to "crook the preg- nant hinges of the knee" while Roosevelt skins his gleaming teeth. grips thelr hands, pumps their arms and dances his "dee-light.'
 Meanwhile, also. the President fondly congratulates himself that he has done a brilliant stroke of politics in his Panama deal. He has judged that the American people. having long ago committed them- selves to an isthmian canal. are ready to take any tha. can be had the soonest. He is aware, too, that 1t is a physical impossibility to get deterrent information to the masses who move by impulses to- ward the promise of gain. and are never swayed nor stopped by .he compunctions of conscience He is perhaps of the opinion that if a Democratic President were in his place and should do the same thing the people would applaud his acts so Tar as llty HOiSh ANSNNN-' no sort of matter how questionable the Righteousness and legality of the performs anGe.
 He Is doubtless assured that while what he does in the case in question may be without precedent or warrant Of law the might of our Government compels such respect as that outside countries will not interfere. ana the pub lie sensibility t" "r"ne-ooiits can be easily soothed by reference to oth- or aots of men in authority that were eausII,, had but not too bad for the end to he attained Mir. Roosevelt is shre"d enough in politics to have hit the popu- lar passion of commerc'alism Whlcn knows no sectional lines nor party mas tery. He knows there is not in America so absolute a tyranny as this passion of commercialism and that the people of the Southern States are for the most part of recent years Just as badly innoculated as those of the North. Wherefore MT. &oose- veIt is learning daily to his profound Elee that sentiment in the South is with him-that the business men of the South" unanimously endorse his isthmian canal policy.
 He has heard of the intimation of jocu- lar John Allen of Mississippi, on the ques- tior of Government complicity, that 'the more complicity there is in it the better the people like it." He has even fancied that the old notions or rlghts or seces- sion would respond to the utilization of his recognition of the republic of Panama. The President knows there Is no national discontent comparable to the discontent over deferred national advancement that promises Nooty for everybody. He sees that the public Is easy to persuade that if they do not get the Panama canal they will get no canal and he is pander- ing to all this with the utmost intensity of his passionate nature. It Is no great wonder after all. that he is succeeding. And really nobody about Washington ex- presses any great wonder at the specta- cle
 Whether the Panama performance will elect him President remains to he seen. Certainly at this writing 1t has not hurt him with that vast majority of the people who are subject to the tyranny of com mercialism. Men insinctively like to l,e- IIeva in what they hope for and if thev