Saint Mary's beacon., 1907-07-18
WASHINGTON LETrER.


fgrom Our Regular Correaapondsns.l
Washington d. c., July 10. 1907
AS news OF reel import Is scant In
the dog days we are being RECALLED
with the prospect Of q war with Ja.
pan. But as neither the Japanese
governments nor the American peo-
pile are spelling for fight with each
other about comparatively trivial
matter there will be no war. Bnt
President Roosevelt is overjoyed at
the display the newspapers are Civ
ing the subject. as II will help him
to induce Congress to vote Che neces-
sary appropriations for new fleet
OF battle-ships for the Atlantic. The
Steel Trust which will supply tho
materialand the Ship building Trust
are likewise interested In tho build
ing OF an Atlantic feet, and the
standpatters. who fear the surplus
revenue will be used as an argu-
ment for tariff revision. are anxious
for large appropriations. So we
will hear more OF the war scare I'M
tiiCongress is coerced into voting
new battIe.ships.
No doubt many people have been
surprised OF the collapse Of the
Roosevelt anti-railroad campaign
before anything has really been ac-
complished, but that should not be
o matter for wonder when IL Is CON
sidered that Mr.. Roosevelt never
hangs on long to one job. but better
likes the excitement that new pro-
iects offer. Then. he has discover
cd thas the legislatures Of most OF
the states have taken the bull by
the horns and passed railroad rate
reduction laws which have discount
ed the puny effect Of the Roosevelt
rate legislation. Then again | am
assured. on the highest authority,
that the Administration project is to
nomidate Secretary Cortelyou for
president because the corporations
and the Wall Street fnanclers are
willing to furnish the necessary
campaign fund TO elect him, which
is the strongest reason for letting
up on the railroads. Yet Mr.. Cor
telyou would be acclaimed as the
residuary legatee Of the Roosevelt
strength and is supposed to be ready
to carry into effect my policies ="
whatever they are. But II is still
some time 70 the nominating con-
vention and the unstable boss may
al any moment pick up fresh man.
especially II there appears to be the
same lack Of enthusiasm for Cortel.
you as there Is for Taft. The Presi-
dent would end the whole matter BY
saying be would accept . renomina-
lion, but his election night promise.
ID which he declared that 10 again
be candidate would virtually be 10
run for third term prevents him.
Undoubtedly President Roosevelt
would lose large contingent Of his
own party If he was candidate for
q third term. and the votes Of mis-
guided democrats, who would be
mostly confined to those 10 the Wes-
tern Ssates. would not give him an
increased electoral vote. The fact
is the Republican leaders are much
divided upon what to do and are
w0rkiug at cross purposes.
II the Democrats succeed ia unit
ing on candidate. whether he is
generally known or not, they would
be successful for there are many
reasons why the Republicans will
not pull together whoever they nom
mate, II their candidate isa known
supporter Of the Roosevelt faction,
there will be many Republicans who
will not support him and II he is o
''reactionary" there will be Others
Who will vote against him or re-
fuse him active support. Leaving
our Republican friends 10 omeditate on
their own troubles, Democrats, who
have troubles Of their own. can
overcome them by improving their
organization and urging measures
rather than men.
RoBEhT MiI1ER.