The Washington times., 1908-08-14
JENKINS UNPOPULAR.
DOOMED TO DEFEAT
Boss of the House Grave
yard Has All Hands
Turned Against Him.
SEAT is SOUGHT
BYI.L. LENROOT
La Follene's Friend Exposes Wis
consin Representatives, Methods
as Head of Committee.

CONFIDENT prediction comes from the
eleventh Wisconsin Congressional dis
trict that John J. jenkins, chairman
OF the House Committee on Judiciary,
is going to be defeated for the Re
publican nomination, and that ne will
be defeated because Of his record at
the last two sessions Of Congress.
Mr. Jenkins is serving his seventh
term in the House. He has been one of
The pillars of the Cannon organization
in that body; indeed. his committee has
been for three or four years the center
Of attacks aimed by everybody who
doesn't like the Cannon management.
1t has been charged that the Judiciary
Committee is a sort of legislative catch
all, TO which all sorts Of measures are
sent. especially when it is desired that
excuse be found for killing them. For
long time Chairman jenkins has been
especially opposed by organized labor,
ana Samuel Gompers and the American
Federation have been hard at work for
his undoing.
II Jenkins goes down it will be to
make room Tor another Republican. His
district is Overwhelmingly Republican,
and the next Congressman will be OF
that party, In all probability.
Opponent Strong.
Jenkins is opposed for the Republican
nomination by Irvine L. LenroOt. who
for two terms was speaker OF the Wis
cOnsin house of representatives, in the
times when La Toilette was governor
and was making his great tight for
capitalization of his radical ideas into
laws
Lenroot Is a seasoned politician. and
ne has been through about all the La
toilette fights. Two years. ago he was
the La Toilette candidate for the guber
material nomination, and was hopelessly
defeated by James o. Davidson now
governor.
Then he was a candidate for the Sen
ate in succession to SpOOner, ana Tor
weeks and weeks held the plurality OF
votes in the daily sessions. But at
length Isaac Stephenson was nominated
and elected LknrOOt, used 10 the Tor
tunes OF political warfare. went back to
the woods and the mines, and lald wires
for the Congressional nomination. me
reports seem unanimous in agreement
that he will win.
-Tbe Jenkins Committee on judiciary
has been denominated for several ses-
stons the graveyard OF the House 10 II
went legislation on labor topics-Wmcn
Is stiII there: 10 il Went the various bllls
10 give the States police authority over
liquors shipped into their borders IN lie
processes of interstate commerce. me
labor people and the antl-saloOn peoF i
are now out for the political scalp 'ock
or Nj jenkins.
Favored Cannon.
Sneaker Cannon and his immediate
advisers being opposed TO forest re
serve legislation for the establishment
of the Appalachian and White mountain
reserves the measures on this subject
we're sent to the Judiciary Committee Tor
expression as to the cOnstitutionahty OF
such proposals. The committee duly
opined that there was no constitutional
way 10 do 1t.
Then there was the question of Fed
zraI supervision of insurance. The com
7,,iftAA judiCtally Opined that insurance /
vrAs not commerce. which caused a good
deal OF woncerment by critics as 10 /
u,hcther II might be an incident 10 the
circus business or an aspect OF Re
Ueiou Then the multiplication bllls I
went TO this committee, and there were
sent to a subcommittee which put them I
ali calmly and peacefully TO sleep
The result was that the American
Forestry Association got on the trail or /
Jenl,ins. the American Federation of
Labor got its knife out the church
people, the PrOhibitionists, the anu
SaloOuists and various other OTganlza-
lions busted themselves and now, re /
MORT comes Jenkins is altogether likely
10 be sWamped. 1t IS said That ne viii
lose his own town, his own county ana
is likely 20 lose every county IN the dis
trlct.
Declined Debate.
Lenroot has been studying the Con
occasional Record, and challenged Jen-
lkins 70 a Joint debate. jenkins declined !
Then Lenrout went on the stump, aired
his opponents record in regular La Fol |
lette fashion, and wound up by pre-
senting his opinions on the tar1n IN
contrast to those Of Jenkins.
Among other things Judge Jenkins as
sursd an audience that there was no !
tariff on petroleum imported into TINS
country, and argued thence that the
standard oil, the greatest or trusts was
i'm no wise a tariff trust. -.
LenrOot replied that there was a tarlI
on petroleum. and was denounced as an
ianoramus. Ienroot then dug up the |
orovision Of the tariff law under when /
a countervailing duty is applied 10 pc
troleum: that is in case Foreign
country imposes a duty on American
petroleum. an equal duty shaH De I'M /
posed. at American ports, on petroleum
coming from that country There are
no imports of petroleum except from
Russia and Russia having high tarin |
put The only competing supply of Pc /
froIeI1n1 under heavy duty. Lenroot I
cot away with the better of the argu- I
Tneut and ii injured jenkins seriously /
The primaries will be held early IN |