The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-04-27
President Included in PONY Race
by a Cabine. Member
Expressed That Roosevelt 4 In Re-
ceptive Mood-EETf of the .NIuck
Rake Speech by the President.
BY DICKINSON.

1 oIu1N
II. It is TO be a pony race in 1905
Lyou can look for President Roosevelt
TO be forced into the ntest
This was not said by The cabinet
minister IN a sririt OF !evity. for all
tkaT his fe.lrw-diners received il is 1
con nct. He meant what he said.
it looked verv much as if it would
be "a T0ny race"
II hls mao premise is sound, il
follows logically that some members
of the official household regard their
chief as in a receptive mood toward
the third term suggestion. Undo I9t-
eddy the president wo-,u frown IrOa
and scowl az the member of his cabi-
net who thought CT! loud in this
way about 1908 if he should Lean
who it was, But. nevertheless and
Notwithstanding, the tact of import
ance remius that some persons clos.
est % him i'll an CfEciai capacity are
discussing in a s~emi-rublic way the
prospects Of his succeeding himself.
Another fact of Importance in this
connection is thai the third term sug-
seStlOn has become / subject of S1ch
tclicacy that very few, if any, of his
most intimate friends even breach il
to the president. On more Aa one
occasion of late awkward visitors have
made bold 20 tell him that they hop
ed they would have IN opportunity
to vote for him again, either in con-
vention or at the polls, and Mr.. Roos-
evelt has referee them to his famous
statement issued at midnight of the
Gay Of election.
Some of them who have thus violat-
ed the properties have come away
from the White House with the news
that the president is not a candidate
which, OF course. is true. But before
counting him out of the running IL
1908 these easily satisfied souls and a.,
OTHERS Interested in this matter wo1i
Go we'll |. Or.entata ;;0.'.itally a IL
lie.
ACTIVITY OF MUCK RAKE IN
CREASED.
1t is conceded even by the most
myopic of the financial and tariff
stendpatieT5 :bSt tlele is a strange,
uncomfortable unTesc socially, polit-
ically, and indusIrially among the
producing classes in all parts of the
country. Whether the causes of this
unrest are real or imaginary is beside
the ques ion. Whether the muckraker
is responsible for Il in whole or in
| Fart is also beside the question. The
fact is the only thing of importance.
Standpatters OF all kinds welcomed
gleefuiiy the announcement that the
president had decided to embrace the
opportunity t demolish the muck
rakers which was afforded by his &C
ceptance of the invitation to make a
speech at the laying of the corner
stone of the house of representative
office building on Saturday last.
Instead Of demolishing that ener-
| getic crew of pamphleteers, Mr.. Roos-
evelt's speech rather exalted them. 1t
was not the speech on the same sub
ject that he had delivered at Speaker
Cannon's dinner a fortnight or S be
fore. That p~ostprandial effort was
hailed by the standpatters as evidence
that the presidential mind was brew
ing trouble for the muck raker and
that ne was preparing to pour upon
that haplesS individual a veritable
| Vesuvius of wrath and condemnation.
Some scoria. it is admitted, fell upon
the muck raker in Saturdays eruption
but the killing streams Of lava over
whelmed the very fellows whom the
muck raker had been peppering for
monts with bird shot. And so there
YOU are.
That speech, it is safe to predict.
Will add to the presidents strength
with the elements that are dissaLis-
fied-Or think they are which amounts
to the same thing politically-while
at the same time it will increase the
activity Of the muck raKer. So far,
therefore, as it has any bearing on
presidential politics the speech will
| hold in the Roosevelt column every
mothers son Of a beggar who believes
he is the victim of systematized il
dustrial wrong, while muck raking
will be thereby licensed TO go ahead
and complete its task.
BRYAN AND HEARST AS FACTORS
William Jennings Bryan will land
on his native shore Just about the
time muck Taking has reached its
highss ST development, and the speech
he is scheduled to deliver at the demo-
cratic convention in Indiana in June.
wiz SHOW whether or o he will still
be regarded as the growing ~conserva-
tive iactCI in national politics. Vii.
liam Randolph Hearst. too will lave
shown what his strength is in New
York state by that time, for his indie
pendent campaign for governor viii
by that date have developed it's maxi
Inum pre-oonvention strength.
At the present moment it seems To
the impartial observer that the demo-
racy Of the Empire state will be bound
&c accept Mr. Hearst as leader in the
cCntes: next autumn unless it desires
to 90 out Of business in that commun-
it:.
In such 4 situation as is liable to lie
brought atout the conclusion appears
to be inevitable hat Mr.. Roosevelt,
radical m the cnro in his syyunafhv