Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-08-23
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT EXCORI-
ATED.

democratic Congressional COR nittee, in
a statement made in Washington last
night, said:
president Roosevelt is attempting to
dominate this Congressional fight. His
letter to Cong FRESHMAN James E. Watson,
of Indiana, has proved my assertion. He
tells the country, through this letter to
| Mr.. Watson, what the republicans must
do in this campaign to win the House.
Mr.. President Roosevelt is a very foxy
politician. He knows that his Con
gressional campaign managers are not
equal to the situation, and because OF
his personal popularity with the people
of this country, who do not know his
motives and do not understand him,
who, believing that he is fighting in
their interests, will indorse him, he as
sumes the management OF the campaign
with the glad acclaim of the managers
of the republican congn ssional commit
tee.
"Mr. President Roosevelt practically
tells the democratic party to get on the
earth aud dissolve itself. He practically
tells all the people that he is sit" and
that, therefore, they must listen to him
and his bugle.
"The chief thing in the letter to Mr..
Watson from the President of the Unit
ed States is that the tariff question must
be relegated to the rear and await re-
publican revision in their own time and
opportunity, thus continuing TO sub
serve The interests of the tsr flied monop-
olies that grow fat on the peoples
pocketboOk.
oThe thing for which President Roose-
velt is pluming himself most in this let
ter consists of Octopps-chasing and trust
busting. He says that it is not neces-
ssry TO revise the tariff in order to bust
trusts. say it is. So does every other
man who knows the situation. There
are two brands Of trust busting-the ohas'
ing OF octopuses and the busting oftrusts
that are odious, and the chasing ofoct)pus-
ca aud busting of trusts that are populsr.
As vet President Roosevelt has only
undertaken the first of these; be has not
yet asssiled popularDonopoly. He has
been cbastising execrsble trusts aud dis
cipling the loathsome octopuses. That
| is easy. Any man can kick a mean dog
and get the applause of the poPnlsce.
"Now, for example, the railroads.
Whoever heard of friend of the rail-
. rosds in politics? Then there is the
Standard Oil, without one single friend
on the political Rialto from the Rio
Grsnde to Puget sound. As for the meat
trust, everybody is cussiDg it and trying
to invent something to say about it that
is meaner than the limitation of the
English language will allow to be formed
into speech. The tobacco trust, without
friend; adultersted food, bad whisky,
| without friend; the insurance knsves,
! absolutely friendless, though the New
York Supreme Court has decided that it
| is not illegal for them to take OF their
customers trust funds to buy votes II the
votes are in the interest of a virtuOus
party, for it is given to the party oil
great moral ideas to work iniquity that
| the right may triumph and the uncir-
cumcised be discounted, and things like
that.
"Now, there is an octupus in this land
of ours-the head devil of the whole lay
out--the tariff octopus. This is very
popular octopus. 1t can muster an i'm
meuse majority in either wing of the
Fifty-uinth Congress. 1t is the octopu:
Colonel Bryan is anxious to smite hip and
and thigh, and it was narrated around
Colonel Roosevelt had rod in pickle fol
/, that was to be burst under the mon-
ster's belly in the closing hours OF the
late momentous session; but, like Gen
eral Beauregsrd at Shiloh, the President
appears to have argued that it was glory
enough for one session, for the whole
country was spplsuding his exploits in
behalf of democratic policies. Not one
thing has he recommended and not one
thing was done by his republican Fifty
ninth Congress, first session, that die
not emanale from democratic brains o.
was stolen from democratic platforms
All the things that favored the people
interests were passed by democratic
votes. and his own party despised hin
sud his recommendations, but wer'
whipped into line by his power OF pat
. ronage.
"Mr. President brsgs about the frs
session Of the Fifiy.ninth Congress pass
,, ing q generous naval bill, carrying oil
the idea that there must be big nav.
10 order to maintain the Monroe docrin
. and other things. 1t did. 1t passed
bill carrying an appropriation for mil
= lions of dollars in the interest OF th
steel and srmor plate trust. A few day
ago an Independent antitrust armo'
plate company made bids for those ste'
vessels, and Mr.. Roosevelt's Secretary
, the Navy refused to give the contract
the lowest bidder (the antitrust bidder
and compelled them TO divide with tn
trust.
"The people Of the country, demo
Gratis and republicans alike, seem to hay
got It stuck into their crops that nj
Poosavel, ;s infallible and can 40 I