The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-11-21
TAKES oPTOMISTIC VIEWS
President Gompers Not Discouraged
With Efforts Made by Labor
Organizations in the Elections,
But viii Continue Fight


| being optimistic In his tendencies, and
while he tries to take roscatc view
OF the results of the recent elections
| II Is apparent he does not regard the
result AS an unmixed Republican tri-
umph He agrees with others that the
| Republican majority In the House IL
as large as It ought to be. believing
that too big majority Is not conduc"
| tive 10 the securing OF the best legls-
| lation. While he has not avowed him
| self candidate for the Presidential
succession II Is well-known he will
! not be averse TO accepting that burden.
J so. anything he may say ms to the out
| look for 1905 will be accepted as the
| candid opinion OF one who Is far more
than ordinarily well-informed. and
who has reputation for astuteness,
in politics, AS whole he takes about
III same view Of the situation as was
| given In this correspondence when the
result was first known, As 10 the flu
ture he has this to say:
while, therefore, We have the House
OF Representatives. we have II In con-
nectlon with results In other respects
that should advise us we have reached
the half way point between 1904 and
1905 with only a slight margin Of ad
vantage. This situation should not
discourage Republicans, but II will en-
courage Democrats. They are already
claiming they have made a wonder
full gain. and so they have. as com
pared with the results of 1904. and Il
is easy for them to think that there is
a trend OF public sentiment In their IA
vor. Without stopping to locate the
blame for II, the truth Is that the Dem
ocrats the country over have more
confidence that the radical political
ideas OF Bryan and Hearst are not un.
reasonable and lndefensible than they
have Over before had since these men
came hnto public life at any national
election. The effect Of this Is not on
ly to encourage and solldlfy the great
majority OF the Democrats. but also to
attract away from us good many Of
our followers. Fortunately. we have
time enough before the presidential
electIo1 TO correct all this by pointing
out the radical difference between the
Republican policies. which involve no.
thing more than reasonable regulation.
and the crazy crusade which embraces
government ownership ana almost ev-
erythine else that la bad in character
and destructive In purpose"
These remarks by 50 distinguished
leader Of the party will cause the
Republicans to take thought Of the fu-
ture and may have very decided in
fiuence in shaping the legislation du-
ring the coming short session. Sen
ator Foraker does not believe the Dem
ocratlc success will tend to the nomi-
nation Of Mr.. Bryan, but rather to eli
inmate him, az well as Mr.. Hearst.
He thinks the people have gone as far
as they will go In the direction OF ra-
dlcallsm. and that the pendulum will
swing the other way by 1908. During
the week number Of Democratic lea
ders from various States have been in
the city, and the changed expressions
In regard to the probable candidate
two years hence Is very noticeable.
Two months ago every Democrat VINO
visited Washington was loud In his
assurances that no other name would
be considered except that Of the peer
less leader" but now a suggestion to
that effect is met by shake of the
head and a muttered, 1T may be So"
Many are free in their predictions
that the candidate will be rev man.
but none can name the man.
1t is very evident that President
Gompers, Of the American Fereration
OF Labor Is not disposed to accent his
failure to defeat any Of the candidates
on his Congressional blacklist az put
ting either him or organized labor out
Of politics. He declares that orga-
nized labor Is in the business to stav
and that from now on will be a more
potent factor than ever before. One
fact has been made evident, and that
Is, organized labor has not vet reached
the stage when it will politically bow
down to one man, and accept his die
tum as to what laws they must favor
or what oppose Organized labor ia
producing very large crop Of men
who think for themselves, and this will
make it more difficult for Mr.. G0mpcrs
or any other man to sway the labor
element as he pIeases.
According to the report Of Gen. AL
exander Mackenzie, chief Of engineers
1t will require something more than
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