The Washington herald., 1913-03-30
THE POLITICAL SITUATION

THE POLITICAL SITUATION
The political developments during
the past week have been unusually in,
teresting
The determination of some Of the
Progressive members Of the next
House to emphasize their organization
by naming their own candidate for
Speaker is only natural. In some
States, as in Pennsylvania, some OF the
Representatives ran on a combination
Republican and Progressive ticket,
with more leaning toward the latter
than the former, because they had due
regard for the direction of the wind.
Others were elected as ProgreSsives,
pure and although there arc
not more than dozen OF this type
and still others, like Kent of Califor-
MA. were really independent. The Pro-
gressives, who are Progressives, cannot
do anything else than segregate them-
selves from their fellow members They
thus preserve their identity, so to
speak Also they contribute to the
glory and honor OF their chief, Theo-
dorc Roosevelt. whose commenda-
ton of the small but noble band is
all the reward they ask.
No one can yet foretell just how
he 80
will get. There are about twenty-five
hyphenated Republican-Pr in
addition to the dozen OF unadulterated
type The whole thirty-seven are not.
however, united. Many of them fail to
see what is to be accomplished by a
third party showing. There are men
who, like Lenroot of Wisconsin. be-
lievc that their first allegiance is to
the Republican party in the matter of
organizing the House, which is a pure
ly political question. What they will
do in the future remains an open
question.
Support for the President.
The indications are that President
Wilson will receive, in the effort to
enact progressive ideas into law, a
very large proportion of this Repub-
lican support.
Nothing could better illustrate the
changed conditions OF the times than
the attitude OF these Republicans in
respect to the Democratic administra-
ton. The yoke of party rests but
lightly on their shoulders They say
they want results. They are willing
10 contribute to securing these results
by voting for measures which they ap-
prove. even though those measures
cmanate from a Democratic source
In the olden days. Republican voted
against a Democratic proposition mere
~ because it was Democratic, and the
Democrats opposed Republican lcgisla-
ton because it bore the seal of the
opposing party. Not SO to-day The
line of demarcation for these modern
mugwumps is whether the proposition
advances the general welfare If it
does they indorse it.
Upon the tariff they arc likely to
be divided. 1t is local issue in large
degree, affecting different sections in
varying measure. Upon. other eco
nomic matters they are more likely to
he agreed. They are mostly conserva-
tionists OF the Roosevelt type They
want the government, which means
the whole people, to get the benefit .of
tho timber and the coal and the water
power, which hitherto has passed
largely into private hands. They are
already warning President Wilson
that he will be wrong if he listens to
what they call the rcactionary believ-
crs in the rights OF the States. They
promise 10 give him at least forty votes
in the House to offset the Democratic
defections which may follow his ef-
fort to Federalize the national re-
sources. Some of them have visited
him and many of them have written
him to tell him of the monopolies
which private interests have secured
They claim that they have assurances
that the President is with them and
that he has the courage of his con-
victions, no matter what effect his
course may have upon his own party.
Conservation Acute Problem.
1t will not be long before President
Wilson will have to define his position
and then take the consequences.
In the Eastern section of the country
conservation is not an acute question.
although the cloud, no larger than a
mans hand, appeared when the regula-
ton of the water supply of the Con-
necticut River dam was under consid-
Grafton in Congress. The East, North.
and South received their patrimony
from Uncle Sam many years ago for
mere song. and now enjoy private