East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-01-05
THE cANxoN's OPENING ROAR
Continued from Page one.)

Continued from Page One.)
have started the president TO action.
1t has been reported further that
some republican insurgents in the
house have tried to obtain the ap-
pointment of men more OF less open
ly out of harmony with the Taft
Regime. Mr.. Taft's closest friends
advised him that 1t would be impoli-
tic for him to give sinews of war to
those who, they warned him, might
even cooperate with the democrats
in congress against the Taft legisla-
tive program and in the country at
large by creating anti-Taft sentiment
in advance Of the 1912 convention.
Miller Starts Fireworks. s.
Representative Miller of the eighth
Minnesota district was the man
chiefly instrumental in blowing the
lid off, of the situation. He did it by
statement to the effect that Post
master General Hitchcock had In
formed him Monday that his recon-
mendations for presidential postmast-
erships was being held up because OF
his insurgent activities in the house.
He quoted the postmaster general as
saying in substance: IA great deal
of pressure is being brought to bear
upon me to withhold from the insur-
gent republican congressman the pat
ronage in their districts. I am loath
to do this and the matter is still un-
der consideration"
Mr.. Miller said he told the post
paster general he intends to carry the
thing to the floor Of the house but
that Mr.. Hitchcock urged him to de-
fer any such action until the subject
could be further considered. Where
upon Mr.. Miller agreed to await full
developments before precipitating An
open fight.
Hitchcock Gets Sore.
As soon as the congressman's state
ment became known the postmaster
general called him up on the teie-
phone and took him to task for not
regarding the conversation as conff-
dental. to which Mr. Miller replied
that he had not SO understood 1t and
felt that he had violated no confi-
dence.
Miller Merely Told Facts.
He insists that he had no idea that
the interview was to be considered
private as there were three other
callers in Mr. Hitchcock's office al
the time who might have heard the
conversation. Representative Humph-
rey of Washington was one or the
three present and one or both OF the
others were congressman. Before
making the matter public he had con-
ferrcd with Senator Clapp from his
own state, also an insurgent. He did
not desire, he said. to precipitate any
final break, but he had merely re-
peated words which he considered
were official and authoritative.
Postmaster General Hitchcock was
silent on the subject last night and
no other official representing the ad-
ministration would say a word about
it.
To Undermine Insurgents at Home.
Another feature of the attitude OF
the party leaders toward insurgent
members of the house was hinted nj
in disclosures yesterday. 1t was cur
rently reported that "rebellious' re-
publican members of congress soon
were to feel the hand Of the national
party organization against them in
their home districts. The plan, ac-
cording to the statement of one of the
insurgents, who also is said to be
marked as victim. was for the or
ganizatlon at Washington to stimulate
opposition to denomination OF those