The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-03-24
WHERE ROOSEVELT STOOD.

WHERE ROOSEVELT STOOD.
Some people insist that Colonel
Roosevelt is and always has been hand
in glove with the "insurgent" move
ment in congress. Of course. Mr..
Roosevelt has been mingling now for
more than 4 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
it was not against that "bugaboo,
Cannonism, as many people would like
to have every one else believe. Indeed.
it was just the opposite. He believed
that the house of Representatives I'M
der the leadership of Mr.. Cannon had
accomplished a phenomenal amount
of good work. He deprecated any
movement which had for it's object the
disintegration of the Republican or
ganization of the house because he
thought it was only through such an
organization and such a method of
procedure as it had developed that eff
fective 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, n. Y, Aug. IS, 1906.
ITO Hon. James f. Watson. M. c.
from Indiana.
My Dear Mr.. watson: I hear
through Speaker Cannon and Repre-
sentative Sherman that you have vol
unteered to give your services to the
congressional committee for the entire
campaign, without regard to the effect
it may have upon your canvass in your
own district. and / feel like writing
you a word of congratulation and of
earnest hope for the success of your
efforts. If there were only partisan
issues involved in this contest should
hesitate to say anything publicly in
reference thereto. But / do not feel
that such is the case. On the con-
trary, feel that all good citizens who
have the welfare of America at heart
should appreciate the immense amount
that has been accomplished bv the
present congress organized as it is,
and the urgent need of keeping this
organization in power With Mr.. Can
non as speaker the house has accom-
plished a literally phenomenal amount
of good work. 1t has shown a cour-
age, good sense and patriotism such
that it would be a 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 cOnfu-
sion, violent and hurtfuI 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 time
when the Insurgents in the house
were just beginning to feel their oats.
And practically the identical situation
has existed in the house since that
date, or until last Saturday, when the
insurgents with their Democratic al
lies, succeeded in doing the very thing
Colonel Roosevelt so forcibly deplored.
The new plan which the s'insurgents,'
and their Democratic brethren have
adopted may be effective in the admin
istration of the affairs of the lower
branch of congress. There is little
reason to believe, however, that it will
be. People who have the idea that
the Democrats, under the leadership of
Champ Clarke. went into this thing
with the pure motive Of lettering con-
ditions in the house al lacking in
political wisdom. The Democrats went
into it to put the Republican party
in the hole. They want to kill the
AoAS p1OSAdH Oh l6S1SldLlOn winch a
legislative machinery had been per-
fected to pass. Nothing would please
the Democrats any better than Just
such a result. They could go before
the people and insist that the work
of the present congress in carrying
out the Roosevelt policies as they
have been developed by Mr.. Taft. and
in line with the demands of the peo-
pie, had amounted to nothing.