The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1907-05-16
WEEKLY LETTER
FROM WASHINGTON.
SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND GENERAL
news ITEMS GATHERED IN The
CAPITAL CITY.
Special Correspondence Of the
COUNTY RECORD.)
WASHINGTON, D. e, May L.

1t positively is astounding to peo-
pie here IN Washington who know
President Roosevelt. at short range.
to read about his popularity ii the
country at large, and the farther
away the more popular ne seems to
be. There mus; De something in
that sayiay that distance lends en-
chansment TO the view The clo-
ser you get to the man the less you
will like him, for l do not know OF
one lovable trait he possesses, al
though he catches many men by his
impulsive ways of dong things. He
iupulsively tells one man that he
will do what is wauted of him, but
the minute the mans back is turned
and the man who does not want that
thing done gets his ear, he Just as
as impulsively goes back on what he
said to the other man, and tells the
second man that it shall be as ne
wishes. Thus, he is all things to
all men aud nothing very long.
He has made grandstand plays
about doing things that the people
wanted, but name one thing ne has
done or advocated that has been Of
any practical benefit to the people,
aud I will name you a number that
he has advocated and done that have
been or would have been a detriment
20 the interest Of the people. What
good, so far, has the railroad rate
bill been to the consumers aud ship
pers of the country?
Every suit that has been brought
against the combinations or the
railroads, has been brought through
the Elkius laSor the Sherman ant
trust law, two laws that were on the
statute books before the enactment
of the railroad rate law and simply
had never been enforced.
The people Of this country have
got the idea into their heads that Mr.
Roosevelt Is after the rich, the pre-
Gatorv rich, and tha, he is giving
them a taste of the big stick. Well,
he is not hurting them so bad as ne
is the people who are dependent on
the growth of the railroads and their
expansion and their ability to haul
the crops to market. Mr Roosevelt
did not hesitate to take the money OF
TIE predatory rich, during the last
presidential campaign, when he was
cheek by jowl with the whole bunch
of them, hobnobbing with them as to
the best way to win the election.
However, he tu,ns on them and, in
order to make a grandstand play, ne
asserts that he is going to do things
to them which scares capital into
hiding and the railroads cannot bor-
row any moaey to make extensions
or build new lines that are needed TO
haul the commerce of the country.
Regulation and control of rail-
roads is all right. 1t is Democratic
policv snd Democratic doctrine stolen
by Republican administration to
maze it popular, and its popularity
to-day Is based on policies, doctrines
and ideas stolen from the Democratic
platform. The Dem cratic PLATFORM
however, never advocated conhsca-
tlou of property, Or tried to WELD
the big stick to scare capital of the
face of the earth. That is what
Roosevelt has done in order to Gre
ate little cheap popularity.
You can take my word for il, the
veneer will be washed Of this politl.
cal tin deity before his term expires
and the people will kaow him as do
the correspondents IN Washington
and the members Of Congress He
has not u dozen friends in Congress,
on either side Of the political fence,
but they are afraid to say their soul
is their own, on account of the pat
ronage sick he wields. Thy, also.
are playing the political game, and
they dare not express their honest