Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-05-21
President Is Watching
the State Elections
Increase Expected in Republican
Majority in the Senate.
He Is Heartily in Favor Of Reelection
Of All Maine Members.

| w d9IllIStoIl, May ZU.-tSpeC1alb.-
| President Roosevelt is taking a lively
interest in the early state campaigns
this year. He has shown this by recent
| inquiries about the state and congress
Slonal elections in Oregon, which are
| the 1l"St of all and which will be held
early III June. He has also kept in
| formed about the developments in
Maine. Within the past week during
| q conversation with Il caller from the
| Pine Tree State he observed that he
was standing by the Republicans there.
He also mentioned Representative
Charles f. LittleIield of the I'd Dis
| trict. against whom attacks are
being r1ade on the ground that Mr. Lit
| tlefield is not in accord with the Pres
| ident and the President not in accord
with him. Mr.. Roosevelt spoke of the
| "a District member as "a man Of abil-
| ity and integrity. for whom I have a
real Affection
| 1t can be stated on the highest au-
| thority that the President wants ev
| cry Republican member of the House
from Maine reelected in September
| and that lie hopes to see them re-elect-
| cd by rOusirg majorities. The stories
| t.ltl tllt hdilt IiltlllDtiS dlt lOl Ill
cold with the President and his poll
| cicS and that he would accordingly
| like to see any of them disciplined at
| the polls sound strangely to those who
know The real sentiments among the
| Presidents closest friends.
| AS there is an indefinable impress
| sion abroad that determined assault
| will be made against the Republicans
| all along the lines this fall, with the
| hope of turning the House over to
| Democratic control. the attitude of the
| President is very important. He does
not want to have to work during the
| last half of his term with a Congress
| that is politically divided. He much
| prefers to have a Congress that is Re
| publican in both branches. believing
that he can thus best carry out his pol
| iCies. There can be no sweeping party
| revolution next November that will
| change the political complexion Of the
| Senate. There will be substantial
| Republican majority i'm the Senate
| from now till March 4, 1908, when Mr..
| ROoSeVelt'S successor as President is
sworn in. The Republican majority in
the Senate Will probably be larger after
March next than it is at present. but
| if il is smaller it will be smaller by but
q few Republican votes.
While it would be n long story to
demonstrate this il is undeniablc, for
of the 20 senators to he elected by Leg
| iSlatureS to be chosen this fan 50 many
| of them will be from unqucStioued Re
| publican states that the Senate ma iur-
| ity can not be wiped out. Ace ,rdngly
TN, prnCil.nt ic r,1Ninu 10 at I
| to the senatorial elections. The House.
| however. comes within Il different cat
ecory. Every on" of the 3S6 members
| comes up for an election his year. 1t is
not expected that the individual MEM
! beers can al have as large ma joriTieS
| in their districts as was the ease two
years ago. That was Il Presidential
year. The popular vote on Presidential
| years is always larger than III Con
! grcssi"?al years at the middle of Il
Presidential term. Neither is il expect
ed tnat the Republican majority in the
| House will be as large as it is now. But
the President expects that it will r.
main substantial majority and he
| does not expect his friends tn lag in
working for The regular ticket.
Tn" argument here is that Mr.. Roosr-
Welt is as much entitled to have a
strong Republican Congress behind
him rs was President Mckinley or any
cf his Republican predecessors in Office.
For y years there has been no Demo-
cratic House ana both President Nc
I\inley and President Roosevelt dur
Ing their respective terms were sup
ported by a majority of their own party
~, Sln
woull he unfair now in the midst of
Mr Roosevelt's second term, to with
draw the party support from him and
leave hin. to struggle for his anti
trust and other extensive reforms with
a Democratic House.
Mrs. F.. C. Burleigh. who has been
confined to her bed for the past six
weeks. is not yet out of danger, al
though her physician, DIR. H. l.. T..
Johnson. one Of the oldest and ablest
practitioners in Washington, believes
that the crisis is past. She is still un-
able to turn herself in bed, however,
and with the daily rise in temperature.
is more or less delirious. 1t has been
an anxious time for Governor Bur
leigh. who has been unwearying in his
atten lance at the sick bed. keeping
himself within call day and night. and
he plainly shows the strain he has
been under. He has been very much en-
couraged by the kindly words of SYM
pathy that have come to him from
leading officials at the capital, from his
fellow-members of the House and from
every section of Maine. 1t has been i'm
possible for him under the circum-
stances to answer all these kindly ex-
pressions which have touched him
deeply and which have been a source
Of strength and encouragement to him
in his days and nights of anxious
waiting.
Representative Roberts of Chelsea.
CONTINUED on Page Two.)