The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-06

| than mere casual interest in canal
construction. Among them is Repre-
! sentative Sydney j. Bowie. of Alabama.
| who was here during the past week.
| 1.-THE canal Is of the highest import
ance to the people of our part of the
country" said he. 81 have always
agreed with Senator Morgan that the
Panama route was not practicable.
and that the shift from Nicaragua
TO that route was a put up job and
d disgrace to the country. OF course
/ should rather have the Panama
canal than none at all, but l am still
confident that we shall have to look
to Nicaragua for our canal. In my
opinion if Engineer Wallace had found
the Panama route feasible he would
not have permitted himself to leave
the great task before him. He was on
record as discrediting the plans of the
original commission under which
Panama was gwen the preference"
Passing from the canal to things
political, Mr. Bowie predicted the pos
sibility of a return TO power of the
Democratic party, of which he is an
tariff reform is going to be so heavy"
continued Mr.. Bowie, that the voters
must return to the only party that is
committed to the principle. The peo-
pie are sufficiently intelligent to know
that the Republicans will not change
the tariff system enough to give the
country genuine relief. In country
of freemen such as ours there is al
ways a cnance for a change of power,
ana as soon as the people realize that
the Republicans are merely playing
with them in connection with their
promises of reform, they will abandon
that party and ally themselves under
the Old standard of Democracy. With
the Democrats fighting their next Con-
gressional campaign on tariff lines.
there will be every chance In their ia
Vor TO win"
Control of Senate.
No matter what may happen next
year the control of the Senate cannot
be wrested from the Republicans. No
material changes are expected in the
fptlrty alignment in that body. al
though there may be one or two sur
prises for the minority in some of the
Western States. The real party con-
tests will be confined to such States
as Montana. Colorado and Idaho,
where the Democrats came into cot
troll during the free silver campaign
of the early ninetes They have not
}
possession of those Stater.
Such Republicans as Crane. Fry,
Neisrm Warren and Wetmore and
such Democrats as Morgan. CarmaGk
and Tillman will have no oppoSition.
This will probably be true of DRYDEN.
Burnham and Gamble of the Republi-
can membership. and Bacon. Bailey
and Simmons, of the Democrats.
There has been a little preliminary
talk of opposition to Bailey of Texas.
but it will hardly materialize serI-
ously. DolliVer will probably have
plain sailing although some of his
Iowa. opponents have been trying to
groom some other candidate. so far.
unsuccessfullJ-.
There will, of course. be some no
ia BILE contests and one or two Ia
miliar figures in the Senate ma" be
retired by their own party. In Della
ware there will be a bitter fight. as
there has been for years. Senator
Berry, of Arkansas. one Of the OLD
time Democrats and COnfederates.
will have the fight of his life to keep
from being retired by Governor JEFF
terson Davis, who wants to succeed
him Senator Burton, of Kansas will
not be returned, but the sharpest
rivalry for his place exists, with Rep
resentatfve Charles Curtis and former
Four the Assistant Postmaster General
Bristow. as the leading candidates.
| Clark and His Millions.
Montana is such close State that
the fate of Senator. VIM. A. Clark, not
Withstanding his millions. will be in
doubt until after the vote for Legis
lature is counted, and possibly even
until after the legislative vote is cast.
should the Democrats carry the State.
1t is an open secret that the Repub-
To .f4Eae In11t IN
Idaho, Senator Dubois, according TO.
common report, has abandoned any
hope of reelection. The State on
every other office is Republican and a.
Republican Senator will probably Sic
coed the incumbent who will be re-
membered as one of the Republicans
who walked out of the ST Louis COM
vention in 1896 with Teller, of Colo
RADIO, Lee Mantle, of Montana, and
PettigreW, of North Dakota. 4
In West Virginia Elkins may have.
strong opposition, owing to political
complications, but the astuteness of
the Senator is counted unlE to keep
that State in line and re-elect hin-
self. In Oregon there will be a de-
termined struggle for the seat now
occupied by Senator Mitchell, who, be-
cause of the result in the land fraud
Investigations and his own indictment
and conviction, will not return to the
Senate Senator Willard, of Nebraska,
also has a lot Of trouble on his hands,
but may win out
Very few of the older and more
prominent Senators come up for re-
election next year. Conspicuous in
this class is Senator John T. Morgan,
the Grand Old Man" of Alabama.
who is now completing his fifth term.
fight was made six years ago to
defeat Senator Morgan, but the Senate
being in session he conducted his cam
paign from Washington so successfully
that his opponent was lost sight of be-
fore the Legislature convened Since
that time there has been no talk of
any one other than the "Old Man"
and the Alabama Legislature will pro-
badly only be required to go through
the form of electing the man upon
whom the people have placed the seal
of their aDprOVal