The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-03-24
MEMBER
WOULD RETURN?
Belief That Col. Hepburn Of Iowa
win Seek to Re-enter
Congress.
LIGHT ON HIS RETIREMENT
Friends Claim Constituents Mlsunder-
0 God His PositIon-The President
and the Postal Savings Bank Bill
Movement to Protect
Game Birds.

Washington. especially those repre-
sentatives who have membership In
the Republican congressional commit
tee. believe firmly that Col William
P. Hepburn. familiarly known as
Uncle Pete" and who formerly rep
resented an Iowa district in congress,
will attempt to secure the Republican
nomination and to defeat the Demo
crat. William D. Jameson. who repre-
sents the colonel's district
II Col Hepburn should enter the
race in the eighth Iowa district and
should succeed in defeating his Dem
ocratic opponent, the Republicans in
the next house might bo puzzled as
to where to place the colonel, for It
Is said that for years he was a regu-
lar of regulars and then showed
marked signs Of insurgency, but not
the insurgency which found its express
sion in opposition to the policies Of OBJ
struction Of the Roosevelt legislation
which It was charged the regulars
we're sanctioning.
The story as 1t is told in Washing
ton has two sides. One side, however,
is history. The picturesque colonel
was the chairman Of the house COM
mittee on interstate and foreign COM
merce at the time that the Townsend
railroad rate bill was introduced into
the house with President Roosevelt's g
sanction and finally was passed by the
representatives Now. as the Iowa
man was the chairman Of the com
mittee which considered the bill, II
was only natural that he should have
been the father Of 1t, but Mr.. Roose'
welt and good many other friends
of the railroad rate legislation con
cluded that Col Hepburn was not the
warm friend Of legislation which
looked to the regulation of rates.
Misunderstanding Claimed.
So it was that the president sane
toned the Townsend bill. and it went
through the house This apparent be
lief on the part of Mr.. Roosevelt that
the colonel was not in favor of his
railroad legislation made some Of the
people of the Iowan's district angry
and as a result Col. Hepburn found
things a little unfavorable in the
home district The Townsend bill
passed the house Of representatives
but the senate insisted on havinl
time for long inquiry into the whole
subject of rate matters.
So it was that the bill did not pass
congress at that time. but was put OF
until another season When that sea
son came around. Col. Hepburn wal
at the front Of the railroad rate legis
lation advocates His friends all say
that he was perfectly sincere in hii
advocacy of this Roosevelt policy. ant
that there simply had been a mistake
on the part OF the people concerning
his previous position. At any rate
President Roosevelt consented tina
COL Hepburn should be the father o
the new railroad rate measure and 1t
father he was, and 1t went through
both house and senate and becam
the law of the land.
His Constituents Dissatisfied.
The colonel went back home an
stood for reelection, but some of tn
people of his district believe that b
had a change of heart on progressiv
policies only because he thought hi
seat was endangered. and so Will
most of the Republicans gave the CO
| hA hnnnGf nf fhn doubt hA
defeated by the Democrat by sma
majority.
During the last months of tn
IoWans service in the house, he wa
one of the warmest upholders of pre-
gressive legislation. If he runs 70
congress again and should succeed |
defeating his Democratic opponent,
is probable that both regulars and il
surgents will look at the colonel wit
| expectant eyes as he enters congress
/ and wonder with which faction {
} them he is to take his seat
1t seems TO be finally assured tha
} the Republican congressional commi
: tee will not make any attempt to di
r criminate against candidates for r,
| election who have been opposed I
} the Cannon organization In the hous
of representatives. President Taft,
is said has told the members of tn
: committee that they must make 4
such discrimination. 1t is pretty we
/ understood. however. that the liter
! ture which the congressional commi
. tee will put out to aid in the re-ele
!. tion of Republicans will contain d
fenses of the PayneAldrich tariff bill
nnh tho DamncrafS saw that in nj u