The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-09-08


both for himself and the Republican
party generally?
These queries have aroused discus
sions that are raging like a blizzard
of words in political circles all over
the United States.
Still another question that is being
asked and re-asked, especially by Re
publicans. is If the president does
succeed in driving the progressiyes
out of the Republican party, where
will he drive them to?
And the conclusion most generally
reached is that it is written on the
cards that the next president is to
be a Democrat. 1t is practically
agreed that If a standpatter is nomi-
mated, the progressiyes will smash
him, and If progressive is nominated
the standpatters will smash him.
What makes the situation still more
hopeless for the Republicans Is that
the 1919 campaign issue is to be the
tariff, the one subject on which two
factions can not get together.
LaFoIIette After Taft's Scalp.
Senator Robert M. LaFollette will
give President Taft hard race for
the 1912 nomination. 1t is declared
that the Wisconsin senator believes
absolutely that he will win.
The progressive Republican or La
Toilette headquarters in Washington
is a beehive of industry. From this
headquarters the progressives are be-
ing organized in every nook and cor
ner of the country. 1t is possible to
present today the substance of the
claims which the insurgents make.
They declare they expect to control,
well In advance of the Republican
national convention, the delegates
from:
Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dako-
ia, Oklahoma, California, Washington,
Kansas Nebraska, South Dakota, Mon
tana, Oregon and Iowa Tin parU.
There will be big aggressive fights
for Illinois, Indiana, Wyoming and
Nevada.
The southern states will be pressed
to take up the anti-Taft fight, on the
ground that Taft's nomination Will be
equivalent to defeat, and that If the
party hopes for continuance of the
loaues and fishes of patronage of
southern states, it must give its sup
port to the nomination of a man with
chance to win.
A Kept Promise.
When the Democratic house of rep
resentatives convened Speaker Champ
Clark announced that saving of
1882, 900 would be effected by the ap-
plioation of economical business meth
ods in the running of the house. The
Republicans scoffed at the idea, They
said it couldn't be done. But on the
day of adjournment Chairman Fitz-
gerald OF the committee on appropria-
tions, announced that instead of the
promised $4,000 having been saved.
the amount was S22S00O I'VE do not
believe that we crippled the house by
abolishng place in the house or
ganization which had been held for
years by i6 year old girl who never
came to the capitol" declared Con-
gressman A. Mitchell Palmer of Penn
sylvania in explaining the methods by
which the 1928 900 was saved. We do
not believe we crippled the operations
OF the house by abolishing the posi-
tions of couple of telegraph opera
tors who had not put their hands to
an instrument in years. We do not
believe we crippled this house by
abo,ishing about 20 policemen who
never could be found around the cap
itol or by abolishing places supposed
to be held by men in this building and
carried on the payrolls, drawing 5000
to 81 900 year. who were working At
the same time in real estate offices in
the city of Washington. We have
simply made the operation of this
house honest"
Taft's Record "Indefensible."
Nearly three-iourths of Mr. Taft's
term of office has passed into history.
He has had sufficient time to have
made progress on lines along which
he promised to proceed when he was
candidate for the high office he
holds, He made his campaign on a
tariff revision downward issue, and to-
day the country is in the grip of a
higher tariff tax than ever before In
its history, in spite of the fact that
the president has had two separate
and distinct opportunities to keep his
word In his tht"N years of office
President Taft can be credited with
having kept Ballinger in office until
the country was nauseated; to have
almost succeeded in his attempt to
give Alaska away to the Guggenheims
and with having quietly co-operated