The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-07-03
West Expects Little Action
From the Next Administration
Thinks Bryan Would Be Bound By Hostile Senate, and
That Taft Will Lack Incentive to
Make Reforms.
By ]. c. wELLIVER.

DENVER, COL, July 3.-Just why that
astute and far-seeirg politician, Theo-
dCre Roosevelt, desired the nomination
Of a middle Western progressive ioF
Vice President, requires no explanation
TO one who has Travelled about and
made some study Of public opinion
throughout the great agricultural re-
gion of the Mississippi and Missouri
valleys. Nobody understands Better
than the President how to make CON-
posite photograph OF the American pub
lie mind at a given time.
He understands as very few other
men have understood what allowances
must be made for the conservatism OF
the East. the power of the great spe-
cial interests everywhere, the radicalism
of the West. the quiet. sober. staid bus
mess Judgment of the immense region
/ from the Alleghenies TO the steppes Of
| the eastern Rockies. the aristocraic, in
1 bred conservatism Of the South. The
| President sees with a wider vision than
most politicians.
/ He knows. what Massachusetts does
not know, that New England cannot
| elect A President: he knows. what Man
| haitian Island generally refuses to rec
| Ognize. that New York is rather an in
/ dex than an arbiter Of political results;
/ he knows, what its own people too
! often refuse 20 admit. that the great
/ mountain and Pacific West must, after
all. be measured by votes and not by
| acres: and finally, he knows that the
| agricultural Middle West, the home OF
what may be called cOnservative-radi-
! calism. Is not 20 welded to the idols of
| Republicanism but that its convictions
might lead it to another camp II Re
J pubIicanism should fail 10 meet It's re
| oUirements.
Balances Conditions.
No man, IN short. better than TEeo-
! dore Roosevelt understands the import
ance Of balancing candidates. platform.
party managers, and partisan appeal
among the various sections and senti-
ments OF the country. II was the full
ness Of this wisdom that made the Pres
ident desire the nomination for Vice
| President OF q man who understood
and was in sympathy with the Trans
! AHeghenian attitude OF mind.
The October panic OF 1907 did not hit
| the West 50 hard as Il did the East
Fewer factories are idle fewer smoke
| stacks smOkeless, fewer IabOrlng people
/ out OF labor. in the West than in the
East. The West is pretty quietly going
| about It's business. operating it's In
| dustries and raising its crops. and
! taking vastly greater concern about
the water in its soil chan about the
| water in its securities.
For one thing. # has been deeply i'm
pressed with what may be called the
moral aspect OF Organism. It has seen
I II "a Of wv ~,
program Of 1896 It refuses utterly 70
shy at mention Of ELe NebraslIan's
name To take a mar up a dark alley
and under an outside stairway and
whisper 20 him in hOarse tones that
Bryan's election might be construed as
Government ownership OF railroads, Is
10 take cong chances on having the
man reel of a lot OF statistics about
Australia and New Zealand, and pre-
sent an argument 70 the effect that
Government ownership Of railroads has
been a complete success IN Germany
and Switzerland.
b! Know Situation.
The men may be anything from a
Palmer and Buckner Democrat OF 1881
10 a GrcenbaCker OF the 70's. a Popu-
Ist OF the SOS or the President Of the
First National Bank in his home town;
by the way they talk about some OF
these radical propositions nowadays
nobody is entitled 10 indulge any as
sumption az to their political history
They refuse TO be scared at the idea OF
Government ownership; they laugh
when you mention free silver. and wher
It IS suggested that the sanctity Of the
, I courts Is in danger because OF reckless
assault. they tell you that the anti
injunction plank Of the Chicago plat
form IS a disgraceful compromise.
! The truth is that While the East Ia.
to a considerable extent gone conserva.
tive by reason OF the financial trouble.
, of the last few months, the West (,
lust as fun OF prOSresSiveism, OF
} radicallsn, or Rooseveltism- or La Fol
letteiSm. or socialism, or anarchy. o.
I whatever YOU choose to call il. as i
- has ever been It is true that POpulisu
, has had its hair cut and It's face shaved
= and has got a new suit Of clothes from
which It has neglected to remove al
Of the store tags. and that il Ia:
/ dropped the old name: but II is still
: here
was after all the most effective one tn,
T Republicans could employ in 1895. an,
= the people who outlined the Republican
campaign of this year will do well Il
recognize early that that argument vii
= low. Whatever there Is Of political ad
! vantage in the argument shat some
body must be responsible for hard times
/ the Democrats get the benefit IN thi