The Washington herald., 1912-09-01
THE POLITICAL SITUATION,

The events of eight years ago con-
tinue to divert some attention from the
present campaign. Mr.. Roosevelt splut-
tiers and struggles in his effort to ex-
tricate himself from the unhappy
situation in which he finds himself
Senator Penrose, who is the present
object of the Rooseveltian wrath, has
hied himself to the sad sea waves to
gather strength for another battle, while
President Taft, placid and serene, has
left his golf games to visit Ohio Amid
the turmoil of the Archbold-Penrose
expose President Taft presents the one
serene figure Here is one situation, at
least, in which he is not personally con-
cened. Standard Oil money did not
elect him
And yet, while Mr.. Taft's garments
are not touched by the smell of this
particular smoke, the Democrats will
undoubtedly make political capital out
of the disclosures. They are already
pointing out that the Republican party,
as an organization, has accepted money
from big interests. There is nothing
new in the charge. For many years it
has been generally understood, If not
conclusively proven, that the Republi-
can party has not hesitated to call upon
corporations for campaign funds. 1t is
also true that even with this knowledge
the people have kept the Republican
party in power. They have done this
because experience has shown that the
country prospered under Republican
rule and suffered when the Democrats
came into power The question is, how
ever, whether in the present state OF
the public mind the ancient conditions
will be tolerated. From this point OF
view, this Standard Oil episode is SIM
ply another straw on the camel's back.
Col Roosevelt evidently proposes TO
keep up the agitation which the dis
closures have created He has two in
centives. In the first place, he must
clear his own skirts if he can. At pres
ent he shows plainly his nervousness
and irritation, and nothing that he has
yet said removes the prevalent belief
that he knew of the existence of the
contribution and that his letter to Mr.
Cortelyou was written in the shrewd
hope that it would save him in the fu-
ture. 1t is also possible, in the second
place, that Mr.. Roosevelt believes that
by stirring up the relations of the STAN
dard Oil Company to the Republican
party he can aid in defeating President
Taft. As events now stand. if it were
said that Mr. Roosevelt became a can
didate either to elect himself or pre-
vent Mr.. Taft's election, it would be
difficult to decide which was upper
most in his mind In some sections
of the country there is no Disgusting the
fact that the Pregressives are no longer
Republicans I'VE will wreck the Re-
publican party in November" was the
statement made by National Commit
teeman Walker, of the Progressive
party. in recent interview published
i'll his home State, Missouri.
Perhaps it is because some of the
Progressives are so openly hostile to
the Republican party that the Roose-
welt movement is on the wane What
ever the reason, tfe fact is known to all
who keep close watch upon the political
situation
Take the Michigan primary last Tues
day, for instance The vote cast by
the Progressives throughout the State
was very light. Out of 10000 Repub-
lican votes in Detroit. less than 1000
were cast by Progressives. The chair
man of the Progressive party in Michi-
gan insists that the primary was not
fair test of strength, but the regular
Republican State chairman, Albert ].
Groesbeck. is so much encouraged by
the showing that he is now claiming
that Taft will receive 100000 majority
III lHuidnd. WHICH Ids DtCll Dy
ex-senator Beveridge and others as
very hotbed of Rooseveltism, only nine
out of the ninety-two Republican
county chairmen have resigned, and
their places have been promptly filled.
In Colorado wave of Taft senti-
uient is reported, it being asserted that
the people of that State have settled
down to business and do not want a
President of the wild and woolly type.
In Minnesota, which Taft did not carry
in the primaries, there is revulsion of
sentiment toward HIM, due to the sup
port which Senator Knute Nelson
has given hirn-Senator Nelson, who
is a sturdy, sober-minded Norwegian,
having much larger personal follow.
ing in the State than Senator Clapp.
l. is this very apparent fading out of
the Roosevelt movement which has led
the Republican managers to openly as