The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-25
Is Determined to Manage =; : :
Congressional Canpag..
EDWARDS USES PLAIN WORDS
Thinks President Is Posing In False
Attitude BY Claiming for Republi-
cans Credit for Acts of the
Fifty-ninth Congress.

Washington, August 24.-(SpeciaL)-''A
have said previously in this campaign,
said Secretary Charles A. Edwards of
the democratic congressional committee,
president Roosevelt is attempting to
dominate this congressional fight. His
letter to Congressman 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 pollti-
clan. He knows that his congressional
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 endorse
him, he assumes the management of the
campaign. with the glad acclaim of the
managers of the republican congressional
committee.
''Mr. President Roosevelt practically
tells the democratic party to get off of the
Odl III dilu oASSOANC AlScAAs I16 pldCiAOdAAy
tells all the people that he is TT" 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 United
States Is, not that Mr.. Watson amounts
to a thing in the world. but because he
says the tariff question must be relegated
to tha raar opd auyoit ,.aouh1ioar, ra,rt-ion
in their own time and opportunity, and
thus continuing to subserve the interests
of the tarlff-fed monopolies that grow fat
on the peoples pocketbook.
President Makes Wrong Assumption.
THE thing fDr which Mr. President
Roosevelt is rin,nns himself most in this
letter fot which he takes greatest credit,
consists of octopus-chasng and trust
busting. He says that it is not necessary
to revise the tariff in order to bust trusts
say 1t is So does every other man who
knows the situation. There are two
brands of trust busting the chasing OF
octopuses and the busting of trusts that
are popular. As yet Mr. President Roose-
welt has only understood the first of these
he has not yet assaied popular monopoly
and disciplning the loathesome octopuses
That is easy. Any man can kick a mean
dog and get the applause of the populace.
Now, for example, the railroads-whoever
heard of a friend of the railroads in poll
tics? Then there Is the Standard OIL
without one single friend on the political
rialto from the Penobscot to the Rio
Grande from the Rio Grande to Puget
Sound. AS for the meat trust, everybody
l.. i
thing to say about it that is meaner than
the limitations of the English language
will allow to be formed into speech. The
tobacco trust, without friend adufltera-
ted food; rot-gut whisky, without friend; /;
the insurance knaves, absolutely friend
less, though the New York supreme court
has decided that 1t is not Illegal for them
to take Of their customers trust funds to
buy votes, If the votes are in the interests
of virtuous party, for 1t is given to the
party of great moral ideas to work ini-
guilty, that the right may triumph and the
uncircumcised be dlscomftted, and things
like that.
Is Very Popular Octopus.
Now, there is an octopus in this land
of ours-the head devil of the whole lay
out, namely. the tariff octopus. This is
very popular octopus. 1t can muster an
Fifty-nlnth Congress. 1t is the octopus
Colonel Bryan is anxious to smite hip and
thigh and 1t was narrated around that
Colonel Roosevelt had rod in pickle for
II that was to be bursted under the mon
ster's belly in the closing hours of the
late momentous session, but like General
Beauregard at Shiloh, the President ap-
pears to have argued that 1t was glory
enough for one session, for the whole
,trxrx a lin btc t,,h ha
half of democratic politics. Not ene thing
has he recommended. and not one thing
was done by his republican B1fty-ninth
Congress, first session, that did not eSn-
manate from democratic brains, or was
stolen from democratic platforms Any
thing that affected the peoples interests
which he says was the grandest fight that
ever was made, and one Of the greatest
Congresses that has performed and passed
legislation in the interest of the people
in the past generation. but what 1t came
from democratic sources. was passed by
democratic votes. and his own party de-
spised him and his recommendations but
were whipped into line by his power of
patronage
In Interest of Armor Plate.
"Mr President brags about the first
session of the Fifty ninth Congress pass
ing generous naval bill. carrying on tho
idea that there must be a big navy in
order to maintain the Monroe doctrine.
and other things. 1t did. 1t passel bill
carrying an appropriation for millions
of dollars in the interest of the steel and
armor plate trust. A few days ago an in
dependent antitrust armor plate COM
pany made bids for those steel vessels.
and Mr.. Roosevelt's Secretary of the
Navy refused to give the contract to the
lowest bidder (the antitrust bidder), and
compelled them to divide with the trusts.
IF there is any one thing that ought
to convince the people of this country
that the President of the United States,
with his full knowledge of this transac-
ton. is trying to play honest and con-
sistent with them in the interest of an
economical just, conservative and de-
cent government, that transaction ought
to dissipate it. 1t shows him to be in
collusion with every trust management
in the United States. Otherwise. he would
have repudiated the action of his Secre-
tary of the Navy, and the reason he did
NOT do so is because his secretary put
the matter up to him before 1t was decid-
ed That is why l say the President has
no right to plume himself with busting
trusts, and when he says that it is not
necessary to revise the tariff in order to
curb the trusts Of this country he knows