Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-09-16

Beverly, Mass, Sept 15.-Beverly
the exact meaning of the letter made
public here today in which Secretary
| Charles Dyer Norton, rejecting the
| views of President Taft, announced
that the policy of Withholding patron
| age from Progressive senators and
representatives had been abandoned
and that it was the purpose of the
administration to treat all Republicans
| alike. The letter was written to an
unnamed political leader in Iowa, an
insurgent stamping ground. No inter-
probation of the document could be
obtained from official sources. 1t was
admitted that a variety of interpre-
tations might be placed upon it from
The viewpoint of different political OBJ
servers but it was insisted the let
| ter was simply a formal announcement
of a policy that soon would have been
discovered in various appointments of
postmasters, etc, that are about to be
made in some of the Progressive"
states.
| The suggestion that the letter seemed
| to indicate a turn toward the Pro
| gressives' On the part of President
| Taft was met by a statement that Mr..
| Taft always has been Progressive
| himself and that his record for pro-
| gressive legislation written into the
statute books during his first year in
office has never been equalled by anl
other Republican administration. 1t
was said that the President wants
to accomplish additional progressive
legislation at the coming short SEES
| sion of Congress and is anxious to
rally the full strength of the Repub1
| lican majority for the measures. In
some circles there is a disposition to
| regard the letter as an acknowledge
| ment that the advice on which the
President acted in withdrawing patron
| age last winter was not of the best.
| In this connection the following sen .
| tence taken from Mr.. NortOn's letter
| is interesting:
| "In the preliminary skirmlshes IN
certain states like Wisconsin and Iowa
| and elsewhere. he Uhe President was
! willing in the interest of What the
| leaders believed would lead to party
| success to make certain discrimina-
| tons hut the president has concluded
| that it is his duty now to treat all
| Republican congressman and senators
alike without any distinction
| There is also disposition in Bev-
erly to regard the letter made public
today as a further step in the process
of establishment which has been go
ing on for some time now in circles
close to the President.
It was not admitted at the executive
offices that recent Progressive sue
cesses in states like Iowa, Kansas,
| California and Wisconsin, had lhhu-
enced the President Neither was II
admitted that results in the states
were at all displeasing to the Pres!-
dent. Mr. Taft declared last winter
that his test of real Republicans was
support of the party's nationar plat
| form. All of the progressive states
have announced fidelity to TINS pat
form and the President is said TO De
more than willing to take the progress
sive leaders at their word ana ne as
suredly will give them an opportunity
| this winter to carry some more or the
platform pledges into effect me
President declares, through Mr.. Nor
ton. that value of federal patronage
has been greatly overestimated, but
taking for what it may be worth, ne
does not propose to let 1t stand any
longer as a hinderance to party mar
mony.
| Distinct objection is raised in Bev-
| erly these days to the term lnsur-
| cont On the other hand there is a
disposition to point out many Of MI.
Toft's utterances and acts of the past
as evidence of a real progressiveness
en- his part 1t is also pointed out that
the President has had to work with
the machinery his party gave nm. IL
| is intimated that in the speech ne Is 10
| deliver before the National League o.
Republican Clubs in New York on Oct.
/. the President may have something to
| say OF his own progre ssiveness. rms
! does not mean radicalism or rampant
| insurgency, it is pointed out. but q
recognition of the real progressive
movement.
| It is recalled in Beverly that prior to
| his Inauguration President Tart had
many earnest conferences with leaders
| of the party looking to the overthrow
of "Cannonism'' in the House OF Rep
resentatives. 1t is declared that ne
was deferred from this course by per-
| sons high in the last administration on
the ground that to press the fight
against Cannon at that time would
mean a split in the party and loss
of effectiveness in putting through and
"clinching" the Roosevelt policies.
| Meantime, the Norton letter is to be
allowed to speak for itself without
further explanation. Mr.. Tafts New
York speech may shed some light on
| the situation.
| Beverly, Mass. Sept. 15.-Recogniz-