Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-19
ATTITUDE OF PRESIDENT
Some Criticism by the Leaders of Hi,
Alleged Policy.
SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE
Pervades the Party Throughout the
Country and is Not Favorable to
a National Boss.

There are rumors of murmurings among
republican politicians over the attitude
by some attributed to President Roose-
welt in regard to the alleged lining up of the
party for the next national convention. A
good deal of bitter and caustic talk is being
heard from time to time by men who feel
that they still have voice in the councils
of the republican party, and who have been
accustomed in the past to participate in
the arrangements of presidential battle
lines by the delegations of the several
states to national conventions.
There is a saving clause in their criti-
cisms. however. in the expression of the
opinion that perhaps the Presidents atti-
tude in fact is not what it is represented by
over-enthusiastic friends to be; that in
reality he has not set himself up to be arbi-
ter of all the policies of the republican
party and the dictator of it's future candi-
dates. That opinion is based largely upon
their regard for the Presidents astuteness
course upon his part If followed would re-
suit in disaster to his plans and aspirations.
On Present Policies.
All these politicians realize that the Presi-
dent desires to see the republican party
continue in the policies upon which it has
entered under his administration, and that
he would like a candidate to be selected who
would be thoroughly in harmony with them.
But these politicians are 10th to credit the
statements now going around which put the
President in the attitude of saying 1.-The
republican party-it is l." They think that
such an assertion would bring a storm of
old-line republicans in every state and that
he is too good a politician not to know it.
They say also that this is rather an mop
perfume time for any one, to undertake to
q @ 1y1,a fha 90 tofa 49, D.,
republican party. They point out that a
spirit of independence prevails throughout
the country and that never was the party
freer from local bosses than now. This
situation is In part due to the very cam
paign which President Roosevelt has made
against bosses, and to the arousing of the
spirit of independence among the people by
other political leaders.
OF course the argument might be made
that such state of affairs could present q
condition of disorganization wherein 1t
might be possible for some strong and mas
terful character to jump in and assemble
the disorganiZed units under one iron bit
But the politicians do not look at 1t in that
light, taking rather the view that the spirit
of independence which has overthrow the
local bosses would revolt against an at
tempt at national political despotism.
Absence Of Bossism.
These politicians point out that a glance
over the political field In the influential
states shows the absence of bossism and
the existence of healthy state of faction
alism. clustering about the ambitions of
many men, striving for political advantage.
1t is the same from New England to the
coast. There is a lively state of factional-
ism in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and
Rhode Island. New York has just crushed
the old boss, Odell, and Governor Hughes
will have to be reckoned with in future
political deals, although he Is far from
being in the position of power that Odell
occupied, and is playing conspicuously to
the independent vote throughout the state
Pennsylvania has been through three
years of struggle and the spirit of faction
alsm, though somewhat subdued by the
recent elections In Philadelphia, is still
strong. Ohio at present recognizes no mas
ter, and Taft, Foraker, Dick, Burton and
others are In rough and tumble scram-