The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-12-16

PUBLICAN dMp.

sevelt has thrown a
the Leaders of his
10 houses * congress
railway/ magnates.
lred in his message to
that the hw should be
Is to give fhe interstate
bmmission jthe power to
ght ratesA the railroads
of the VIZ transportation
were stSytled and dumb
They weff given assurance.
y the republican politicians
presidenH meant nothing by
mmenda4on. Thus, their fears
aged foffa while, but mo- for
Or as isfhown by the follow
Eciai dispfltch from Washington
h Richmond Tfmes-Dispatch,
resident Eid mean what he said
he WROTE that paragraph in his
That is surprising to US is that
Sc republican politicians should
We thought that Mr.. Roosevelt did
It mea9 what he said. They have
nown 4im long enough to have
ormed{a very different opinion of
him. THE truth is these republican
'senat4rs and representatives did not
mearf what they said when they made
MS statement to the railroad mag
naf3s. These men who had been as
Y09ated with Mr.. Roosevelt for such
A{ong time could not have so mis-
judged his character. Among the
faults of character that nay be as
cribed to Mr.. Roosevelt that of lack of
straightforwardness in speech and
saying things which he does not mean
cannot be charged against him.
We believe the president to be
thoroughly in earnest in this matter;
hat he a made up his mind to Sc
cure the passage of such an act be-
lieving it to be Of great Importance
to the country.
If our surmise be correct then there
will be one of the greatest political
battles waged in the halls of congress
before this matter is settled that the
country has witnessed ln-many a day.
There will-be on the one. side the
RoweFf6f influence of the gigantic
eilrOad corporations, aided by iRflu-
itial senators and congressman who
are financially interested as stocks
these companies and on the other
Mr.. Roosevelt, backed up by the rank
and file of his own party and the peo-
pie of all other political creeds.
\ circumstance worthy of notice in
connection with this matter is that
this much discussed paragraph in the
presidents message was. in all prOba-
bility, written before the November
election; before it was known what
would be he vote of the socialist par
ty. He then saw the trend of public
sentiment. When he declared to his
friends last Friday that the republi-
can party would have to encounter a
radical socialist party -four years
hence, unless something was one in
a legislative way for the relief of the
masses and that he thought such leg
islation would prove the most bene-
fetal act congress could undertake, he
showed that he correctly read the
signs of the times before the social.
lists had been given opportunity tc
demonstrate by their ballots on cleo.
ton day that their party had made
astounding growth since the last cleo.
ton.
Following is the dispatch of tbs
staff correspondent of the Times-Dis,
patch in Washington:
Washington. D. c., December .
President Roosevelt told a group O
senators and representatives who call.
I'd at the White house this Afternoon
that he was in dead earnest when h,
recommended in his message that
law be passed giving to the interstate
commission the power t
fix freight rates. He declared in tn
most emphatic terms that congress!
should enact such Il law.
The general circulation of the In
Cident. indicating the firm attitude o
the president. mas created 4 sensation
in republican circles The repUbIi
cans of the senate are very generally
interested in railroads, and some O
the democratic enato arc aist
stockholders in big railway compan
les. 1t was thought by all these an,
by the leaders of the house that tn,
president meant nothing when he re
commended the passage of a bill
which would take away from tn,
companies themselves the power TO fl
freight rates. They assured Wall stree
that there was no danger OF any sucl
legislation They have realized thai