The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-09-10
CORTELYOU AS EOSs.
The Place Made for Him by Roose-
velt-His Qualifications for the Pos.
itton.

welt TO make George B. Cortelyou the
political boss OF that state, Is not sur
prising. Why shouldn't Mr.. Cortelyou
be the BOSS? In the campaign OF 1894
he was the chairman of the Repubii.
can national committee. He had just
ceased to be chief Of the bureau o. cor
poratiors What he didn't know about
corporations wouldn't be worth know
ing; but it was worth something TO
those corporations to eseop him from
making his knowledge widely public
That is one way By which MIR. Cortei-
| you secured for Mr. Roosevelt the
money OF life insurance policy-holders
| in moderate sums OF about $45, 900
assessed upon each company. Mr..
CortelyOu became postmaster general.
| Everybody who understands politics
| knows that this IS one Of the most. if
| not in fact the most powerful place
| i'll the gift of the administration. All
| through the south where senators and,
| congressman are democrats, the post
| masters are republican. Even in north
ern states Wnere there may be a local
| democratic majority, the postmasters
were appointed by Cortelyou at the
dictatiOn Of his chief So as post
! master general, Mr. Cortelyou was
| able to build up for his latest bene-
| factor machine tor securing a nomi-
| nation that cannot be beat The New
York World on the day that | write
| this letter points out editorially that
479 votes will be necessary to select
| the next republican nominee for the
| presidency. Of these 332 will come
| from the southern states dominated by
| federal ofice-hoIders, most of whom
owe their jobs to Cortelyou, and all of
Whom their livHhood to Roosevelt
Twenty-six will come from the terri
tories, largely controlled by the pres
ident's rough rider pets. One hundred
and ffhy-six will come from the wes-
| tern states and the Pacific coast. In
this territory Mr.. Roosevelt is undenia-
bly, strong, and along the coast will
be made vastly stronger by his auda-
ciOus use Of the whole fighting navy
of the United States to cary his polit-
ical flag around the horn and to the
Golden Gate. In brief for nomination
Ct himself. or of his favorite candidate
VI. Roosevelt can muster a working
majority Of his convention without
considering any state east of the Mis-
slssippi or north Of the Potomac.
1t is Of course easy for republican
president 10 get delegates from the
Southern states. To get electoral
votes is not so easy. Both electoral
votes and delegates from the middle
west are apt to be easy for a republi-
can candidate. But thus far the DOM
lnant states Of the east, New York,
New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio and In
diana have shown no devotion to the
Roosevelt cause. 1t is often from them
that the votes must come to carry the
election, though they may not be neces-
sary to carrying the convention
But OF course, Mr.. Cortelyous a:d
will count for much He is now in
tact, If not IN name, the Roosevelt
political manager He is also the sec
Eetary OF the treasury and he has mon
ey to relieve the exigencies of Wall
Street. He said last week that he had
nearly hundred millions dollars to
deposit in certain banks in order to
meet the annual demand of the West
tor cash to move the crops He would
not give the names of the banks. he
would not say when he was goin, to
give without interest to these banns
the money poured into the treasury b.
the people as result Of high taxation
In order that it might be lent back to
the people at, high rates of interest,
Don't you think that Mr. CorteIyou
former chairman of the republican
national committee, later secretary of
the political postoffice department,
now secretary of the treasury and
frankly entrusted with the task Of
getting Roosevelt delegation in New
York, is likely to make some headway
The man that can hold the treasury
club over Wall Street, the man who
can speak yith authority to Morgan.
and to Hill, and to RODGERS; and to
| Stlllman, and TO all the financiers
who have ENRICHED themselves through
| their possession of special privileges
granted from Washington, can get the
| New York delegation just as easy rs he
can lend the greater part of the s87,-
?oo 600 now in the treasury to the
standard Oil Bapks-Special to The
I News and Observer.