Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-10-14
Speaker in Much Greater Danger
Of Defeat Than Republican
National Ticket
JUNGLE JOE" ISSUE ELSEWHERE
Candidates for Congress in Other Dis
triets Forced to Go on Record as to
Attitude Towards cannon's 1Re-elec-
ton as speaker-Fight in DanviIIe
District Most Serious Or.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
New York. Oct. IA curious ele-
ment of duality enters INTO the national
campaign this year, the like of which
has never appeared in a national cam
paign to anything like the same de-
gree.
To all practical purposes, the repub-
lican party is fighting to control two
electoral colleges, one composed of 4S3
men, and the other of 3S6. The mem
bers Of the larger electoral college are
chosen by states; those of the smaller
by districts.
AS a rule almost unbroken, these two
electoral colleges have been controlled
by the same party. The n controlling
the larger has almost, uniformly con-
trolled also the smaller body.
= But this year there is a new condi-
ton. The larger electoral college will
elect the first officer of this govern
lnent. The smaller will choose the sec
ond most powerful officer in the ma
tional governlment-the speaker of the
house.
There is a considerable feeling that
the republicans are asking control OF
the presidential electoral college on
one set of issues, and of the speaker.
ship electoral college on another. Mr..
Taft and Speaker Cannon may be
equally able to stand %squarely on the
national platform, but the people at
large don't alieve it. Mr.. Taft stands
for the Roosevelt policies, n nobody
seriously doubts 1t. The speaker Is ac-
cused OF having stood in h way OF
these policies a good many times.
One political committee Isl seeking
votes for Taft-the national commit
tee. Another Is seeking election of the
Cannon electoral college. This one is
the congressional campaign committee.
There has been allegation from the
beginning that they were lot working
in harmony. 1t has been charged that
the national committee Is not able to
get money, while the congressional
committee has plenty. Certain it is that
no particular complaints of hard times
have been emanating from the con-
gressional committee headquarters.
A number of nominees for congress
80 SSSi
forced to pledge themselves not to sup
port Speaker Cannon for another term
as speaker. Some others have been de-
feated for denomination because they
would not give such pledges or were
considered too intimately related to the
speakers controlling regime. 1t is plain
that there is a republican fight on Can
non, and that among his opponents are
many people whose az for oppos-
ing him is conviction that he does not
represent the policies which constitute
their reason for supporting Taft.
There are few people who believe
there Is serious chance of the repub-
liccns carrying one and the democrats
the other Of these two parallel cleo
toral colleges, yet there are ONE and
they include some trained observers.
The greatest wonder of the campaign
second to the apathy-is the force OF
the anti-Cummins sentiment. The
speaker has been warned off a vast
territory on the ground that he would
he sure to do more harm than good.
His Endorsement is the particular as
set which looks like a liability just now
to a large proportion OF republican
congressional candidates. There are
IlGTallY SUITES VI SOllSl SSSiIlCi Ntio
stand under weight of obligation to the
speaker for favors rendered and prom
inence achieved, who would not for the
world admit as muc before their con-
stituents, and who would rather have
anything happen than that the speaker
should speak in their districts and tell
how we'll their services had pleased
him.
The speaker has two fights en- his
hands. One is to be reelected in his
home district, and the other is to be
reelected speaker if he gets back to
congress-. Until very recently nobody
has taken seriously the effort to defeat
him in his home district. But I learn
on the most excellent authority that
he is in real danger. A politician of
national reputation, who is a neighbor
to the speaker, said yesterday that he
considered it a very close question
whether the speaker would win again.
is familiar with the conditions in
the Danville district and his conclu-l