The Washington times., 1911-08-29
CONTINUED from First Page.)

self sQuarely against all the eie-
ments-Democratic and Republican
alike-that have been fighting for
tariff revision.
The tariff is thus made the real 10.
sue. President Taft was able. by rea-
son of the support Of the Democrats,
to carry his reciprocity measure. In
return for that support he vetoed the
rest of the bills that were passed by
| a combination of Democrats and Re-
publicans, and then denounced the al
| lance, and especially Its leaders, Un-
derwood and LaFollette. as insincere
and self-seeking.
In short, the progressives will appeal
| to the country with the declaration that
the President has set himself in oppo-
sition to all the forces that are COM
mitted to tariff reform and has sum-
| moned to his standard all the relicts
of the old Cannon Aldrich organization
that made impossible a performance OF
the tariff pledges of 1910. They will
ask the tariff reformers of the country
! to consider fairly what chance down.
ward revision will have II this combi-
nation is returned to power for another
| four years.
Nobody in Washington who knows all
| the facts, will say today whether the
| formal announcement OF Senator cum
Minis support for LaFollette was ar
| ranged and timed in advance OF the
| dissolution of Congress. Cummins has
| been regarded as a serious potential
rival of La Toilette. 1t has been said
| for a year that an effective insurgent
fight was impossible because all the IN
were too many Presidential candidates
among them.
The declaration of Cummins for La
Toilette enables the grogressives to
to fight for La Toilette. and to nom
mate anybody who can command the
necessary votes, II La Toilette can
| not win. But the fight for the Wis
consin man will be made In al good
faith, and he will be nominated IL
| II is possible.
In Undertaking such a campaign,
the progressives realize that they
must first prove to the conservative
Taft IL nominated cannot be elected
They count on having the Presidential
| primaries very early in Nebraska,
Wisconsin. Oregon. and other States:
and under the Presidential preference
| laws of those States they consider
that the overwhelming ant-Taft
showing will be the most convincing
possible argument as to the mad
visibility of making Taft the party
| leader.
With a few demonstrations Of this
sort, in particular States, to the cred
1t of the movement the leaders be-
iieve there will be a very sudden
ID 1dII Va
form, a halting Of the lines, a crumb-
ling of the machine, and a disposition
to stop and take account OF stock
before irrevocably committing the
be plain, can lead to nothing but de-
feat.
After that, the deluge: Roosevelt, La
Toilette, Cummins, and all the rest of
the looming figures of insurgency will
stand forth for the inspection and con-
sideration Of a party at last brought to
realize that it must make new choice
of leaders.
tant insurgency, brought to book by the
President and notified that either II or
he must be destroyed. insurgency Is
confident that whatever Its success in
stronger than ever. 1t believes 1t can.
II given the chance, save the Repub-
can party. II IL preparing to max" a
stronger bid for the chance than any
Presidents outburst Of wrath and reck-
lessress at Hamilton.
McCormick's Statement.
Medill Mccormick, former editor OF
the Chicago Tribune. was in Washing
ton on a quiet mission yesterday. He
was in conference with an agent OF
Senator La Toilette last evening, fol-
lowing which he gave out a remark
able statement in reply to the Taft
speech at Hamilton. II caused po-
Htical sensation of the first calibe-
when 1t was made public today, follow
ing Mr.. McCormicks departure from
Washington. The statement follows:
1T is plain from the Presidents
speech at Hamilton last Saturday that
he has learned nothing from the elec-
ton OF last November. First nomi-
mated by Roosevelt, then dominated by
Aldrich. he now would be The censor
of Republicanism. He would prescribe
every one who differs with him.
mo wonder that, from New Year un-
til adjournment, the overwhelming ma
jority Of the two houses of Congress,
Democratic and Republican, standpat
and progressive, has been Of the opinion
that If Taft were renomina ted, he could
not be reelected.
They remembered that his eulogy
of Aldrich and his defense. of the
Payne tariff law was followed by the
landslide OF 1910. when more than
their seats. and the progressives in
the House doubled their numbers. II |
Taft had been running in that cam |
paign he would. have polled as few |
Neither has anybody forgotten the |
Norton letter. which confessed that |
the President had tried to intimidate |
and coerce the progressives by TAX
ing patronage from tnSIn. ne Ialle0 TO l
drive them once--and now he pro-
poses to try again. He is going to |
invade the progressive West. to ex-
plain away his tariff Inconsistencies,
his haste to put through reciprocity, |
which affects farmers products while |
he blocks the reduction Of the sched-
ules affecting manufactured products;
to defend his Alaskan attitudes, and |
his lack of an antitrust program.
His swing around the circle two
years ago revealed his weakness
then. His second trip will measure
its degree this time"
Mr.. Mccormick Is one of. the most
prominent and powerful progressives in
Illinois, and in thorough sympathy with
the movement engineered by Prof. Mer-
rian. State Senator Jones, and other
leaders in that State to take the dele
ga ton away from Taft.
Whether Mr. Mccormick, during his
brief stay in Washington, held a con-
ference with Senator La Toilette could
not be learned today. It is known
that his statement was pre-
pared In conference with representa-
tives of the Wisconsin leader. La Fol-
ette has been remaining in Washing
ton since Congress adjourned, doing
some literary work, and denying him.
self. just so Ear as possible, to visitors
In sny event, the Mccormick state
ment Is translated to mean that the
fight agaiL st Taft Is now to be pushed
IN all parts of the far, middle and
nearer West. No State beyond Ohio
s to be overlooked. and even In Ohio
he movement for Garfield has been
taken SO seriously that 1t has given
concern In ADMINISTRATION. circles. Mr..
10 fN.A &4,s- a.