Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-21
WILL TAKE A HAN D
Roosevelt to Be in the New York
Political Game.
TO SELECT STATE CHAIRMAN
Members of the Committee Waiting
for Word From Oyster Bay.
THE CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN
Speaker Cannon, Chairman Sherman
and Secretary Loudenslager Sum-
moned for Conference.
THE CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN

| Odell and Senator Plat patched up their
famous truce few days ago In order to
| make alliance offensive and defensive
against Gov. Higgins and the President.
| 1t was announced from Oyster Bay that
| President Roosevelt would not interfere
| in the local situation. He was to keep
| hards off and let the republican managers
go ahead with their harmony plans.
Those plans however are found to con-
| template the sidetracking of Gov. Higgins
| TO keep him from a denomination: the re-
| election of Odell state chairman and
| the perpetuaton in power of the OdeIl
regime in politics. The United States SEN
| atorship would be at the disposal of this
coterie and It was assumed that Odeli and
| Platt would hand 1t out where 1t would
| do the most good. The announcement from
| Oyster Bay that the President would keep
out encouraged the plotters to go ahead
| with their schemes
Take 1t as prophecy founded on fact
that when the crucial moment arrives,
when the goods are to be delivered, Presi-
| dent Roosevelt will be found very much in
| the game. Mr.. Odell and Senator Platt
| may amuse themselves in the dog days
| by holding pompous harmony meetings.
| resuming the reins OF political power that
one of them had permitted to be snatched
| from his hands and setting themselves up
as the arbiters of all the great republican
| fortunes of the empire state. That is well
enough for the good old summer time
Roosevelt Will Not Be Idle.
| But when the clans begin to gather on
| the green lawns of Saratoga for the state
convent ton and the days are getting shorter
| and the nights ccol. look out for new
man sitting in the game with big stack
| of blue chips which will be the mono
| gram 1T. r."
| What. Is 1t to be thought for moment
that New York, the state Of Roosevelt the
| state of Cortelyou. the state of Root is to
1 be turned over to the tender mercies OF
| Odeli, who is mathematical by republi-
cans. right and left, and to the leader
| emeritus. whose leadership though to recol-
lection dear Is only memory? Odell and
Platt to parcel out the senatorships, when
Platt and Depew see fit to abdicate? Why,
Roosevelt may need one of them himself.
Odell and Platt to boss the state with
| Roosevet's political future after 1908 un-
decided. with Cortelyou. the national chair
man, and Root each having big stake in
| the game? Well hardly.
The President Is in sympathy with Gov.
| Higgins. who is the object of attack by this
| new coalition of former enemies. II may
| not be deemed advisable to renomnate Hig-
| gins; that Is something yet to be deter
| mined. But the President and Higgins will
agree upon the man who is to be nomi-
mated. and no man will get 1t who is not
acceptable to these two.
The State Craftsmanship.
The President will pick the who is to
| be state chairman. and 1t will not be Ben
| jamin B. Odell. jr- Nobody knows who IL
will be unless perhaps the President has
some one in mind already. Odell tried to
win over more recruits to his harmony
banner by suggesting that Charles E.
Hughes. the insurance investigator. should
be made chairman. He knew that Hughes
would not take the Craftsmanship from such
hands and of course, Odell would fall in
faint If he thought there was any chance
of Hughes taking it.
There are a good many elements OF bluff
| In this harmony pact between Odell and
| Platt. They are both trying to impress the
| thoughtless with the idea that their getting
! together means a cast-iron copper-riveted
| combination that controls the political sit
uation. But IL does not Some of Senator
Platt's strongest men, such as Col Dunn,
Representative Dwight, j. Sloat Fassett and
others say they will not allow themselves
| to be delivered to this new combination. 1t
| is exceedingly doubtful whether Plat and
Odell could muster strength to control the
state committee and dictate the governor
| ship even If Roosevelt should by some i'm
pulse stay out OF the fight.
1t seems to some of the observers in these
parts therefore, that the two leaders are
| Just kind of amusing themselves when they
/ arrange this harmony game and take pos
session OF the situation There is four
eyed gentleman down at oyster bay VINO
will take their playthings away from them
when II suits him. The members OF the
state committee know this, ana aithough
| they humor the dear senator. and coddle
him they are waiting to get their orders
| direct from the pilot house when they VIII
shape their course accordingly.
The Congressional Campaign.
| President Roosevelt is taking deep inter
| est in the congressional campaign He mas
summoned Speaker Cannon from Danviiie'
| and next Monday the President VIII have
| the Speaker. Chairman Sherman OF the
republican congressional campaign COM
r,tttee Secretary Loudenslager and some
others at luncheon with him. when the
President will map out the plan of cam
| naipn according to his Ideas. The cam
| paieu handbook 1is ready for the printer
! and they will go over II carefully.
The President is not worried over the
| outcome OF the Congress elections. He re-
anzes that the party win lose some mem
| bers of the House, particularly those who
came In the Roosevelt tidal wave. but
he does not fear for moment that the
House will get away.
The campaign is to be a little different
from two years ago. There will be less
distribution Of speeches and literature. and
more direct appeals to the people by spell
binders Speaker Cannon will make the
grand tour In q special car. as he did two
years ago. and other prominent orators In
the House will be in the field
The committee will open headquarters
next Tuesday In the ST. James bulioinS'
where they held forth IN two eanapaigns.
but with much more modest quarters tnan
ever before Collections must be pretty
poor; the hatpasser is not having much
success downtown. The interests which
heretofore responded to appeals say this
year they don't care whether there is
democratic House or not There fs no dan
ger OF assault on the tariff az long as the
Senate stands pat, and they say that the
old busaboo about wild-eyed soc4aaistic
a kd~