Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-05-11
NATIONAL CAPITAL NEWS AND GOSSIP
By Ralph smith

WASHINGTON, d. c., May S.-Senatof
Jonathan p Delivers attack upon the
tariff bill was music to the ears OF the
Democrats 1t was the sweetest morsel
the minority has had to chew on in some
time, and was all the more appreciated
because of the criticism to which the
Democratic party has been subjected ow-
ing to the protection votes some MEM
hers OF the minority have cast. Until Dol
liver broke. loose with his vitriolic eritl-
cisn Of Aldrich Lodge and others and MS
vicious assault upon the cotton and WOOL
en- schedules of the pending bill, the Re
publicans were in high glee over the di-
vision in the ranks of the Democrats
party.
The Republican senators and represen-
tatives and even some of the cores
pondents delighted in Temarking that the
good old Democratic party had been shot
| all TO h-lT' by the tariff, while the Grand
\ Old Party as usual presented a uhlted
| front While there may have been some
| ground for this assertion in so far as
! ii concerned the Democrats, IL was never
/ entirely correct as to the united front, the
Grand Old Party was presenting. The
0oIIiver speech served to develop this
| fact very clearly, and now we hear less
talk of the sort.
Republicans Not United
Rut even in the house, the Republicans
were far from united on the tariff. The
middle westerners made a bold stand fof
free lumber. and were Sscored unmerci-
| fully for going back on the Republican
Iprinciple of protection. Tawney, OF MIN
nesota, led the fight for free lumber and
Tawney is in line for the speakershlp'
to succeed Cannon. Tawneys hepuDhcan.
! ism was never before questioned, but II
wasn't firm enough to induce him 10
swallow protected lumber. He had
strong Republican following, too, anu
came near to placing lumber on the Tree
| list with the aid of the Democrats. IN
deed. free lumber would have been an
accomplished fact but for number OF
Democrats who voted with the regular
Republicans for a duty on lumber.
| But the fact that a score or more Re-
publicans fought and voted for free lum-
Der was overlooked by the critical writer's
who had a whole lot to say about the
poor old Democratic party because score
| or more Democrats voted for dutiaole
lumber.
But, coming back to Dolliver and his
speech it is within the bounds OF truth
| to remark that his assault upon the sa'
| cred principle of protection ecllpsed anJ
questionable utterances so far enunciat-
ed nv a Democrat. He kicked over the
traces. and made things so warm for Aid
rich and Lodge that each of these worth
4 les left the senate chamber, rather than
4 face the music.
| Aldrich. during the early stages Of the
| DolIiver speech. seemed to find comfort
| in the yelled aIlusion to the reason Tor
| Dolliver's wrath. He said, in effect, that
| he well understood why the senator from
| Iowa was irritated over the pending Dill,
1 INT hoped that Ii would be unnecessary
| for him to disclose this fact TO the SEN
| ate. Aldrich smiled knowingly as he re-
sumed his seat after this thrust, which
| Dolliver ignored, continuing to lambast
| the leaders and the bill.
What Aldrich Meant
Aldrich's allusion to Delivers irrita-
ton referred to the Iowan's failure 10 get
| a place on the finance committee, which
he sought. That's an open secret OF the
| senate Dolliver was very anxious 10
| succeed to the finance committee. and he
| kicked up a row when Aldrich and his
1 Iieutenants gave the coveted place to
! Reed Smoot the Mormon senator from
Utah. 1t has been whispered that Smoot
/ was favored in this instance because Aid
| rich regarded him as an, easier man TO
| handle on the committee than Dolliver.
| 1t is the general impression here now
! that Aldrich would have done well to
| have given the finance committee place to
| Dolliver. If by doing so he would have
| suppressed the Iowan's sensational at
4 tack on the bill. But it is doubtful wheth-
l err a place on the finance COMMITTEES
would have muzzled Deliver. all circum-
| stances considered
! Iowa is a Republican state all right,
and believes in a degree of protection, but
/ Iowa is also welded to the Cummins
idea. and the Cummins idea, as exempli-
| fed by the senator OF that name, differs
/ radically from the views entertained by
/ Aldrich and the men who made the tariff
/ bill. Cummins is now in the senate
! too, and his influence in Iowa is in the
| ascendency, all of which things are men,
! toned as throwing some light on the
reason why Dolliver, also of Iowa, spoke
out in meeting. and would probably have
spoken out even had he been assigned to
the finance committee.
The Cotton Schedule
Dolliver directed his attack principally