The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-02-12
RADICALS FLABBERGASTED
NOTHING is TALKED ABOUT BUT
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
why the Leaders of His Own Party
Did Not and DO Not Like What
Roosevelt Said.

Roosevelt Said.
A Washington dispatch says there
is still talk there about the special
message President Roosevelt sent to
congress.
1t is considered remarkable for the
reason that it was unexpected, and
it was unexpected for the reason that
the president has been pretty much
scared by the panic, the cause of
which has been widely attributed to
his whatever they are. But
he sent the message, reiterating his
statements that there was corruption
in the management of some large
corporations and again threatening
to enforce the law. The democrats
cheered the message to the echo, and
the republicans had good whole
some case of the dry grins.
Why Republicans Don't Like 1t.
The republicans do not like the
message for the reason that it shows
them their president has not yet got
out of what was in the early part of
his administration termed his natural
gait, which they said was running
away" They were driven in the last
congress by the power of his big
stick to enact legislation which they
did not want.
1t is true that the most radical
advocates of the trusts succeeded in
taking a good deal of the sting out
Of the legislation, Senator Aldrich.
the especial champion of the trusts
and the most powerful force in the
senate, compelling him to acquiesce
in the rate bill which, inasmuch as
some rate bill was to pass, was most
acceptable or rather that was least
Objectionable to the trusts.
Not Expected He'd Enforce Laws.
At the same time some legislation
was enacted Then the antitrust
laws had never been enforced by re-
| publican President Mckinley, and it
was not expected that Roosevelt
would enfore them. He has not en-
forced them, 1t is true, to the extent
Of putting big criminals behind the
bars, but he has talked mighty much
about doing it, and he was not ex-
pected to do that. Hence he has al
ways been unpopular with the lead
ers of his party. Somehow-not
strange how. either-he has succeed
ed in fooling the people all through
out the country, who have Deen much
pleased with what he is always say
ing he is going to do
Intended to Drown Hughes Boom.
OF course Mr.. Roosevelt carefully
timed this message so as to drown
out the boom of Gov. Hughes of New
York, who made a significant speech
on that very day, which speech, even
as Roosevelt figures it out was rel
egated in all the newspapers to sec
ond place. But exactly why Roose-
welt did this does not matter.
There are various views expressed
as to his reasons. The most widely
accepted one is that, seeing in the
rise of Hughes to great popular favor
and knowing that this governor of
New York is a man who would act
in the white house as he has acted
in the governors mansion at Albany,
that is, without regard to what po-
litical bosses, such as Roosevelt, may
say, he felt the necessity if he is to
continue with his hand upon the
throttle of this government, to do
something to throttle this new popu-
lar and dangerous idol. Whom the
president wants to be president after
March 4 next is not yet definitely
settled, although it is pretty gener-
ally conceded that there are but two
men in his mind-Secretary William
H. Taft and man named Theodore
Roosevelt.
Whether for Taft or Himself.
Whether the last named gentleman
is the one the president has deter
mined shall be the republican nomi-
nee or not, the sending of this mes
sage to congress has revived talk of
the third term.
There is a strong feeling in Wash
ington that Secretary Taft is not will
ing to go the lengths to which his
chief and sponsor goes in the mes
sage, and that the sending of the
message at this time eliminates the
secretary of war. OF course Mr.. Taft
! is not in a position where he can
speak out. He is scarcely in a posi-
ton to be able to choose his own
! platform, anyway. He is the choice
of the chief and he must accept
whatever platform the chief chooses
to build for him.