The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-05-14
A PARTY HARMONY MOVE.

The movement whereby Secretary j.
NJ, Dickinson retires as Secretary Of
| War is undoubtedly a movement in the
interest of party harmony and recon.
ciIiation, Mr., Dickinson is Democrat
| from Tennessee. His appointment as
| Secretary of War was the personal
| tribute of President Taft to Mr.. Dick.
inson. Il tribute all the moro appro-
pirate and earnest from thc long as.
sociatiOn of the two men in their work
in the Philippines, Mr.. Taft returned
from the Philippines to take up the
| Cabinet position of Secretary of War.
He was succeeded in the govcrnorship
Of the Philippines by Mr.. Dickinson I;
and when he became President he gave
Dickinson the same promotion that
he had received himself. to the same
Office Mr. Dickinson has been very
much such Secretary Of War as Mr..
Taft That is, he has operated largely
on general lines. without devotinq him,
self to the drudgery or details of the
Office. He has visited the Philippines,
has visited the Panama canal, and
has taken general supervision over all
the matters pertaining to his Cabinet
Office. He has continued to be Demo
crat all the time, but, in general. with
out the slightest disturbance in the
| Cabinet. and in entire harmony with
!he operations of the administration.
lie has been a good officer, and he re.
tires with the respect of the public
and the entire confidence and friend,
ship of President Taft.
But a Presidential election is coming
on next wear. There were certain diff.
cuIties TO reconcile in New York. \
fierce faction fight was on last year in
that State in the Republican party.
Mr. Henry l.. Stimsou. who had done
excellent work as U. 5. Attorney in
prosecuting violators of the Federal
law in New York. was named by the
Republicans for Governor. Former
President Roosevelt stepped in, oppos.
ing the machine. defeating Vice
President sherman. changing the State
committee and running losing com
paign. The folly Of all this is now
manifest But there were difficulties
TO reconcile by reason of that folly.
and there were wounds so heal The
ousting of the old control by Colonel
Roosevelt last year was failure in
results, and the old control of the party
in the State has now gone back
into party favor, as before. Vice
President Sherman is recognized, and
his friends are in the saddle. It was
necessary to do something on the other
side. and so Mr.. Stimson. the de
feated candidate for Governor of New
York, is given this Cabinet position,
At the same time, Mr. C. S. Millington,
q defeated candidate for Congress, and
a special friend of Vice President
Sherman, is made Assistant Treasurer
of the United States i'll the sub.trcas-
ury at New York.
The retirement of Secretary Dickin-
son was thus. it appears a necessity in
the harmony programme President
Taft has carried it forward with firm
but that it is a strong move toward po.
litical reconciliation and party har
mony. The deposing of Secretary
Dickinson Will make no political
wounds. Nothing is lost on that score,
while very much appears to have been
gained in New York. The deal prob
ably meaIss the securing of the New
York delegation for President Taft
next yoar. involving probably. also, the
denomination of Vice President Sher
TO the conclusion that something must
be done to restore Republican har.
mony il the party meant to go into
the fight next year with its ordinary
prospects Of success, The ordinary
probability of Republican success, how
ever, has been very much shaken by
the election Of Democratic House last
year, by the strength and self-re:
straiut shown by the Democratic ma
jority in the Lower House, and by the
of the Canadian reciprocity agreement.
This latter detection President Taft
has manfully defed, and it is probable
that the threats of desertion from the
Republican standard by the farmers
will not be as serious as the farmers
themselves arc now claiming. 1t will,
however, weaken the Republican party
to some extent, and it behooves the
party leaders to do what they can to
strengthen their position, and this pro-
gramme involving the retirement of
Mr. Dickinson is undoubtedly power
full move in that direction.
Springfield (Mass.) Republican,: