Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-08-06
PRESIDENTIAL csaaiante..


spite of his repeated declaration thai
he stands on his statement given tc
the public on election night in 1904
One can hardly believe the President
would do this thing, but the evidence
is accommodating that he may go back
o. his promises to the people and te
the aspiring politicians in his own par
ty. Nearly every prominent man that
visits the President somehow comes
away impressed with the idea that
President Roosevelt will try TO succeed
himself. The general reason given is
that it is necessary for him to again
be a candidate to save the party and
to further carry out my policies
The most direct statement that has
appeared is by former Circuit Judge
Seldom P. Spencer at Omaha after re
turning from Washington, who said /:
HE had been In conference with per-
sons authorized to speak the Presidents
mind" Il think" said Judge Spencer,
Il am in a position to say that the
President has decided he cannot decline
the nomination If rendered him unani-
mously He realizes his position would
be weakened should he at this time an
nounce himself a candidate"
If this is all true, and on its face
It appears to be, 1t opens up serious
question for the Republican voters to
again settle which was thought to have
been previously settled when General
Grant was refused a nomination for a
third term Democrats are opposed to
third terms and no Democrat, however
popular or able. would undertake to at
tain what Washington and Jefferson re-
fused to consider. There Is a similar
ity between this crisis in the history
CT the Republican party and of the
Democracy, for the proposal to renom-
mate Mr.. Bryan as the candidate for
the third time, although he was twice
defeated at the polls, verges on the
third term issue. There is, of course,
this great difference, that Mr. Bryan
cannot use the power of the presiden-
tial office to further his ambition, while
Mr.. Roosevelt can and is apparently do
ing so.
There is another parallel between the
existing conditions in the two parties
for there is strong minority of the
voters in each party opposed to these
two leading candidates. In the case
of Mr.. Bryan, experience shows that
the opposition in his own party is
Roosevelt may find similar conditions
confront him if he runs for a third
term and the Democratic candidate is
one who can unite the voters of that
party.
As Democrats, we have no political
influence with our Republican friends.
They must submit to the Roosevelt
domination or fight it. But we all have
a voice in selecting the Democratic can
didate, and the question Of availability
is paramount one. Those who admire
Mr.. Bryan would be doing him griev-
Gus injury to aid in nominating him
AOA LAC I'LL lllllC, II liz ID uSuiA W w
defeated. That would forever shelve
him as far as the presidency is con-
cerned. But in the happy event of
Democratic success his commanding po-
sition in the party would probably re-
suit in his being invited to seat in
the cabinet and he would then be in
line for succession. Every Democrat
can judge how little or much the OPP
position to Mr. Bryan is in his state
or section, but he must consider that
the election depends upon the close or
doubtful states, and there is where a
very small disaffection determines re-
suits For instance, change of one
vote in a hundred would have defeated
the Democratic candidates for state Of
ficers in New York at the last election,
except the candidate for Governor, who
would perhaps have also been elected,
If he had not been the candidate of the
Independent League, which turned
many Democrats from voting for Mr..
Hearst, as the declarations of the
league were viewed by many as too
radical to endorse and the league was
the creation of Mr.. Hearst, and he was
either the author or authorized its dec
larationS.