Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-15

friends. Neither Aidfich, Platt nor Spooner
had been known as personally friendly to
the President when he came into office, but
he did not stand upon the question OF now
they regarded him. and they did not take
time to consider whether they stood as hlgh
with him as others did. They responded
to his calls and held almost daily confer
ences with him. The President skilifully
found out the strong points OF eacn. lhey
grew to like him, and in this way he won
the friendship of men of undisputed STAND
ing in the country and in their party. Aid
rich and Platt smoothed out party diHer-
ences of opinion and brought tosetner us
cordant elements in the Senate; Spooner
was the Jim Jeffries of the republican
party in an oratorical way.
Senator Spoonsr's Value.
Almost daily for months spooner was IN
the thick of the fray with German, Tiiiman'
Bailey and other brainy democrats HE
watched for statements from them that he
considered erroneous, and attacked his OPP
ponents on the spot. He kept before the
country the republican plans and policies'
defended the President from numerous per
sopal attacks and in turn attacked the
enemy The President told some OF the
friends of the Wisconsin senator that 1t was
marvellous how thoroughly he kept posted
on practically every Legislative question that
came up or was expected, to come up But
for this knowledge of nearly everything Inc
democrats would have often 1ouno thel,
charges unanswered, and their Inquiries anu
facts undisputed.
Senator Spooner was asked one day how
he found time to read up on so many tnlhss
before Congress, and to know every sHlan
detail of them 1T is because l go INTO
this business like / would go into law
case" was the answer. since L nave peeh
in the Senate l have not accepted d sihSie
retainer, in the practice of my profession
as a LAWYER I consider 1t my duty to give
my whole time.to the service of my state,
and l do so. Why shouldn't study every
question coming up -oafefuiiy ana IN oetail.
BY doing so l am able to fntell1gentiy pass
upon questions that-eome before Congress-
Senator Spooner is lawyer of such stand
ing that he has had many oners each year
for his professional skill and legal knowl-
edge, and could make thousands OF dollars
yearly while serving In the Senate.
On many a day during the last session OF
Congress Aldrich, Plat and Spooner were
in conference with the President, calling
singiy but meeting in the private room OF
the President They really constituted the
trio Of senators upon whom the President
depended for mana cement of most lmpor-
tant qtfestions.-~ Other senators were ire
quently consulted as the President did not
show discrimination lin his treatment OF
the leaders of the party except in so far
as necessary to put in the hands of Few
men the conduct of questions that affected
the party and the administration greater
than others.
Senator Beveridge's friendship with the
President grew out of the natural tendency
of vigorous, energetic, patriotic young men
to join interests and the fact that Beve-
ridge early announced himself supporter
and hacker of the President for the party
nomination.
Senator Beverage.
At that time there were grave doubts as
to how most of the republican leaders of
Indiana would go. Senator Hanna was in
high esteem with them; Senator Fairbanks
cautiously kept out of any public statement
that would commit him either way, and
Representatives Watson and Lands of In
diana were quietly for Hanna. Beveridge
plunged into the fight with his coat OF for
Roosevelt and won the first blood In the
early maneuvers. In the Senate also Bev-
erigde was valuable in his treatment of
number of state questions. One of these
was the matter of statehood for the terri
tories. The President. as man with west
ern sympathes, had felt that the three ter
ritories were in position to demand state
hood. Beveridge went out to New Mexico
with a Senate committee and investigated
the fitness of New Mexico for statehood on
the ground. What he told the President
upon his return changed the mind of the
chief executive, and 1t was agreed that
statehood should not be granted this year,
at least. 1t was Beveridge who smoothed
over the resentment of the westerners at
their failure to get statehood; who answered
democratic allega tons of broken faith and
kept the whole situation in hand in such
Ny III
detriment to party prospects. $
In public land legislation and questions OF
deep interest to the west the President con-
suited Senators Hansbfough, Warren. Kit
tredge Long of Kansas and few others,
including Representatives Curtis OF Kan
sas. Lacey of Iowa, and Mon,lells of Wyom-
ing.- si-Ts
On strictly political matters the Pres
ident showed Partially in his confer
ences. He frankly called in men who had
for wears been known to entertain other
than kindly feelings for him and talked
with them about party affairs in the same
frank manner if they had always been
close to him. In this connection Senator
Foraker of Ohio, the veteran Representa-
tive Grosvenor of the same state, Hemen-
way, lands, Watson and Crumpacker of
Indiana, Foss and Boutell of Illinois,
Payne, Sherman and Littauer of New York,
Metcalf of California, now Secretary of
Commerce and Labor, and many others
were confidants. of the President. Repre-
sentative Grosyenor sided with the Pres
ident as to the republican nomination at
time when feeling in Ohio was somewhat
acute, owing to the possibility that SEN
ator Hanna might be in the race.
Tact of the President.
The tact and diplomacy of the President
at period when there really was doubt
to- whether he would have opposition for
the nomination has never been fully real
lied The situation was a delicate one full
of opportunity for blunders and the max
ing of enemies Senator Hanna himself
liked the President personally and re-
Trained from committing himself, despite
the thousands of urgent requests that he
come out against the chief executive
The winning of Plat of New York and
Quay of Pennsylvania was a political
event little of which has ever been known
until recently. Both these willy politicians
were generally credited with having
brought about the nomination of Roosevelt
as Vice Presideht-st~ Philadelphia to kill
him off politically. 1t was true that Plat
had noaloVe~ for the President at that time.
Repeatedly Roosevelt had overridden the
New York organization and had his way.
Quay was not personally antagonistic to
Roosevelt but he Joined Senator Plat for
political reasons OF his own. In less than
twenty months after the President was
sworn into office. both-these men were his
loyal friends. They were shrewd enough to
see the political drift in republican ranks
and found the President different from
what they had expected. The friend
ship between Roosevelt and Platt became
so pronounced tirars the President refused
to take any hand in the efforts of Governor
Odells TO crush out the old leader of New
York. Quay before his death WAS often