The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1911-03-09

gram. The question is whether Taft
has the force and the cleverness to
go back Of his Republican organiza-
ton and appeal directly to the people
as Roosevelt did and as Bryan did in
his own party. The belief among poll
ticians here is that he has not the
qualities which would enable him to
attempt this successfully.
Taft Not Popular.
President Taft, who really ought to
be the most popular man in his party,
because of his geniality and fine ad-
dress, is in fact one of the least pop
ular. He has suffered from a success
sion Of incompetent, or at least, impol-
itic private secretaries and is we'll on
the way to add to that list with the re
tirement of the wholly unlamented
c. d. Norton. He suffers from the
stupidity of his cabinet officers, no.
tably Hitchcock, the postmaster gen.
eral, who has forced a fight upon all
the magazines in the country by his
proposition to increase the rates of
postage on magazines, by charging a
special rate upon the advertising Sec
tions. The proposition Is of course
absurd, and impossible of enforcement
for the very simple reason that some
of the lost widely circulated maga-
zines are made up" in such a way
that 1t would be mechanically impos-
sible to determine what might be the
weight of the advertising columns,
and what of the distinctively literary
columns in any issue.
They talk around the Capitol about
this measure of Hitchcocks being in
spired by the Undertaking" tenden-
cies Of the magazines.
Strict Party Discipline No More.
On the same day Senator Bailey, a
Democrat of Texas, man who de-
clared in the course of his eloquent
remarks that he never had voted for
a Repu can and never would, rose in
the senate and warmly defended the
claim to a seat of Senator Lorimer,
Republican,; and In the house Of rep
resentatives at the other end Of the
capitol, President Taft's reciprocity
treaty was given right Of way by
Democratic votes. 1t then became OPP
perfume to wonder whether there was
any longer strict party discipline.
The bitterest foes of Lorimer are
Republicans who might be expected
to stand by him. The strongest ad-
vocates of the Taft reciprocity treaty
are Democrats, who 1t might be
thought would not aid the president
in accomplishing just at the moment
when he Is about to become candi-
date for president, a successful stroke
of craftsmanship. If the reciprocity
treaty is to go through at all 1t will be
by Democratic votes. II President
Taft is to go before the country with
that as his chief achievement and his
principal recommendation for renew
ed confidence on the part of the vot-
ers, he will owe it mainly to the Demo
Gratis In house and senate. But If he
is to appeal, as he will have to appeal,
to the nominating convention as Re-
publican, 1t will become necessary for
him to admit that one of the very last
acts of his first administration was
the negotiation Of this treaty and the
effort to force 1t through congress
against the will of his own party.
Will Crane and Lodge support Taft7
The treaty is now in the senate and
fn tho fnfn
1t will meet there. The senators are
little bit touchy concerning their
dignity as the arbiters of treaty rela-
tions. The standpatters are decided
ly in the majority But setting aside
the mere matter of the success or the
failure of the treaty, people are watch
ing the action of certain prominent
senator's with view to getting line
on how they are going to treat Taft in
his coming campaign for renomina
ion. 1t is going to be important for
him to know how Crane and Lodge of
Massachusetts and how Bourne Of Ore
gon stand. Those are far-distant spots,
but there is some reason to believe
that these three gentlemen who are
very astute politicians, and two of
whom at least are known to be un-
friendly to the treaty, If they should
fight it could only be whipped into
line by the threat of an extra session,
and If so castigated would not be par
ticularly enthusiastic about another
term of Taft.
imagining Vain Things.
Several weeks ago-it fact just be-
fore the Democratic caucus in Janu-
ary-I expressed in these columns
these opinions:
/. That although majority of the
Democrats In the house did not desire
Champ Clark for speaker they would
nevertheless elect him.
2. That though a majority Of the
Democrats in the house did not desire
committee on committees they would
nevertheless create crs.
The second part Of each of these
predictions has been fulfilled. Champ
Clark has been elected speaker as far
as he can be until the Sixty-second
congress actually organizes. The CON-
mittee on committees is in existence
and is doing its worst.
And the Democracy of the house
which has been so loudly praised for
its unity and harmony-by the little
bunch who are running matters-is
like the heather raging and imagining
vain things.
Dissatisfied With Clark for Speaker.
Among the vain things 1t imagines
is that the vote in caucus for Champ
Clark for speaker may yet be rescind-
ed. and some other Democrat chosen.
This think wholly improbable, al.
though there is a very serious senti-
ment back of the rumor. 1t would be
absolutely impossible If there should
ha on ovfro coccton oo1Iad IN foIIouy