Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-08-25
GREAT POLITICAL CRISIS
Sensational Situation Faced by
Republicans.
Insurgent Cause Receives Significant
F:ncourngcment--Part Split by
New York Rejection of the
Ex-Prcsidcnt.


ton as follows:
Tho greatest political crisis since the
Mugwump reputation of Blaine in 1854.
the most sensational situation since
Roosevelt as president started out to
nominate William II. Taft as his Sue
cessor. has developed in the Republican
party within the last few days, In the
opinion OF politicians here. 1t Is clear
that the battle will be fought on straight
stand-pat and insurgent. lines, with no
compromise to be expected from either
side. Insurgent republicans have ruth
lessly slaughtered regulars in Kansas,
California and every other western State
where they have had the opportunity.
With the encouragement their cause has
received from the defeat of such men as
Nc Kinlay and Mcr.achan In California
and Scott and Calderhead In Kansas.
their half victory in Ohio and the Dc
termined warfare now on In Minnesota.
Wisconsin and other western States. the
insurgents can have neither the desire
nor tho power to change their course.
The defeat by Sherman of Roosevelt for
the craftsmanship of the New York con-
vention Is regarded here as the electri,
spark that viii blow the Republican
With all his natural inclination to work
alike with regulars and insurgents. dom-
mating both through the power of his
wonderful personality. Roosevelt Is now
forced to u lineup. He must fight to
maintain his own prestige. His natural
opponents are regulars, not insurgents.
Nice-President James s. Sherman typlfies
bourbon regularity IN Congress as no
hot .. Tal,,, 7, pt,.I
| for Cannon is much more anenable to IN
f1uence than Sherman. Sherman Is too
good Il politician not to appreciate the
significance of permitting himself to run
against Roosevelt. This action alone has
served notice upon every regular repuh
| lcan IN the country that when he finds
himself opposed by progressive he must
| fight. not compromise. The reported
utterances of Mr.. Sherman at beverly
confirm the accuracy of this deduction.
The only large question left unsettled
| Is tho attitude of President Taft toward
the two factions and their attitude toward
| him. He Is frankly under the suspicion
Of the insurgents, as the Iowa State con-
vention testiiies. and as a man of broad
and progressive ideas. particularly with
respect to the tariff, he is not natural
| associate of the regulars. The 'old
guard" is concerned chiefly with two
material issues Of the present conflict.
| One * personal power. which they will
not surrender until 1t Is dubbed from
| their erasping hands. The other is the
high protective tariff, of which Vice
i President Sherman is tho most uncom-
| promising defender as indicated In his
| ST. Louis speech In April: Mr.. Sherman
would regard n heavy volume Of imports
| as afording sufficient excuse for increas-
| ing rates, regardless of whether American
Industries We're holding their own This
| always has been the plan of the high
protection!sts. who have taught the couu-
| try to regard imports as an evil on the
ground that they have drained the coun-
| try Of gold and ignored the principle that
| a foreign customer can buy more Ameri
can goods and pay his bills better If ne
| is prosperous than If he is poor, Mr.
| Sherman typihes the high protectionist
| element which Is the backbone of repub-
lican regularity. The utilization of Mr.
| Taft with these forces, much more his
| leadership of them in the present cam
| palgn. would be unnatural not to say i'm
possible If the President intends to per
sist in his program of tariff revision
That ne does so intend Is doubted by no
one who knows him well.
| The present storm whose flashes re-
veal Roosevelt as preparing to fight the
men who are claiming Taft as an ally,
no doubt has it's head and source. as far
as the cX-presideut is concerned, over
| the BallinRer-Pinchot embroglio. The
| opinion is we'll nigh unanimous among
the sincere friends of the administration
that the President owes it to himself and
| his party to insist upon the retirement OF
Secretary Ballinger, now that the we'll
| intended attempts of others to secure
his withdrawal have failed Upon few
other issues than conservation can either