The Dickinson press., 1909-01-02

S~~SASA PAAAAs Lag
would destroy all trusts controlling
over SO per cent Of an industry.
Regarding the depression as the be-
ginning Of the breakdown of the cap.
;italist system and claiming the army
Of idle workers as their asset, the So
cialists Of America went into the cam
paign with better weapons than ever
before. On May 10 the Socialist con-
vention met at Chicago. For the first
time the Socialists Of America at
frmed their position on specific quesv
lions of policy. The convention NOM
mated OH the first ballot unanimously
Eugene V. Debs for president and Ben
'jamin Hanford for vice president, the
same ticket put up by the Socialists in
1904. "
The Prohibitionists, conscious Of the
great strides their cause had made Oh
the local option issue in many states,
nominated Eugene w. Chain Of ILL
nois and Aaron s. Watkins Of Ohio
July Is at Columbus, O., on a plat
form containing many radical propos-
ais besides that against the sale or
manufacture of intoxicants.
On July % at Chicago the first ma
tional convention Of the Independence
party, outgrowth Of the league organ
lied by Editor Hearst, named Thomas
L. Hisgen of Massachusetts and John
Temple Graves of Georgia on q plat
form containing most of the radical
ideas Of the Democrats and some
radical. Opposition to Bryan was its
keynote.
The Peoples party April 8 at st.
Louis again named Thomas q. Watson
of Georgia as its standard bearer along
with 8. w. Williams Of Indiana, al
though 1t did not put a ticket up in
all Of the states.
On Sept. Is, at Columbus, O., Hearst
stirred up the hitherto calm current of
the campaign by raadinss into his
s1PPescn the first batch Of a series of
letters which had been stolen from the
files Of the Standard Oh company and
which threw a sinister light on the &C.
tivities of various public men, notably
Foraker, Bailey, MacLaurin, sibley,
certain Pennsylvania Judges and ex-
Governor Stone, who was urged to ap.
point them. Most Of the letters were
written by Vice President Archbold of
the trust and contained divers certiH'
Gates of deposit for large sums of
money. At the same time Hearst re-
peated the story Of the alleged attempt
to bride former Attorney General Mon
nett Of Ohio wherein Haskell, the Dem
ocratic treasurer, was made to figure.
As governor Of Oklahoma Haskell also
was accused Of protecting a legal
branch of the Standard. Foraker at
once withdrew from the campaign, and
the president issued a hot statement
condemning the Ohioan and gave out
an old letter showing how Taft had re-
fused to deal with Foraker; then CON-
pared this course to that Of Bryan and
Haskell. Bryan replied, demanding a
hearing for Haskell, and then ensued a
bitter verbal duel on personal and
party issues. Haskell resigned, but
protesting innocence, as did also Du
Pont. the powder trust head, from the
Craftsmanship Of the Republican speak
ers' bureau. Both the president and
Taft took the ground that publishing
names Of contributors before election
would be to invite unfair and partisan
criticism of candidates.
Gompers appealed to all unions in
the A. F. of L. to give moral and fnan-
cdal support to Bryan. Speaker Cannon
was the special target Of the Gompers
battery, and "Cannonism" became a
national issue, many candidates for
congress being pledged against Cannon
as the next speaker.
On Nov. 8 the voters Of the nation
had their say. The extent Of the Re-
publican victory can be best remem-
bered by the statement that Taft car
ried every state that Roosevelt did in
1904 except Nebraska, Colorado and
Nevada. Furthermore, Taft invaded
the solid south with small pluralitles
in Maryland and Missouri and large
gains in other southern states. The
popular vote stood: Taft, 7,637,676;
Bryan, 6,393,1s2; Debs, al, 651; Chain,
241,252; Hisgen, 1886; Watson, 1881;
Gilhaus Socialist Labor, 1921; total,
14,852,239, The total vote In 1904 was
18,510.7 0s. Several states In the Taft
column elected Democratic governors
Harmon in Ohio, Marshall in In
diana and johnson In Minnesota. Taft
captured the Democratic stronghold Of
New York city. The Republican major
ity in congress was reduced to AZ.
the total being 219 and the Demo.
cratic 172. The senate's Republican
complexion: was unchanged -
The early months Of the long session
Of congress were devoted chiefly to the
Republican wrangle over the terms of.
q currency bill. The Aldrich relief
measure finally went through. the SEN
ate March % despite the all night fill
buster Of La Toilette, to propitiate
whom the railroad bond feature had
been cut out. La Toilette named an
oligarchy Of fourteen wealthy men
who, he said, actually ruled the ma
ton. The Vreeland bill, in which
clearing house associations were made
the channel Of the new currency issue,
- ~ ~ $780,