Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1907-12-23
MINORITY LEADERS ARE
SORRY THEY SPRUNG
BOND QUESTION
Tillman Enquiry VIII Act as
Boomerang TO Demo
crat k,S1s
--JtJ>>>esress
FIND FORCING ISSUE :,
IS NO EASY TASK
Republicans Favor RetrenChment
= Harbor and River Improve
ments and Inland Water
way Projects May Be
Forced to Walt.

Washington, Dec. 2S.--It is grow
ing palmer day by day that the
democrats in house and senate are
inclined to grieve because they gave
opposition to currency relief mea-
sures so much prominence as an is
sue during the first part of the ses-
sion.
They had only the tariff upon
which to dwell in denunciation, and
naturally they hailed the advent Of
another subject from which they
thought they could extract some
campaign material They are
clinging to the currency matter be-
cause they can't drop 1t. and are
clinging TO it for this reason alone.
1t Is in the senate that the as
saults on the administrations canal
bond and 3 per cent certificate is
sues are being directed and made.
The democrats of the house seem
to be content with the tariff as a
basis for attack. The party has
two issues instead of one, but it is
not entirely happy in the second of
its pos essions.
II is said that Mr.. Culberson, the
democratic leader in the senate,
finally had come to think that the
ranks of the democracy cannot be
magnitude was committed when the
administration. through the secre-
tary of the treasury, attempted to
avert disaster by prompt measures
even though there might be some
criticism of the form of the meas
ures. Mr.. Tiilman, confessing HIM
self mo financier," has attacked the
Cortelyou plan of relief on the
basis of illegality. but even Mr..
Tillman felt the Influence of the
change in the feeling on the part OF
the democratic leaders and did not
go to the extreme of denunclation
of which he is capable. In fact. he
was a very tame Tillman.
Both Seeking Favor.
The democrats, like the republi-
cans, have a campaign ahead of
them. They are on the offensive
and in a sense have a choice of
weapons, the main difficulty being
that weapons of any kind are scarce,
a condition of things that Mr..
Bryan will say is due entirely to the
fact that Mr.. Roosevelt has broken
and entered the democratic armory
and stolen all the pixies and hal
herds The democracy is basing its
hopes of victory largely on the as
sumption that the republicans are
10 nominate man who will discard
the Roosevelt weapons and give the
Il
use its own again.
Both Senator Cuberson, demo-
cracys senate leader, and Repre-
sentative Williams, the party's
house leader, believed that when
the time came for the democratic
convention to meet, the party could
point back to a session of republi-
can eXtravagance and that this,
with the two other main matters
might be used with effect during
the campaign.
The republicans apparently have
made up their minds not 10 let the
enemy get any aid and comfort
from the source OF extravaganceS
Nearly every committee chairman
of the last congress was reelected,
and 1t has been known for some
time that with one or two excep-
tions each chairman would be al
lowed TO mold his committee place
during the sxtieth congress. The
result of this knowledge and of
conferences on the part of repub-
lican leaders, has been that every
executive department of the govern
ment has been told flatly that 1t
need not expect to receive the am
cunt of money in the way of appro-
priations that it has asked.
Just as soon as the subcommit-
tees Of the appropriations commit
tee are appointed it is their inten-
ton to whittle away the amounts
that the departments demand until
the heart of things is reached. The
republican leaders are wise enough
TO realize that following the finan-
clad furry the party in power must
see to IL that government expendi-
tures are held within the limits of
the actual necessities IN each de-
partment case
Pet Projects Imperiled.
There are emphatic statements
from the leaders that every plan
for committing the government to
plans that will necessitate large
outlays Of money to carry out, eth
er must be put aside for far future
consideration or must be studied
carefully to ascertain II the neces-
sity is such that the people viii APP
prove or appropriations for the
work Seemingly this is the part
of political wisdom, but there are
certain things that will cost money
for which there apparently is
public demand. and this fact may
put the dominant party in rather
an awkward position.
The inland waterways improve
ment plans are put into the class OF
doubt by this desire on the part Of
the republican leaders to ecOnomize.
The Lakes-to-the-Gulf plan Is look
ed upon with favor in congress and
In pretty nearly every section of the