Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-05
viii be Waged Without Quarter
Between Administration and
Republicans Opposed to 1t.
NO PIECE OF "PIE" FOR THEM
Prcst. Taft's Closest Friends Advised
Him IL Was ImpolItic TO Give
Them Sincws of War.

| "insurgents' in Congress as are opos-
ing. and who oppose in the future. the
/ Taft legislative program. The battle Is
not with those tariff insurgents who
quietly sheathed their blades after de
feat, but with those who have nutsed
disappointment and arc whettlng their
| knives publicly In anticipation OF con-
tlnued conflict.
The battle broke suddenly today. AT
first 1t was a single shot: then a scat
tered firing. swiftly the thing spread.
until tonight 1t has taken on the as
! poets of general engagement the
consequences of which cannot be fore
told.
The substance OF 1t is that senator's
| and congressman who have taken
stand against the present ndministra-
| ton and VINO continue to align them
selves with the opposition to the pres
! idcnts policies are To receive no con-
siGeraton in matters OF patronage.
Utterances such as that made by
| Senator Cummlns al d recent dinner
| in Des Moines. by Senator Briss in
| previous speeches. nnti-Iaft articles
| in Senator La Foilettcs magazine, and
! recent interview by Senator Clapp
| on the price of foodstuffs, are said to
have stirred the president 10 action.
1t has been reported further that
some Republican insurgents in the
| house have tried to obtain the ap-
pointment of men more or less openly
out of harmony with the Taft regime.
LoKING TO 1912
| Mr. Tafts closest friends advised
| him that II would be impolitic for him
| to give Sinews of war to those who
| kl ,H.,It
ate with the Democrats In Congress
against the Taft legislative program
and In the country at large by Great
| ing anti-Taft sentiment in advance OF
the 1912 convention.
It Is stated without reserve tonight
that the president has listened to
such advice and has decided to follow
1t In support of the position taken by
certain leaders of the administration.
the battle Is now with the tarin
insurgents. II was pointed out to-
night that Senators Nelson. Brown
Burkett and Borah. all OF whom voted
against the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill.
/ appear to be persona grata at the
White House. land Office and internal
revenue bureau, where federal pic" Is
served,
No politician who would discuss the
situation at all tonight dared hazard
| an opinion as TO the political outcome
of the contest. Some insisted that il
would arouse bitter opposition to Pres
ident Taft, while others declared that
the effect would be to make all Repub
licans line up for or against the presi-
dent and Smoke out" those who have
carefully kept neutral position.
LID BLOWN OFF.
Representative Miller of the Eighth
Minnesota district was the man chiefly
instrumental in blowing the lid off"
of the situation today. He did it by a
statement to the effect that Postmaster
General Hitchcock had informed him
yesterday that his recommendations
for presidential postmasterships were
being held up because of his insurgent
activities In the house. He quoted
the postmaster general as saying in
| substance
"a great deal OF pressure is being
| brought TO bear upon me to withhold
! from the insurgent Republican con-
| grosSmen the patronage in their dis
| tricts. ] am loath to do this, and the
matter is still under consideration"
Mr.. Miller said he told the postmaster
| general he intended to carry the thing
to the floor of the house: but that Mr.
| raitchcock urged him to defer any such
action until the subject could be fur
ther considered. Whcreupon Mr.. Mil
Ter agreed to await full developments
before preclpltatlng an open fight.
AS SOpn dS lIlt COu6IGSSl state
ment BECAME known. the postmaster
general called him up on the telephone
and took him to task for not regarding
the conversation as confidential, to
which Mr.. Miller replied that he had
not so understood 1t and felt that he
had violated no confidence.
Representative Miller said tonight
that a month or more ago he compiled
| with a request from the postofiice de-
partment 10 forward his recommends
tions upon several postmasterships in
Minnesota.
After waiting several weeks, he called
at the department, he said, but could
get no satisfactory Information and
was for a long time unable to see tho
postmaster general. He succeeded in
gaining an audience yesterday after
noon, and 1t was In that conversation
according to Mr.. Miller that Mr.
Hitchcock informed him OF the exist
encc of II situation that had made 1t i'm
possible for him 10 act as yet upon his
recommendations.
Mr.. Miller insisted that he had no idea
that the interview was to be considered
private. as there were three other cali
ers in MI Hitchcock's office at the timc
who might have heard the conversa-
ton. Representative Humphrey OF
Washington WAS one of the three pres
ent. and one or both of the others were
congressman. Before making the mat
ter public he had conferred with Scn-
ator Clapp, of his own state. also an
insurgent He did not desire. he said
TO precip!tate any final break. but he
had merely repeated remarks which hc
considered were official and authorIta.
tive.
HITCHCOCK SILENT.
Postmaster General Hitchcock was
silent on the subject tonight and lie
other official representing the admin