Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-02-22

Island are In deadlock II
may or may not be broken be.
fore this letter is in print The
matter in controversy is the election OF
United States senator, and two Re
publican multis want it. Senator Wet
more has tried the senatorial POGO and
wants some more. Colonel Colt thinks
Wetmore has had quantum sufficit
perhaps more than a quantum meruit
and wants to taste it himself So these
two plutocrats have tapped their bar.
GELS, and in Little Rhody everything is
merry as a marriage bell. While the
two multis are waging this war of the
barrels the boys are having a good
time and would be delighted to see the
contest continue till the roses bloom.
In Rhode Island the people have lit.
tile to do with running the government.
If they did it would be Democratic.
Some astute persons have expressed a
doubt as to whether they really have
a Republican form Of government in
Rhode Island such as the federal con-
stitution requires. AS it is % per cent
of the votes elect majority of both
houses of the legislature-a condition
growing out of the fact that the basis
OF representation is about the same
now as a century ago. 1t is all based
on towns In the lapse Of time the
population of some towns has grown
SO and the population of others dwin-
died so that the thing has come to be
preposterous, but it suits the pluto
Gratis to IT" All they have to do is
to round up the % per cent who are
80 situated geographically as to con-
troll both houses of the legislature.
With the other 70 per cent they need
not bother The basis Of representa-
ton is constitutional provision and
cannot be amended except the legisla-
ture is willing-which of course it is
not.
In Earnest.
! Evidently the Roosevelt third term
boomers are in dead earnest and they
are going at it Systematically and with
nerve. They are out in the open fight
ing for their man against all Corners.
They are publishing a magazine en-
titled Limelight in aid of their
movement. Certainly that paper is
correctly named, for if ever there was
q man who loved to battle himself in
the limelight it is the Hon. T. r. 1t is
published in Chicago. the Windy
City-another observance Of the pro-
prieties. Limelight claims that its idol
is now filling his first term. II that be
true then the idol himself did not know
what he was talking about when he
declared that the present term is his
second. Limelight seems to have a
corps of boomers judiciously located
| about the land 80 as to give to the
third term movement the appearance
Of being widely diffused, geographical
~ speaking, and IL fills its columns
| with mere or less heated communica-
tons from these boomers. OF course
most of them belong to the "bread and
butter brigade"-that is, to those hold
those who hope to do so. It ought to
be stated that there are some who are
whooping it up for third term for
Roosevelt under the delusion that the
country would speedily 60 to what Mr..
Mantalini was wont to denominate as
''the demnition bowwows" if Roosevelt
should lose his grip on the helm. Poor
lot hn 20
ress depends on no one man, thank
God! And If all the offlceholders in
America were to die today, in week
or two their places would be filled
with men just as capable. Whatever
else happens in this land Of the free
and home of the brave, the breed of
oficeholders will not run out.
Ex-Governor Durbin of Indiana. an.
other statesman out Of job and in
hopes of getting one, has been in Wash
ington lately throwing ice water on
the Fairbanks boom and screeching
for a third term for Roosevelt. The
ex-governor thinks he knows that the
plain people are wild for Roosevelt
and that if he is not given third
SC1 LII WY WIZ UC ~ luG SOuuIliOu VI
Rachel mourning for her children and
refusing to be comforted because they
were not They do say. however, that
the reason why Durbin is against Fair
banks and for Roosevelt is that he Is
ambitious to be v. p. himself. Now,
the gossips who say that may be
wrong. but folks have habit In this
world of piecing two and two together,
thereby making four. Another notable
feature of the situation seems to be
that Senator Beveridge Of Indiana Is
not tearing his shirt for Fairbanks,
another case of green eyed monster.
Beveridge believes that he is himself
Of presidential stature, and he doesn't
want Fairbanks to get it for fear it
would initiate against his own
chances. So far as know, Beveridge
has not openly declared for third
term, but the chances are that he
would declare in favor of third,
fourth and fifth if he supposed 1t would
kill off Fairbanks and let himself in.
There is still another class screaming
for third term for Roosevelt consist
Ing of people whose appetites constant
ly crave sensations. They may not in
nptly be termed sensation topers. If a
man should happen to be elected presi-
dent next time who would attend