New-York tribune., 1908-03-02
Az UNTEN.ABLE THEORY.
chaos.


members of the Republican State Convention of
Missouri were federal officeholders. OF course.
there could have been more. for there are hun
dredS Of thousands of men on the government
payrolls, and all would have been available
under the present system of your delegate or
your life. If necessary some could have been
imported into Missouri for convention purposes.
but a majority sufficient to carry the con-
vention; the others were merely thrown in as
good measure and to show the voting members
of the party that they can have nothing to say
about nominating candidates, though they will
be permitted, this year at least, TO go to the
polls on Election Day.
Thus do make impressive progress toward
that glorious institution of White House
dynasty TO be founded by the federal machine
The New York Press.
The foregoing extract is striking ilIustra-
ton Of an unfortunate tendency now prevalent
in certain quarters to deny 70 the Republican
organizations in the border and Southern
states any real capacity for selfgovernment-
We have already protested against that ten
dency as grossly unjust since it confuses facts
with fiction and fails entirely TO discriminate
between states in which the Republican party
is a mere skeleton and states in which it has
attained vigorous and healthy growth. Not
| long ago the statement made in news
papers unfrendly 10 the administration that
| the seats of go Southern delegates TO the
| Chicago national convention would be con
| tested on the ground that there was no party
organization in the Southern and border
stateS-AIaryIand, West Virginia and Missouri
eXcepted-capable of rejecting the wishes OF
| the Republican voters either fairly or intelli-
gently. We pointed out that this assumption
was extravagant and neXcusable since at least
| in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas Tennessee
Virginia and North Carolina the Republican
voters are well organized and are fully quail
| fed 10 give legitimate expression To their own
wishes.
t},o+ J'1,n hos in
cIuded Missouri in the list of politically ire
sponsible and anarchistic states. Our neigh
Dor published Friday dispatch from ST
Louis which contained the statement that 6i2
of 1.0I4 delegates to the Missouri Republlcan
State Convention federal otficeholders
II was led by that dispatch to conclude that
the action of the convention was in no way
representative and constituted repression OF
The real sentiment Of the Republican voters OF
the state at the hands OF the federal ma
chine" But such conclusion is utterly fal-
iaciouS It is based Il complete mlSappre-
hension of the character Of the convention ana
the significance of what 1t did.
The statement that twothirds of the mem
bers of the convention We're federal office
holders is highly fanciful. II is certainly curl
oilS that so extraordinary condition shouid
have escaped the notice of the st. Louis news
napers of Friday which furnish full accounts
of the conventions transactions. We should
have expected The ST. Louis Republic"
Democratic newspaper, and The ST. Louis
Globe-Democrat" Republican newspaper
which has for the last six weeks vigorously
combated the programme of instructing Mis-
souri's delegates for Secretary Taft, TO note
the alleged abnormal preponderance OF federal
officeholders in the state convention. Probably
no convention in any state had ever carried
go federal officeholders on its roll. and SO
momentous an aggregation should, we THINK.
have attracted the attention OF observers famll-
lar with Missouri politics. There Is, however,
no aIlusion in either "The Republic or The
Globe-D Democrat to the portentous muster
of federal officials which The Press reports.
."rhe GIobe-D Democrat has earnestly advo-
Gated the election of uninstructed delegates TO
Chicago and has protested against what 1t con-
sidered the undue activity Of federal officers in
two Of the earlier Congress district conventions
How could it have failed TO justify Its crlti-
cisms of federal Interference If 6l2 federal
functonaries had turned up as delegates to the
state convention? Discussing that gathering
The Globe Democrat said editoraily on Fri
day:
1t was fine body OF men. more than one thou
sand strong. that met in this city yesterday TO
name the Republican choice for national electors
and for four delegates -at-large to the natlolia
| convention The full attendance of delegates
ana the earnest interest shown throughout are
a proof of vigorous conditions in the party in
the state and of confident feeling in regard to
the steadily rising tide of Republicanism In
Missouri In point of numbers and Jealous feel
ing II was evidence of party that Is growing
and that feels the Importance of the mission
that. beginning with the great work OF Abraham
! Lincoln is still the paramount feature in the
progress and best interests Of the country
How does this agree with the picture of the
unreDresentative absolutism and tyraunous
oppression of the federal machine? The fact
is that the Republican party in Missouri Is to-
day exceptionally strong, aggressive and In
tellgent. and Is eager TO complete the partial
redemption Of the state which it accomplished
in 1904 1t east IN 1906 2S3 446 votes. We
! do not believe tlat two-thfds of those votes
| were supplied by federal offceholders' In
the choice this year of delegates TO Chicago
| there has been Il fair. open contest. The con-
| ventions have been representative. In each
district which has voted far the delegates
| have been instructed for Mr.. Taft. and in the
| state convention no opposition whatever to
similar instructions manifested. 1t is OBJ
! vous that pressure from the offlceholders-
| less than ! per cent OF the membership of the
| party-cOuld not alone have accomplished such
results. On the contrary, the action of the
districts and the state convention may be
| fairly said to have represented the desires OF
/ large majority of Missouri's Republican
| voters
| THE FADING LINES.
! G'lp coslnonolit1niSm Of thiS srraat .it- ,,-,e