The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1907-04-04
SOME BRAIN LEAKS
"A few IDEAS pefmIdte thf@gh the Bran
Of the Editor while IN q S0mnamha-
IiStk State.

A gigantic railway strike, which
will compare with the strikes hereto
fore like the side show 10 circus Is
among the possibilities. In this
strike will be aligned the employees
OF the railway industry OF the West
against forty railways. For several
years past these railroads have been.
publishing their yearly earnings,
which has paid immense diyie ends
on stock. two-thirds OF which Is
water, and the employees are begin.
ming To ask themselves where they
come in at. The employees seem to
be impressed with the idea that II
the railroads are SO prosperous 1t is
only just and proper that they should
have their share OF the prosperity.
The unions are demanding ten per
cent advance In their wages and that
work. The railway managers are
willing to concede the ten per cent
advance but they balk at the idea of
giving up to the nine hour regime.
II this strike does come off, as SEIZED.
uled, 1t Will not only be bad thing
fOr the entire country, but will para
lyze business OF the entire West. 1t
Is to be hoped that the conflicting
interests will get together on some
plan which will be satisfactory to
both.
1t Is the exception to the rule to
pick UP large metropolitan daily
paper In which the Washington cor
respondents do not devote consider.
able OF their space to discussing the
various possible republican candi-
dates for the presidency. They all
concede that President Roosevelt's
personality can not be eifaced from
the situation. They admit that con-
ditions may arise which will force
Roosevelt to either come out openly
and positively refuse the nomination
In more emphatic terms than he has
done heretofore or the country will
demand that he be candidate. The
great question for the rank and file
OF his party to determine for them
selves between now and the next
fourteen months Is whether Roose-
welt desires the nomination forced
upon him or whether he means what
he AYERS that he will not be a candl-
date under no possible circumstances.
It would be bard to see how Roose-
welt could be more emphatic In his
declining to allow his name to go be-
fore the convention than he has been,
yet many Of the leading men of the
nation take his assertions with a
grain OF salt.
~
1t would naturally he the ambition
Of most native horn Americans to
reach the highest position In the gift
of the people, and those who have
ambitions to reach the presidency
can not reconcile the statement 10
their own minds that any man
should refuse such high honor for
the first, second or even the third
time. III we are to take Roosevelt's
past history as criterion to 20 by ii
Is safe to say that he means Just
what he says, and no Inducements,
In the shape OF flattery or persuasion
could induce him to change the state
ment he made the night he received
over Parker. 1t Is safe to say, how.
ever, that Roosevelt will he largely
instrumental In debating who his
successor shall he. He may not come
out openly and say that he opposes
Fairbanks, Foraker, Canon or others
but he Is shrewd enough politician
to say to his closest friends that he
does favor Taft. There Is feeling,
which might be intuition more than
an established fact to 40 by, that he
does favor the mantle falling upon
Taft's shoulders. With the excep.
tion OF Taft there Is not man OF
national reputation, unless IL should
DO La Toilette, of wisconsin, or
Cummins, OF Iowa, who Is entirely
In sympathy with the idea of Roose-
welt In national reforms.
-.
For various reasons Cummins Is an
impossihility and La Toilette is to-
day considered visionary. I'm
doubtedly he is occupying too ad-
xanced position for even the more
liberal republican elements OF the
party, There Is as much difference
between he and Roosevelt In this re-
spect as there was between Mckinley
and Bryan In 1896. Then Bryan was
considered radical OF the most pro-
nouneed stripe 10y many who warmly
supported him for the presidency
Today Bryan Is considered more reli-
able. more conservative and less H..
able to 90 OF on a tangent than
Roosevelt, Bryan has not changed
"twister" in the closing hours of the