Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-06-11
REPUBLICAN PARUY LOSES POPU.
Lar confidence.
Walter WeiIman, in the Chicago Rec.
ord-heraId, Tells How the Repubii-
can Leaders In Congress Have Be.
trayed the Confidence of the peO.
pie.

1T is at last dawning dimly upon
the republican leaders of congress
that they are in danger of losing the
next house of representatives, and
perhaps the presidency as well. 1t
is conceded that the present session,
highly important from the political
point of view because it Immediately
precedes the general elections, has
been failure. The party in power
has missed it's opportunity to gain
the good will and approval of the
country. Something may be done,
hastily and rather desperately, in the
closing hours, but it will not avail
much in the way of restoring popu-
lar confidence in a leadership now
pretty thoroughly discredited.
Il have said the leaders are dimly
realizing the danger which cOnfrOnts
them. The word was well chosen.
They are just beginning to have a
vague consciousness of the truth.
Even yet they do not fully realize it.
They have proceeded upon the the
Ory that the country is republican
and that the people will stand any
thing. Many of them have not even
yet got their eyes opened. But the
rank and file of the republican men,
bership of the house is laboring un-
der no illusions. Those whose dis
tricts are at all debatable are now
In something like panic. They
have heard from home. They have
heard of the mutterings of discon-
tent and disapproval among the peo-
pie. They know what a hard fight
lies before them in their efforts to
secure reelection. They have tried
to tell Cannon, Payne. Dalzell and
the other members of the house oil
garchy how things stand. The
speaker and his lieutenants smile and
smoke and tell the boys not to get
excited; they have heard such cries
before; it will all come out right in
the end.
1.-THE well-nigh implacable atti-
tude of Speaker Cannon and the
other leaders of the house on the
wood pulp question has done the re-
publican party more harm than any
thing else that has happened during
recent years. 1t is not that the coun-
try cares SO awfully much about this
one item of pulp, important as it is
and unjust as are the extortions of
the trust. But the people, through
the actions of the leaders on this
matter. are getting their eyes open
ed to the actual policy of the repub
1ican bosses whenever the tariff is in
vOlved. The people want tariff revis-
ion. They expect it. They have been
demanding it for a long time. Again
and again they have been told to
wait till after this campaign or that
election, or for something else. Now
1t has all crystalized in what appears
on the surface to be a tacit agree
ment all around that revision shall
be taken up at special session to be
called Immediately after the coming
election.
Representatives of great indus
try, the newspaper press, come to
Washington and ask leaders to give
patient hearing to their plea for re-
form of certain part of the tariff.
Instead of being met with pOliteness
and fair treatment they are treated
most cavalierly. They are accused Of
selfishness. Their witnesses are pill
loried by the lieutenants Of the re-
publican speaker as If they were
some sort of malefactors proposing an
unlawful action instead of simple
reform of the tariff in the interests of
justice. The investigation, so-called,
is not fair, impartial and thorough.
1t is an investigation held for pur-
pose-and that purpose not the as
certainment of the truth with view
to action, but the framing Of an ex-
cuse for non-action.
"All over the country the people
are watching these manoeuvers. They
understand them. They are now
asking: If the republican leaders
will treat the newspapers Of the
country in this manner upon the eve
OF a presidential campaign, what in
heavens name will they do to the
representatives Of other industries
who go to Washington seeking re-
form and justice after the election is
over! What chance will the business
CONTINUED on page four.)