Evening star., 1904-03-16
THE HEARST BOOM
Eldersot the Democratic PARTY
in Congress Alarmed.
GOBBLING DELEGATES
METHOD OF HANDLING THE STU
ALTON IN DIFFERENT STATES.
Using the Supreme Court Decision to
Further His Own Candidacy-In-
roads in New England.

Inc elders or the democratic party IN
Congress who have been pondering upon
presidential platforms and candidates are
observing with increasing interest the fact
that while they have bean theoriZing over
candidates their young friend Hearst has
been gathering delegates.
Every day or two the dispatches bring
notification of another gobbllng up of dele
gates by the Hearst boomers in different
parts of the country. Sometimes they are
instructed outright for him, and again. as
in the case of the Celina, Ohio convention
of yesterday, the delegates were not in.
structed, although notoriously favorable to
Hearst.
Mr.. Hearst's method of handling the sit
uation in the different states is noted with
some interest by the elder democrats in
Congress. For instance, in PENNSYLVANIA
and Ohio, he is trying to break up the unit
rule 1t would be impossible for him to
swing the entire delegation of a big state
but if he could get goodly percentage of
1t, and not be overslaughed by the unit
rule, he would be contented. On the other
hand. in states where he has a majority or
the delegation. as in Rhode Island he
promptly ties them up by the hard-and- fast
application of the unit rule.
The Supreme Court Decision.
The elder democrats are also comment
Hearst seized upon the Supreme Court de-
cfsion and sought to pluck from it a feather
with which to adorn his own condida torial
cap Mr.. Hearst has already started a
crusade for further prosecution of the trusts
and for indictment and Imprisonment of the
northern securities merger officials under
the decislon OF last Monday of the Supreme
Court 1t is very evident that he intends
TO attempt to pillory the administration
and the republican party If it does not take
advantage of the latitude which Mr. Hearst
thinks the Supreme Court decision gives
for further prosecutions.
Awaiting himself of an expression dropped
in passing by Mr.. Justice Holmes that the
logical conclusion of the majority decision
would be the criminal prosecution OF Mr.
Morgan and Mr.. Hill, Mr. Hearst has
started in upon a campaign to hold up the
administration II it does not do that Some
good-na tured fun Is being enjoyed by Off
cials at the Capitol over the fact that the
Presidents first new appointee of the Su-
.preme Court, Mr.. Justice Holmes, should
have led in the dissent from the majority
opinion against the trusts. Additional
relish is given to the point from the fact
that when Mr.. Holmes was placed on the
bench the trust organs belabored him vigor-
ously for his alleged tendencies of mind and
habit of thought which might lead to an
adverse position against the trusts. AS It
turned out, Mr.. Holmes was the strongest
champion of the opposition to the majority
of the court. But all of such talk, Of
SouIse, Is merely SOOu-nalufGQ perSff1aR0
and not indulged in by officials in any kind
of serious vein.
Progress in New England.
Word has reached the elder democrats in
Congress from New England that the
Hearst boom is making rapid progress in
that quarter and has assumed such pro-
portions as to frighten the Olney mem and
start a lively movement to offset Mr..
Haarct'c efforts Tcla nd x,fa
tory was an eye-opener, 1t is said, to the
conservative democrats of Massachusetts.
who did not dream that Mr. Hearst had any
foothold upon New England soil
What seems to alarm the southern DEM
ocrats most in the growth of the Hearst
boom is the consideration that If the Hearst
campaign becomes formidable 1t may start
a revulSion of feeling among democrats
would lead to stampede to the other ex-
treme and the selection of Grover ,Cleve-
land The southern men fear that If the
country becomes possessed Of the idea that
Mr.. Hearst might be nominated the demo-
Gratis would in sheer desperation again seek
the aid of Mr.. Cleveland.
Another consideration which is being
discussed by democrats is that the nom.
ination of Mr.. Hearst might lead to
a bolt in the democratic party, split up
the presidential electoral vote and throw
the election of President into the House of
Representatives. In that event the repub-
licans would have a walkover, for the
present House. with it's republican major
ity, would have the naming of the Presi-
dent Democrats in Congress are priming
themselves to take a shy at the trust ques-
ton the result of Mondays decision of
the Supreme Court. They are not content
to let the republicans get away with all
the credit of that notable victory over the
trusts.
What Mr.. Williams Says.
Mr.. Williams of Mississippi, leader of the
minority in the House, said to a Star re-
porter today that in his opinion democrats
would insist that the Attorney General fol-
lowing the precept of the decision in the
merger case, should look further into al
legged combinations of railways and indus
tries.
Mr.. Williams pointed out that the De-
partment of Justice has been given by
Congress 100000 with which to prosecute
the trusts. According TO the report made
to Congress at this session, not more than
$25, ,000 of that sum had been expended.
Mr. Williams thought there would be no
excuse if the Department of Justice did not
look into few other combinations He
thought, for instance, IL might be profitable
to ascertain If the steel trust was receiving
benefits from railroads in reduced rates on
steel manufactures for export. In fact, he
could see quite a wide field of activity for
the Department of Justice If ii cared to
look further into combines in restraint Of