The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-26
TROUBLES OF THEIR OWN.


Less than a year ago the cockiest,
serenest aggregation of political high
binders on earth composed the leader
ship of the Republican party Cannon
and Payne and Dalzell in the house,
Aldrieh and Allison and EIkins in the
senate, had a comfortable little syndi-
cate in charge of all important party
operations and had the machinery of
organization working so smoothly you
could hardly hear the wheels buzz even
when they are grinding up some incon-
siderate congressman or senator who
thought he had a right TO a voice in
public affairs. They had planned all
the arrangements for the presidential
lsuccession-until Roosevelt put a crow
bar into the machine. they were GER
tain they could name the next presi-
dent, and they would have laughed at
the man who questioned their absolute
control of the G. o. P.
And now?
Cannon and Payne and Dalzell have
practically declared open warfare on
the president, and have defeated most
of his pet measures by refusing to let
them come before the house. Special
messages from the White House have
been thrown into the wastebasket as
fast as read, threats and promises alike
have been ignored. and the eliminating
insult was handed out when the house,
under Cannon's direction, passed the
battleship bill for only two ships and
left out any appropriation for building
them.
Meanwhile the fight has extended
wherever Republican conventions have
been or are to held soon. Fairbanks
and Cannon have declared for tariff
lewiston Immediately after the election,
and friends of both are doing their ut
most to prevent the nomination of Taft
on the first ballot. In the New Eng
land states the administration has had
hard work to secure any notable pro-
portion of the delegates. Lodge, the
presidents former spokesman, has had
to acknowledge his inability to get
things done in the senate to suit Roose-
welt, and the Old irreconcilables of the
senate, who have resented the presi-
dents interference in legislative af-
fairs. are getting even as fast as they
can.
Aldrich has seen his currency bill
slaughtered after it had been amended
beyond recognition; EIkins has had
hard work getting any sort of results
in the line of his desire: Allison is sick
and almost out of the running after
one of the longest and most influential
careers in senate history.
These are only the chief incidents in
a session which has demoralized the
Republican organization to the point
Of rout The trouble began originally
when the president determined to name
his successor, a move as unwise as 1t
has been disastrous to the party. If
has continued from step to step until
the president has threatened to use the
veto as a means of coercion-a re-
minder of Cleveland at his worst, and
a promise of just such chaos as fol-
lowed his action.
Republican orators and newspapers
have been wont to gloat with joy over
the dissensions of the Democrats, but
they are so busy now with their own
troubles that even the temptation to
bait the Democrats has been forgotten
i'm their own tends Al the present rate
of progress it Will be hard to tell
whether the Chicago convention i'm ses-
sion is a prizefight arena. all bouts to
a finish, or whether it is a gathering of
statesmen formulating plans for d ma
tional campaign.