Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-17
THE SENATE LEADERS
Are Trying to Break the President.
Influence.

Are Trying to Break the Presidents
Influence.
Washington, March 1G-IIope that
the sSanto Dominican protocol will be
| ratified by tho s5cnat, has been aban-
doncd by the President and his SUP
porters. The present Iian is not 10
force O. vote but let the entire matte.
go over until the next session. The os-
tcnsible reason for the delay is the ex
pressed fear of Republican senators;
t)iat on a roll':all the nin Ji'ity would
present such a solid font as to defeat
the administration. Senators say they
want to save the Prcsidcnt's face
and that by delaying action until Oc-
tober ratification Viii be assured. 1t is
probable that Il request will be mad.
for more Information, on the plea tina
such an important step must not be
taken until every scrap Of knowlndg..
he administration has on the Dominic
can troubles is laid before the Senate.
Republicans of the Senate it is evil
dent We're perfectly willing TO ale
:OWn' in the Slnto Domingo contro-
vcrsy. They could ratify the treaty il
they wanted to Ly well-krown parlia-
it'iis'ti btNi'-'77, Jul Itieltttu lUty arc
only too glad to administer a rcbuk. 10
i.ooscvelt with his schemes Of tariff
read justmcnt, railroad legislation ana
reform in pIbli" land laws. ready to
press on Congress in al extra session.
The Senate is the Gibraltar stronghold
| pf opposition Ia these and ether Roosa-
welt policies. What could be better than
to weaken his pr"stIy. now with an
extra session scheduled for October
when all the chance for the success Of
| bis politics dererd on the popular en-
| thusiasm for them?
he Nigh. summon such popular sup
port that the Senate WoIilc be compell-
ID TO yield in certain legislation and
the great special interests would ha,-e
rcasoE TO feel disappointed in the
agents whom they had put on guard
hers. The way 10 weaken Roosevelt for
his extra session campaign is to break
his influence with the country a series
of defeats in treaties affords an excel
lent opportunity for this. because the
blame can 50 plausibly L., attached To
The Democrats. With the two-thiy.is
rule, the responsibilities for defeat
Wculd he technically theirs.
There is rather good understanding
between German. rs tie Democratic
leader. and the dominant Republican
senators. Their seeming antagonisin is
often for public effect, lccause it looks
better for Democrats tc oppose Re-
publican Presidents policy. The Re
publican leaders WOULD do as much for
iofman, if a Democratic President
were pushing a tariff reform bill. 1t
Panama Canal legislation, by holding
he Senate confe"ees rcsoiuteiy against
;hc House plan. which was also the
Presidents plan. for re0rganiZing that
body. German was working for Allison
whose Identification with Admiral Wal
her is so close that they are commonly
spoken of as brothers inlaw.
With this treaty there are plenty Of
the Republican influences which would
he effective in making Democratic support
did the dominant senators actually want
the treaty to succeed Senators Cuiiom
and Lodge want it ratified. and 50 90 q
small group of the Presidents friends
outside the foreign relI lions committee.
but thc larger number of Republican SEN
ators, taking a broader view of Roosc.
volts policies, tariff, railroad. land and
civil service reform, see that his defeat
now would be Of the utmost strategic
value to them in October.
1t is an axiom of senatorial procedure
that the side of 4 case which has the
necessary votes is always ready to fix II
time for the roll call; the side which
thcr debate and delay. Sometimes. rs in
the recent statehood contest in the Sen
ate, both sides were So sure of their
ground that there was common agree
meme for roll call. and the results were
so closely drawn as 10 justify tn" diScrcp
,inceS in the estimates. Why should the
republicans for the last week have per-
sistently announced their readiness To
vote on this treaty while coufC ssinc n
lack OF the necessary two~thirdS majori-
~ unless they are ready to be beaten?
If they would maintain the debate many
Influences might be brought to hear i'll
sentccs could be hurried home. -AldriCh.
who has not taken the oath Of office.
could be hurried here. whore II" belongs.
Missouri and Delaware might have been
compelled to furnish Republican senators.
The spectacle of Il party entitled to -
senators going into a critical fight Of this
kind with a probable vote of ii is Sufli-
GENTLY illustrative Of Republican faint
helrtpdneSS.
The administration if il had more time
could hc ut work as all administrations
are. If methods half rs diverse rs those
employed to get votes for the Philippine
treaty were now utilized the Santo Do
n!incan compact would be ratified by ~
majority. In that fight the dominant Re
publican senators enlisted the business
interests OF the country in a desire to put
an end to the controversy and bring the
Spanish war technically to a close. Dem
ocratic senators. responsive to these bus
mess interests. flocked to the support of
the treaty and it was ratified on a close
margin in Il Senate where the Republican
ma iority was much smaller than now.
It should be acknowledged that many
of the Republican, senators of the Spoon
CT type have Il wholesome distrIiSt of the
present treaty. fearing that it will estab-
fish Il bad precedent. The same might
have been said of the Philippine treaty
with redoubled force. but the great diff
ference in the situation is in the attitude
Of the senators toward the President.
1hcy are finding Roosevelt Il dangerous
popular leader. NOT so much now US in tn"
measures to come up in Octobcr. and they
have decided to clip his wings. German
is only too ready to become NORMALLY
responsible for such a movement.