The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-04
PRESIDENTIAL BEE
BUZZING BUSILY
The Young Man from chautau-
qua is Considered a Big Gun
in the Scrub Woods, But
His Reputation in Wash
ington is Not So
Inflated.
ey WALTER EDWARD HARRIS.

BY WALTER EDWARD f1AHRlS. ~ i9a
WASHINGTON, D. c., February 3.-
a good deal of amusement has beef
created in political circles by the effort
on tho part of Senator Bcveridge and
his friends to mako 1t appear that some
great party honor has been conferred
upon that gentleman by his selection as
the spokesman Of the administration IN
q magazine debate with William Jen-a e
nings Bryan. tt
Just how that selection was made does
not appear. Tho Beveridge contingent
seeks to involve the matter in an air
OF mystery, as If 1t is too stupendous an
affair to be openly discussed. Evidently
they are anxious to make it appear that,
Mr. Beveridge has been chosen by Presl-s
dent Roosevelt himself but this sug-Sa
gestion Is greeted by open expressions Of
incrcdulity on all Sides
First OF all, because President Roose-5
velt Is in the habit Of speaking for him.
SELF upon any and every occasion. Sec
ond. because Of the extreme unlikelihood
that II he were looking for mouth
piece lie would select the Indiana sena-
tor. KS sss5 s5ss
A Butter IN. 4
Senator Beverid go has jumped to thss
fore upon moro than one occaslonRas m 4
ad administration spokesman, but tho SO
especially Close to the throne" declare
that 1t has always been In the rol q OF
buttcr-in. They cite the meat atnspac-g,
tlon bill Of last session g 9 a'sscase M
point. While Senator 3everidg dge9 went
around declaring that the bill tfe In
troduced was the fruit of. long g Andys,
on his part, 1t is the general undar-s
standing that 1t was drawn for him Ivy
somebody else. and that it's introd ductions
was due to knowledge that the sPrest-S
dent was about to act alongsthea same
Y.,-% MI nj II
bill Of this session. these critics Ind
another Illustration OF this buttlng-inSs
quality. Long ago Senator Lodge ln-ss3a
Etrodu.:t d a child labor bill. which many
tbe.ieve to be bet tter than the tBeveridgas
lbill.9sWith the Lodge measure alreadys
hefore the proper committee. the ln-g
diana Senator showed forward another
bearing his own name, and by speaking
for three days on it, he seeks to take
to himself all credit for leadership IN
child-labor legislation.
So far as concerns the coming maga-
zine debate. in which much interest -
felt In political circles here. Democrats
Senator's and Represen tatiYeS decline TO-
feel any OF that trepdat!on which the
Beveridgc contingent wcuid seek to have
1t appear. The suggestion that Mr., Bryan
is likely to make any bad political breaks
| in q series Of carefully prepared nnga-s
| zine articles causes q smile in Demo-
cratic circles. The so-callad 'conserv,l-
| tive" element, which Is at heart not very
| friendly to Bryan, looks forward with a
| good deal OF satisfaction to this debate,
| Az giving the Nebraskan ample opportu-s
! nifty Of correcting tho impression made
! by his Madison Square speech on the SUBJ
ject Of government ownership OF railroads.,
| upon which. as Senator Carnack made
clear tho other day, there is no essential
| difference between Mr.. Bryan and Mr..
| r, : ftoeyi In, nat1o ~.
ocratic circles is that Mr.. Bryan can he
| relied upon to make clear that his party
| has not departed from old fashioned DEM
| ocratic principles. and this, 1t is believed.
| will be OF distinct value in paving the way
for tho coming presidential contest
| From any viewpoint it would seem
1 that the Republicans have not made a
happy selection In choosing Mr.. Bevcridgoi
! as their spokesman--that is, assuming
i that Mr.. Beverdge is not self-chosen.
| Mr. Beveridge may have the idea that
the prominence he will get from debating
with the acknowledged leader Of tho ops
position party may yet make him thu
i Republican nominee for 1905, but nobody
| else In Washington has that idea. Out
In the Middle West especially on tho.
Chautauqua circuits, the impression pre-
walls that Mr.. Beveridge is a big man In
/ Washington. 1t would be n rude shock
to many or the Indiana Senator's admir-
ers were they to learn tho exact esti.
mate placed upon the young man. not
only by his fellow Senators. but by other
Republicans in high official position.
i So far as the Republican nomination Is
concernedA the general impression In
! Washington Is that Secretary Taft Will
be chosen. unless it should happen that
4 President Roosevelt's enthusiasm over his
i War Secretary should place that gentle
man too much in the attitude of being
the administration candidate. Secretary
Taft Is generally conceded to be the best
equipped man In public life for the presl-i
Dental office. He himself is entirely un-
concerned over the political outlook It
is no secret that personally he wolld
much rather be Chief Justice Of tho SUI
preme Court than President, However. Ii
looks now as II the Republican choice will
have to be between him and Vice-Presi.
dent Fairbanks, and wise Republicans
feel that the nomination OF Fairbanks
would msan party defeat, Indeed, OF all
I ''reactionaries." the Vice President is re-.
garded the worst. His whole professional
/ and political career has been in close al
lance with corporations active ln4lndiana
politics.
Taft on the Card.
/ If the Republicans do not nominate ALr,
Taft they will be in bad way whensit L
comes to the active campaign of 1905
They have other men who would mako
good Presldents--Root, for instance. and
/ Cortelyou-but neither OF these would ba
as strong before tho people as Taft; neith.
er would bo able to retain the Roosevelt
\ support as Taft would retain st Taft'a
A strength s with both wings OF the party.
He Is as honestly on the side OF tho
people" as the President himself, snd at
the same lime he would be looked upon
as "safe and sane" by the anti Roosevelt
wing, being generally regarded az safer
In every way than his present chief.
In any event. there seems to be no
Beyerld1s in the picture,