Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-05
FIGHT INSURGENTS
AND SAVE TAFT, IS
SENATE PROGRAM
AIdriCh Calls Associates Into Con-
ferenCe-TeIIS of Peril and
Forms Combine
PRESIDENT GIVES APPROVAL
Every Administration Measure Is
in Danger of Defeat-Sit-
uatiOn Desperate
ASSOCIATED PressJ


wv ASHINGTON, May Although
w the formation today of an Or
ganization, which as it's lead
ers claim. represents a clear ma
jority of the senate, and to be made up
wholly of regular Republicans, a move
ment was started to settle whether the
senate shall remain conservative, be-
come radical, or be thrown into political
chaos as far as concerns any coherent
policy on the administration program.
1t is understood forty-three Republi-
cans attended the conference.
Senator Aldrich called the regular
Republicans together and confronted
them with a grim description Of the
possible political effect of their appar-
ent defeat at the hands of the in
surgent Republicans and Democrats in
the fight over the traffic agreement sec
ton of the administration railroad bill.
He asked his associates whether they
were ready to submit to domination
by such a combination.
Any such surrender he warned them,
meant the failure of the Taft policies
and the downfall of conservative con-
troll, not only in congress, but In the
Republican party generally.
Some one reminded Senator Aldrich
that senators then gathered together
were not in agreement on all points,
whereupon he replied that they must
get together and agree to stand togeth-
er, and let the details be secondary.
Otherwise, he said, congress would ad-
journ without accomplishing a single
item of the Taft program.
The entire tone of the conference was
belligerent toward the insurgents.
1t was stated President Taft had
been kept fully advised of the situa-
ton, and was entirely in sympathy with
the plan and virtually pledged to 1t.
ALDRICH TO BIT LEADER
To Senator Aldrich was given the
leadership of the new movement. Aid
rich left late today for Rhode Island,
and will not return before Tuesday.
The plan meanwhile is to mark time
and "hold the fort
Every hour brings additional evil
| dence of the widening breach be-
tween the regulars and the insurgents
in both houses. Conservative Repub-
lican leaders with hardly an exception
confess that in neither house is there
a. coherent majority.
Meanwhile the Democrats in both
houses are looking on with "Go 1t,
husband; go it, bear expression.
They say, whichever loses, we win,"
or as Senator Bailey put it the other
day on the floor, 1.-THE only policy we
have in this affair is to keep both of
you fellows irritated."
Representative Needham, conserva-
tive from California, said
insurgency in it's national aspect is
rapidly becoming anti-Taft and anti
protection. When this fact becomes
general, then there will be change in
the sentiment of the country regarding
it,"
Both Poindexter of Washington and
Hayes of California said the party
could get together if Cannon and Aid
rich were eliminated Victor Murdoch
of Kansas put it differently. He said:
'I think Aldrich and Cannon are not
in line either with the party or the
people, but we are going to work out
these great legislative problems within
the party"
Speaker Cannon talked of the situa-
ton with characteristic vigor. He re-
iterated his statement that there was
no longer "a Republican majority
(working) in either house."
"It would soon get tiresome." he
said, eff 1 kept repeating my opinions
about insurgency. And I can only re-
fer you to what I have said on that
subject in my recent speeches. L guess
everybody knows where I stand on that
proposition"