Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1910-03-31
WHERR ROoaEVEIT sTOOD.

hand in glove with the "insurgent"
movement in Congress, says the State
Journal. or course, Mr.. Roosevelt
has been mlngling now for more than
a year with the fauna Of Africa and
his ideas on things may have changed
considerably, but at one time, at any
rate, he expressed himself forcibly
on this particular subject. And 1t
was not against that "bugaboo,"
Cannonlsm, as many people would
like to have every one else believe.
Indeed, 1t was Just the opposite. He
believed that the house OF represen-
tatives under the leadership of Mr..
Cannon had accomplished a "phe-
nomenal amount Of good work" He
deprecated any movement which
had for It's object the disintegration
of the Republican organization and
such method of procedure as 1t had
developed that effective legislation
could be brought about. Colonel
Roosevelt expressed these views in
letter, which explains itself and
which was printed in the New York
World recently. 1t follows:
"oyster Bay, Aug. IA, 1906.
ITO Hon. James E. Watson. M.
G. from Indiana.
my Dear Mr.. Watson: ]
hear through Speaker Cannon
and Representative Sherman
that you have volunteered to
give your services to the con-
gressional committee for the en-
tire campaign, without regard
to the effect 1t may have upon
your canvass in your own dis
trict, and / feel like writing
YOU q word of congratulation
and of earnest hope for the sue
cess of your efforts. II there
were only partisan issues in
volyed in this contest l should
hesitate to say anything public
" in reference thereto. But
l do not feel that such is the
case. On the contrary, feel
that all good citizens who have
the welfare Of America at heart
should appreciate the immense
amount that has been accom-
plished by the present congress
organized as 1t is, and the urgent
need of keeping this organiza-
ton in power. With Mr.. Can
non as speaker the house has
accomplished a literally phe-
nomenal amount Of good work.
It has shown courage, good
sense and patriotism such that
1t would be real and serious
misfortune for the country to
fail to recognize. To change
the leadership and organization
of the house at this time means
to bring confusion upon those
who have been successfully en-
gagged in the steady working out
of a great and comprehensive
scheme for the betterment of
our social, industrial and civic
conditions. Such a change
would substitute a purposeless
confusion, a violent and hurtful
oscillation between the positions
Of the extreme radical and the
extreme reactionary, for the
present orderly progress along
the lines Of a carefully thought
out policy.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
This letter was written at a tint
when the insurgents" is the hous'
were Just beginning to feel their oats
And practically the identical situa
ton has existed in the house since
that date, or until last Saturday
when the insurgents" with thell
Democratic allies, succeeded in doing
the very thing Colonel Roosevelt Sc
forcil1ly deplored. The new plar
which the insurgents" and theil
Democratic brethren have adopted
may be effective In the administers
ton of the affairs Of the lower
branch of congress. There is little
reason to believe, however, that Il
will be. People who have the idei
that the Democrats under the lead
ership of Champ Clark, went intC
this thing with the pure motive o.
lettering conditions in the house arr
lacking in political wisdom. The
Democrats went into It to put thu
Republican party in the hole. Thel
want to kill the Taft program O
Legislation which a legislative ma
chinery had been perfected to pass
Nothing would please the Democrats
any better than lust such n result