The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-04

promises OF favors for his activs con-
stitucnta he has to pledge himself to
vote not only for tho Speaker, but for
the Speakers rules. 81
Thus 1t happens. as 1t happens at
home, that our House OF Representatives
Is organized, and, like Our Boards OF
Aldermen and our Legislature. 1t is or
ganized along the lines of the boss sys-
tenn. And what for2 For graft. Oh.
yes: 1t is graft. The good things that
come out of the United States govern
ment are higher, finer, more Legitimate
graft than city gratis; they often are
necessary, and the management OF them
is cleaner and more skilful. but these
good things are treated as good things. q
They are favors.' special acts, privileges.
claims patronage, advantages and exccp-
lions; and they are distributed to indi-
viduals and special interests; and they
are dealt in as favors in return for con-
tributions and allegiance to party and
the organization. The spirit is the spirit
OF graft, conservative" and honest;
but the thought Is of the man who wants
something, not of the most OF us who
want nothing but the common good.
They fear us, and they speak of the
common good, but they consider what Is
the least they can do for us, not the
most; and they consider what is the most
without arousing all of us.
And the exciting thing about this ses-
sion Is that they think we are demanding
that they do some important things for
all of us and very little for the few. I.
And why do they think that? Because
the President has told them So They
are not sure that he Is right. Soma OF
them, feeling tho pressure of patronage
seekers and special interests at home
tptr hat ha,, ,11 {1,c
pointments they ask for and all the spe-
clal acts. they would be returned to the
organization at Washington by the or
gani2aton at home.
But there is the President, declaring in
his message that he wants to get certain
things done, and that VIC want what he
wants; and there are those shocking boss-
busting elections OF last fall TO suggest
that we are indeed stirred up about somc-
thing. The President says that what we
want Is 4 Philippine tariff bill; n state
hood bill, admitting Oklahoma and Indian
Territory as n State and Arizona and New
Mexico as another State: and a rate regr-
lation bill. Do We? Some of our" repre-
sentatives say we don't They say. for
Instance that the Democrats. not tho
Republicans. promised In their platforms
to regulate rates. and that the Democrats
Were defeated. But the President Is for
such bill. and the President certain-
ly had us with him when we elected him.
Has he now? That Is what Our repre-
sentatives ask. and they ask 1t anxiors,y.
because they have to come to us for re-
election next fall.
But 1t doesn't matter what our repre-
sentatives guess about our mind now
The Speaker thinks the people are with
the President. The Speaker is the
House. He is with the President
Wherefore the House is with the Presi-
dent.
1t is strange. a puzzling spectacle. that
of Theodore Roosevelt trying to accom-
plish something for us by supporting the
boss and ring graft combine of the House
of Representatives. Why does he do it,
j have asked him, and his friends, and
his enemies, and I think I can answer
the question:
Our President. like our representatives
in the House. wants to accomplish some
thing. Wherefore. like them. lie COM
bines with the Combine But of that
further next week. Sufficient for the
present is it to recognize that our Housa
of Representatives represents us, in a
way. for the present. Our dummy dt-
LINCOLN STEPHENS