The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-12-23
THE STRUGGLE FOR CONTROL

In Everybody's Magazine for the
current issue, appears an article con-
trbuted by Senator Cummins, of
Iowa, which is of deep interest, for
it depicts from republican insurg-
ent standpoint the coming struggle.
A pertinent paragraph contains these
words:
THE real issue that will be fought
out in the immediate future Is
whether the republicans from our
part of the country. will accept the
leadership of Aldrich, Hale, Cannon;
or whether they will adopt the views
and follow the counsels of the men
who have acquired the name which
some people use to disparage them,
but which l used with good deal of
pride-insurgents.' !"
Senator Cummins states it as an
issue of men. And, in its simplest
form, an issue of men it is. But it
| is due to the intelligence of the pub
| lie that the issue be stated in terms
| of principles and conditions. That
can be done with the following let
| ter as a text:
The White House at Oyster Bay,
N. y, July 25, 1908.-Dear Bona
parte: l want to congratulate you
on the admirable stand you have
taken in this matter. If the electric
interests are not joined in an illegal
| combination--if there is not con-
spiracy between the General Electric
and Westinghouse people, which has
enlisted strong moral support of the
telephone and telegraph interests
why need there be an alarm over a
private investigation?
| oh 70 Not
must be no deviation. If some of
my good party friends should feel
embarrassed, it would surely be no
fault of ours. Really. there seems
to be no end to the influences which
are being operated in this case.
| What scoundrel must be
to try open bribery! And how re-
| freshing it is to know that there is
much money at hand by PROSTATE
| industries" which might be put to
proper use in an honest way!
! If - comes to you again l shall
be really delighted to have you tell
| him straight from me that the in
vestigation will be pressed with the
utmost energy to conclusion. and
| that this will be done whether his
clients contribute million for the
| election of Taft or million for the
| election of Bryan, or whether they
| fail to contribute cent to either
SIDE
l would really like you to give him
this message from me, and put it in
writing if you desire. Yours admir-
ingly, Theodore Roosevelt
| This letter as the date shows was
written during the last presidential
campaign. The investigation re-
ferred to was instituted by Roosevelt
to determine whether there was a
trust composed of the electric inter-
ests of the country, seeking to mon
opolize the water power sites of the
Enation. The letter was made public
by the New York World 1t is pity
the World did not fill in the blank.
But no one familiar with high poll
| tics can fail to read between the lines
| that the man referred to is one who
is at once powerful in finances and
| powerful in republican politics-suf-
| ficiently powerful to go to the attor-
ney general of the United States,
and even to the president himself,
with demands and threats Now it is
this sort Of man that dominates the
republican party today. A list of
| the men who at once occupy places of
l pOHel III Iuc ouSdl u uSI anu III IllC
republican organization, would be an
amusing illustration Of the interlock-
ing of the trusts and high republican
politics. Men of this type dominate
the republican party in the house, in
the senate, in the cabinet and In the
committees OF the east.
The present struggle is to deter
mine whether the republican party
and congress shall be controlled by
men of this kind. or men like Bev-
eridge of Indiana. Cummins and Dol
!, liver of Iowa. Clapp and Nelson of
Minnesota. LaFollette of Wisconsin,
and Bristow of Kansas In this strug-
GLE within year, every voter in the
United States will have a chance to
cast his ballot. Between June and
December of next summer every
member of the lower house of con-
gress must go before his constituents
for reelection or defeat In every
district the dominant question should
, be: Will you vote with Cannon OF
: against Cannon? And every voter
in the country should cast his ballot
. knowing the candidates answer tc
!, that qucstion.-St Joe Observer
-