Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-02-17
WASHINGTON IL TIE SCENE OF
MIGHTY ACTIVITY IN NATIONAL
POLITICS LEADERS PREPAs r
FOR STRUGGLE
TO STORM CITADELS
REPTBLICANS AND PEOGRES
SINES ARE GETTING READY FOR
GREAT BATTLE DEMOCRATS To
DO Or DIE.
Especial STAFF CorrcSpondcnf.1

Washington. D a.. Feb. li.-lhcrc a.
mighty activity ia National politics of re-.
cent days. MANY campaign H. organiz
ng right here just now. Leaders are
girdimg themselves 10 90 ont into the
struggle. Democrats are preparing q"
do or die for the administration. Re
publicans and Pro.rcsSivc> are prepar-
ng 10 storm the citadcs Let those who
doubt the intensity ot these campaign
prc,iminaric> look over the lists OF ab
sentecS from Washington. Let them also
note the changes ia the leadership roster
ia Congress.
Just one example there il the great
WAYS and means committee nf The House
supposed 10 comprise in its membership
foremost men in Congress. Oscar "
Underwood. ~ most of the country nov
understands. is running for dear life for
the Senate ia Alabama. with the odd
against him. lie is chairman of the ways
and means committee hut in deciding 10
run for the Senate he has 10 abdicaie his
place in the House for the next Congress.
one of the best known Democrats on the
committee. next to Mr.. Underwood j.
Representative j. Mitchell Palmer oi
Pennsylvania. lie j. chairman of the
House Democrat caucus and favorite of
the President in al the number of
Northern Democrats in that body.
Palmer was mentioned FIR majority
.cadcr when Underwood steps down. hut
he went up 10 the White House the other
day 10 talk keystone State politics with
the President and when he emerged il
was a. declared candidate for the
senate in Pennsylvania. The President
had simply asked him 10 go in and 4
good soldier could do nothing else. The
Democrats think they have a possible
chance 10 win Il senate seat from Penn
>ylvania this year with the progrc>Sivcs
dividing Republican voting strength in
that great commonwealth. The Pro
srcs>ivc party lcadcr on the floor Of the
House. Representative Victor Murdock.
i away from home much Of the time.
running for the Senate also and appar-
cntly can not come back as member Of
the House.
Instances might be multiplied but they
all 90 To demonstrate that the fight has
already begun and that the leadership of
the House in the next Congress. whether
il be- Democratic or Republican, will be
very new. During the last few days the
President has held conference with
chiefs about the New York situation and
also conference with the chiefs about the
PENNSYLVANIA situation. In New York
the party must bc rcorganizcd. with Gov
crnor Glynn and National Committee
man McCombs. probably, aS the more
prominent figures. In Pennsylvania
there j. said 10 be less need Of Demo
cratic reorganization but the Hepuh.i
cans are bc>tirrine themselves and Civ
ing 4 good imitation of getting their
house in order.
With all this doing the in two most
populous States II the Union aud the
election nf 1911 still nine months away.
one can get some idea that the Congress
>ional campaign u starting off with a
bang There are Presidential politics
also ia the situation. Several Republi-
cans hear the Presidential bc buzzing.
Onc of them l. senator W. T.. Boarh of
Idaho. young man of great ability and
high standing. lie j. of the Progressive
type but has remained with the Eepub-
lacan party through all the vIci>>ltmdes
of the last TWO years. Borah j. conceded
"a bc of Presidential size although his
locality far out in the Rocky mountains
j. not well suited 20 Presidential ambi
tiOnS.
Borah'> prospects are largely in abil-
ity to unite the ProereSsivc> and the Re
puhlican>. Ia some RESPECTS he j. rival
of ex President Roosevelt. who j. san
posed "a be hankcring after a joint Pro
grc>>iNc and Republican nomination in
1916. There j.. perhaps. this difference.
that IL Roosevelt were nominated the Re
publicans would have 20 come 10 him
forces and if Borah were 10 to- nominal
ed, the ProgrisSiveS would have Ia come
to the Republicans or keep second
ticket aficld The Idaho senator j. en-.
coaraging the union Of the two parties
and he J. also combating the lcadcr>h y
Of Colonel Roosevelt.
There j. significance that Senator
Borah agreed a. deliver speech before.
the Republican club Of New York on
l.incolns birthday. for h. had planned
all along to sound KEYNOTE there which
would bc an answer Ia things that Ex-
senator Be,eridge and other rampant