St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-12-25
Reform Waves an, Panic Winds
Keep Party tavigatorS Anxious


Through the misty pros and cons Of
administrative responsibility and Of
ambitious party leaderships the wealth
erwise American citizen sees Con-
science-with a big Gas the unknown
factor in the coming national cam
paign, judging from the signs of 1907
The great American public has begun
to think about few things, and that's
what has kept the political pot a-boil-
ing.
One thing the year makes clear to
the most casual observer-the line be-
tween the old Democracy and the old
Republicanism no longer exists. 1t is
now a question of conservative and
radical on which both these historic
parties are being rent transversely.
The same head winds which made the
years voyage hard one for President
Roosevelt and his administration serv-
ed to bring the Bryan vessel into the
port of a third Democratic nominal
ton. now generally conceded, and yet
the leader of the opposition presents
the unusual spectacle Of smiling ap-
proval of much of the Roosevelt pro-
gramme. Theodore Roosevelt began to
experience powerful opposition for the
first time in his own party while the
popular cry for a third term grew
louder. In his own state new figure,
that of Governor Hughes, was attract
ing much attention by his quiet way
of bringing the Republican organiza-
ton to his feet, appealing direct to the
people for his measures of reform
chief of which was the creation of the
public service commissions for state
and city, with power to bring the util-
ity corporations to terms.
1t was on the morning of APRIL 2
that the president woke up to find
himself ON the defensive by the publ
cation of the Hartman letter telling
of an alleged deal between Roosevelt
and Hartman in 1904 At once the
president published his Sherman letter
telling of Harriman's brag that he
could buy laws and judges ad libitum,
for which the president had class
ed him along with Debs, Meyer and
Haywood as undesirable citizens"
This incident assumed great signiti-
canoe owing to the fact that organized
labor resented the slur upon the West
ern Federation officials about to be
tried for their lives Much was made
by the enemies of Roosevelt of the re-
mark in his letter to Hartman that
"you and are practical men,"
In the face of the increasing hostil-
ity of many wealthy citizens the presi-
dent persisted in promulgating his re-
form policies, notably in his Memorial
day speech at Indianapolis, advocating
the theory of federal control of rail-
roads under the postal clause of the
constitution; at Provincetown. Mass.
AUG. 90 where in laying the corner
! stone of the Pilgrims monument he
charged certain malefactors of great
wealth" with conspiring to depress
business in the hope of discrediting his
policies in the eyes of the people, and
again in his series Of speeches at the
dedication of the Mckinley tomb at
Canton SEPT. 80 and on his ensuing
southern tour.
I Almost the same sentiments were
expressed by Secretary of War Taft in
the series Of addresses beginning at
Columbus, O., AUG. 10, in which he
took his stand as candidate for the
Republican nomination as the chosen
defender of the administration Such
was the launching of the Taft boom,
a dramatic feature being his start on
the long journey around the world
In the meantime all the antiadminis-
tration strength in Ohio had been sum-
moned into action by the avowed can
didacy of Senator Foraker who glories
In his differences with the president.
Furthermore, all the legal and exec
utive machinery of the government
was being brought into action against
the big railroad, oil, coal and other
/ combinations. Secrets of the Standard
Oil company were laid bare and its
head hailed into a federal court, after
which came the big Lands fine. In a
defiant interview John D. Rockefeller
openly attacked the administration and
predicted financial chaos" as the har-
vest, referring to himself as being
"hitched to the cart in which the peo-
pie ride" That was in July. Well,
by the middle of August stocks were
tumbling, and the rest is part of the
business record.
Whether justly or unjustIy, the ad-
ministration was blamed by many
when the panic came, and besides the
gibe of Chancellor Day about the "raid
on prosperity" Roosevelt received hare
knocks from such sources as ex-Sena
tor Spooner and Justice Brewer, thu
latter charging the president will
playing peekaboo with the Ameri
can people" about the third term. II
November the president did order fed
eral employees to desist from effort
for third term delegation, and afte