Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1910-06-18
WASHINGTON
LETTER
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE
OF THE PRESS
THE CAPITOL

There were great primaries i'll Iowa
Pennsylvania and South Dakota during
the last Year-both regulars and insur-
gent Republicans protesting to claim
victories but both factions getting anx.
ious, after reading the results, to get
back to repairing political fences around
the home district
Many news Dispatches carried the state
ment the regulars won" from both Iowa
and Pennsylvania. To be sure, major
ity of the present "old guard Repub-
lcans were renominated: and upon that
is based the claims of the regulars II
Congress that the recent primaries gave
victory to them and defeat to the in
surgents.
But remember, that not single one
of the insurgents or progressives who
was a candidate for reelection lost the
race for denomination and that several
of the standpatters did lose in the race.
There is no crux of the situation and the
bend of the straw indicates that public
sentiment is going good toward pro-
gressive" Republicans.
Look OF it in another Way. Compare the
primaries to the skirmshes between two
opposing armies. There is no decisive
battle; but the progressive" army takes
several OF the positions in their oppon-
ents and lose none of their own. The
regulars" fight hard, do not capture ANY
OF the ground held by their opponents
and lose some which they held. Which
wins? The Regular is not an i'm
partial and fair Judge. That is exactly
the situation which follows the political
skirmishes in Iowa and Pennsylvania.
AT the end of the fighting ut two
points along the battle line, the sum
rGaries are;-
Gains for regulars; none.
Gains for Insurgents Congress
sional district in Iowa, through the de
feat of standpat Representative Hull by
progressive s. f. Prouty 18th Congress
sioIIal district in Pennsylvania, through
the defeat of standpat Representative
Alfred b. Garner by r. D. Heaton. Stand
pat majority for govern of Iowa over
progressive candidate almost wiped away,
beng reduced from $4,000 two years ago
to about l,500 this year.
Leaders Nervous
Ijy their very glee at the results of
the primaries in Pennsylvania aud in
Iowa, Republican leaders in Congress ad-
NIT the nervous feelings which they bad
prior to the contests. They We're scared
and there is no doubt of it; and the fact
that they lost only two Jistricts has
given them somewhat Of brace.
When it is said that they lost only
two districts, however, an explanation is
needed. Out in Iowa, for instance, the
standpatters lost only one district. But
of the IL Republican districts in the
State, eight were already progressive"
OF the three remaining, the standpatters
lost one-one- third. Also consider Penn
sylvania-where the standpatters lost
one district out of p Republican dis
tricts in the state. The keystone State
has been a Republican stronghold ever
since the birth of the party and has
never been considered doubtful i'll Pres
idential election for years. This in
trenched the regular Republicans SO that
they seemed as unconquerable as Gibral-
ter. But the fact remains that the pro-
gressives have foothold, a base of
operations as it were.
These standpat losses follow, too, the
losses to the Democrats in the two con
gressiUlal districts in Massachusetts and
New York earlier in The spring. For the
Republican regulars, those are the worst
kind of losses The Democrats have suf-
fered no defeats this year and they, like
the progressives, have just caused fcr
optimism.
With the primaries IN Iowa and Penn
s.;,ania over, the political oub'ic is now
casting its ewes Cv.r the horizon s,ir the
az; roach of Theodore Rooseve :. lie is
not fal beyond the horizon, now, and
WI. soon be in Gu, midst.
Where will he si;nd-wita che ingu-
lar, or with the Insurgents? IS t. qs 5
ton that is on every lip in Congress; and
every member is rising on his tiptOes
and holding his hand behind his ear to
catch the first words that will give an
answer. Both regulars and insurgents
can advance the finest assortment of rea
sons why he will surely stand with the
regulars or with the insurgents, as the
case may be.
1t can be safely predicted that Roose-
velt will not stand with Cannon and
Aldrich, and their immediate followers.
1t does not stand to reason that when he
comes back, with his fighting blood re-
newed by a two years vacation. that he
will back down from his opposition to
their methods. This will line him up
with those insurgents who, while sup
porting the President and the admnistra-
tion measures in Congress to the fullest
extent, are fighting the Cannon and Aid
rich rule in the House and the Senate.
1t can also reasonably be predicted
that the ex-President will prove a
staunch supporter of President Taft and
( his general administrative policy. 1t
is doubtful if Mr.. Roosevelt will indorse
the methods of President Taft: in fact
it is doubtful that he would, if he felt
inclined But it seems reasonable to
predict that Roosevelt will stand by the
man of his choice to succeed him in the
Executive Mansion.
Teddy Will Be Quiet
To say that the word of Roosevelt
will have more influence in the fall con
gressional campaign than the word OF
any other one man, is to state an axiom
But Roosevelt returns to American with
the spirit of the Sphinx; and he is not
to take the active part in the campaign
around the country that some leaders
of both factions of the Republican party
hope Mr.. Roosevelt finds himself be-
tween the insurgents, with whom he
fraternized during his administration
and President Taft, who fraternizes with
the regulars. While it is unlike the
Colonel to take any middle ground, it
is thought that he will combine his pre-
dicament with his earnest wish to with
draw from participation in active poll