Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-08-12
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n Champ
~ ~ Letter
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Especial Washington letter.
RE the Republican leaders scar
"a ed? Perish the thought! Ac-
"a cording to their story, only q
few weeks ago they had the
world by the tail with downhill pull.
Even now, according to all their
prophets save one, we will get only
161 electoral votes out of 476.>a that
one-General Charles Henry &osvenor
reduces the number to 1873. If these
things are true, how does 1t happen
that the cabinet, all the members who
can make a stump speech, will take the
stump in hot haste and rend the cir
cumambient atmosphere with the cry
Of Roosevelt foreverw Mr.. Secretary
Of the Treasury Leslie NJ. Shaw Is to
quit Fostering his head about the grow
ing deficit while he whoops 1t up for
his chief. Mr.. Secretary of War Hon.
William 81. Taft Is to let the Philip
pines look out for themselves while he
makes the welkin ring for the G. o. H.
tho grand old humbug. The new
attorney general, William II. Moody, is
to give the trusts a rest from prosecu-
ton while he explains to gaping thou
sands the virtues of the president and
the gbres Of the G. o. n. Mr.. Secre-
tary Of State John Hay Is to make
few speeches to select audiences. Mr..
Secretary Of the Navy Morton will ex-
plain to an astonished world how by
the grace Of Colonel Roosevelt he be-
came cabinet minister within three
weeks after he was converted to the
g. o. b., and SO on through the list.
But repeat the question, If the Re-
publican leaders are not scared within
an inch Of their lives, why are all these
cabinet officers to abandon their duties,
for which the people pay them each
$4,000 per annum, to undergo the labors
and dangers Of stump speaking? Truth
to tell, they are scared. The tide is
against them, and they know 1t. Colo
mel Roosevelt has ordered out his vet
Grams at the beginning Of the battle, al
ways a hazardous performance.
Plenty Of Tickets.
This is free country, and every cit
izen or citizeness has perfect right to
nominate a ticket for president and
vice president. That many of them
have availed themselves Of this inalien-
able privilege is patent when we con-
slider the presidential field as 1t now is.
The Democrats have nominated Alton
Brooks Parker and Henry G.. Davis;
the Republicans, Theodore Roosevelt
and Charles w. Fairbanks; the Prohi-
bihonists, Swallow and Carroll; the
Populsts, Tom Watson and Tom Tib-
bles; the Socialists, Eugene V. Debs
and Ben Hanford; the Socialist Labor
party, Charles n. Corregan and W. w.
Cox, and the National Liberty party,
Payne and Scott. The last named
party Is made up Of colored men who
believe that they have not received q
fair deal at the hands Of the Repub-
licans. There may be other party NOM
nations which have overlooked. But,
60 far as I know, the foregoing is
complete list to date, which the readers
hereof will do well to post in con-
spicuous place or commit to memory,
as it will be convenient many times
during the campaign now Just begin
ming, for reference or quotation. The
consensus Of newspaper opinion ap-
pears to be that these minor parties
will not poll enough votes to affect the
result, but that statement must be
taken with some allowance. It has al
ways been commended that Birney's can
didacy in 1874 defeated Henry Clay in
New York, the pivotal state, though
Birney received only few thousand
votes. In 1876 the small vote cast for
good old Peter Cooper in Oregon gave
the electoral vote of that state to Ruth
erford B. Hayes and enabled the Re-
publican freebooters to steal the pres
idency for him. Had he not carried
Oregon, stealing the electoral votes of
Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana
would have done him no good, for they
would not have furnished him enough
votes to elect. In close contest In
any particular state few thousand or
a few hundred or dozen or even one
vote might make a president.