The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-09-14
Our Washington Letter.

Reporter.)
Washington, Sept. 9.-Has Taft
committed suicide? Has he, in re-
newing his warfare on the insurgents
committed a fatal political blunder,
both for himself and the republican
party generally?
These queries have aroused dis
cussions that are raging like bliz-
card 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 progressives
out of the 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
democrat. 1t is practically agreed
that if a standpatter is nominated
the progressives 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 1912 campaign issue is to be
the tariff, the one subject on which
La Toilette After Taft's Scalp.
Senator Robert L. La Toilette will
give President Taft a hard race for
the nomination. 1t is declared that
the Wisconsin senator believes abso-
lutely that he will win.
The progressive republican or La
Toilette headquarters in Washington
is a beehive of industry. From this
headquarters the progressives are
being organized in every nook and
corner in the country. 1t is possible
to present today the substance of the
claims which the insurgents make.
They declare they expect to control,
we'll in advance of the republican
national convention, the delegations
from:
Wisconsin, Kansas,
Minnesota, Nebraska,
North Dakota, South Dakota,
Oklahoma, Montana,
California, Oregon,
WASHINGTON, Iowa, Tin part)
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 loaves and fishes of patronage of
southern states, it must give it's sup
port to the nomination of man
with chance to win. .,~.~-.x. -,
A Kept Promise.
When the democratic House of
Representatives convened Speaker
Champ Clark announced that a saw
ing of $4,000 would be effected by
the application of economical bust
ness methods in the running of the
House. The republicans scoffed at
the idea. They said it couldn't be
done. But on the day of adjourn
ment Chairman Fitzgerald of the
Committee on Appropriations, an
nounced that instead of the promised
$4,000 having been saved, the
amount was s228,0O0! eve do not
believe that we crippled the House
by abolishing place in the House
organization which had been held for
years by 16 year old girl who never
came to the Capitol" declared Con-
gresham A. Mitchell Palmer of
Pennsylvania in explaining the meth
DDS by which the $22S,OOO was saved.
1--WE do not believe we crippled the
operations of the House by abolish
ing the positions of a couple of tele-
graph operators who had not put their
hands to an instrument in years. We
do not believe we crippled this House
by abolishing about 20 policemen
who never could be found around the
capitol or by abolishing places sup
posed to be held by men in this build
ing and carried on the pay rolls,
drawing 5000 to $1,000 year, who
tate offices in the city of Washington.
We have simply made the operation
of this House honest"
Taft's Record "Indefensible.''
Nearly three-fourths 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
a candidate for the high Office he
holds. He made his campaign on a
tariff revision downward issue, and |
today the country is in the grip of a |
higher tariff tax than ever before in
it's history, in spite of the fact that |
the president has had two separate |
and distinct opportunities to keep his
word. In his three 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 Guggeu-
helms, and with quietly having CO.
operated with the food dopers in
their campaign to drive DR.. Harvey
D. Wiley out of public life. To this
''indefensible" record should be add
ed the presidents action in framing
rejected peace treaties with two ma
lions with whom we are not in the
slightest danger of ever going to war.
Mail Clerks Prosecuted.
How are the railway clerks to
make effective their protest against
having to work in wooden cars when
they are forbidden by departmental
gag rules to criticise their condition,
Or disclose it to the public, or even
to petition congress for relief? This