The Washington bee., 1907-06-01
A POLITICAL STORM BREWING
The RO0seVelt-WGdSzU0rth Incident -
PlHtOcrGey and PoPery AHied-A
Serious Portent to the Country.

To the Editor of the American Whip:
The Wadsworth-Roosevelt incident in
wolves a possible political conflict which
may determine the American Presiden-
tial question in 1908. The issue raised
in New York politics by it are two-fold
First, is the question of civil service
reform. Second, is Papal intermeddling
in the political affairs of the United
States.
Mr.. Roosevelt takes the ground that
the officials of the United States are not
the servants of the people, are not ap-
pointed for the good of the people, but
are his vassals; and even where such
appointments have been made with the
concurrent authority of the United States
Senate, that they are his political vas
sails, to be removed at will, without
cause and without trial He does not
hesitate to remove an American ambas-
sador to a foreign country who has been
appointed to this post by the concurrent
action of the Senate, without consulting
it. In the New York elections he uses
the patronage of the Government, which
was designed for the benefit of the peo-
pie, in the same reckless spirit or usurp-
alton and abuse of power. This isn't
all nor the worst He actually makes
the Vatican at Rome political partner
in these proceedings. The Presidential
patronage thus becomes valuable polit
ical asset to the papal hierarchy. We
know that it was the Catholic church and
the activity of the Catholic priests, as
the allies of Roosevelt and participants
and dispensers of Presidential patronage
that defeated Hearst. 1t may be taken
for granted that the same Intervention
and activity of theCatholic hierarchy &C
complished the defeat of Congressman
Wadsworth, whose sole offense was that
he claimed the right of free speech and
the independence and conscientiousness
of an American and representative of
constitutional authority on the floor of
Congress.
Hearst is aware of what defeated him,
but for various reasons he has failed to
strike back at Roosevelts all-powerful
ecclesiastical ally. Whether the Gene
see statesman will strike back is now
the most important event in American
politics.
If he challenges the right of Mr.. Roos-
evelt to call in the aid of foreign &c
clesiastical power to discipline American
statesmen and control American politics,
with the same courage with which he
has challenged the hero 90 of San
Juan Hill, in corrupting the civil service
of the country, he will raise a storm,
such as that which convulsed the nation
in 1860. He may of fact on this great
issue become the Abraham Lincoln now
demanded, as the leader of the Ameri-
can people in defense of their liberties
The conflict is not confined to New
York; it reaches over in Ohio, where
the Catholic church and priests, as the
political allies of Roosevelt, are attempt
ing to humiliate and destroy Senator
Foraker, whose sole offense consisted ii
upholding the constitutional prerogadves
of the Senate and the Constitution itself
against executive usurpation. And Sen
ator Foraker is guilty of the further
crime, in the eyes of Mr.. Roosevelt, in
making the military power subordinate
to the civil authority.
There is a political storm brewing II
this country.
Constitutional American.
| Miss Rertha Hackett. a student in The