West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-08-16
OUR washington LETTER
The Republican Policy To Stand
Pat and Pass The Hat" For
Dollar Contributions a PO-
litiCal Fake.
Senator Elkins Severely Criticised Nv
New York Magazine and Makes
No Defense Against Tho
Charge.
From Our ReSular Correspondence.

and decided to standpat on the tariff
there have been a good many pro
tests from influential Republican,
against thus plan of letting things
drift As the Republican politicians
can't go 20 Oyster Bay to make
their protests, unless they are inv.
ted, they seem to think the next
best thing to do is to pay vi sit to
the national Capital and invite a
newspaper man TO interview them.
They know that the President reads
the Washington newspapers and
will see their opinions IN print and
may send for them to talk the mat
ter over. Elmer Dover, the protege
of Hanna, now Secretary of the Re.
publican National Committee. cyi.
IDENTIFY took this method OF getting
himself into the lime light and his
protest against the policy of con-
ducung the Congressional campaign
on the "stand pat and pass the hat"
program in the Washington Post,
hit the bulls eve all right. He was
invited to Oyster Bay to lunch and
Senator Dick went with him.
Whether they convinced the Presi
dent that the standpat program is
not popular, OF whether the Presi-
dent told them that to avoid friction
with Speaker Cannon and the
other Congressional leaders and to
be able 10 raise a campaign fund
from the protected trusts, the stand
pat program was necessary, has not
yet been disclosed.
Amongst the politicians who are
still IN this city the bluff of the dol
lar subscriptions to the Republican
campaign fund, is looked upon as
good hot weather joke and the case
with which the President was cap
tured--he has just remitted his dol
lar to Chairman Sherman accom-
panied Of course by letter for pub
licatlon is looked upon as the
greatest joke of the year.
1t will be remembered that the
TilIInan bill, prohibiting contrib
utions to campaign funds passed the
Senate, but was suppressed by
Speaker Cannon in the House,
after consultation with President
Roosevelt. That action and the
implied refusal to accept contribu-
tons from corporations, by calling
on Republican voters to contribute
one dollar each, do not ji5e and is
looked upon as political fake.
One thing is certain, the Republi-
can party will never win campaign
on one dollar subscriptions and
there is no doubt that Wall street is
being raked with a small tooth
comb to discover the tariff protected
trust magnates that will "come
down"
a New York magazine has pub.
lished an article on Senator Elkins
which shows up bis public life from
its inception and after describing
his '1and deals" in New Mexico,
calls them "A succession Of utterly
lawless acts; a miniature Of the
mans career Bold where boldness
was necessary slyness would best
serve, always energetic, implacably
greedy, interruptions such is r.
kins The citizen. And he has got
together more than thirty million
dollars; be represents The dcbauchcd
state Of West Virginia in the Sen
ate; and there he is the man who
passes upon all measures relating to
our interstate commerce the bulk
Of the labor Of the American people
the bulk Of their prosperity for just
or unjust distribution, as Elkins,
under Alduch and the interests. may
dccide2 What aas Elk'us done n
the Senate Except only the rc