The Washington herald., 1915-11-11
The Man Who Did Il.

Wilson man have both been forgotten, but "the
man Who did it" continues to bob up after cleo
ton day and proclaim his power over those who
have been elected and his warning to those who
have disregarded his commands. The election last
week was not without its usual follow stories from
the man who did it. The Republican and Demo-
cratic parties in New York city had their surprises
on election day, and their leaders let into
the secret as to how these were brought about.
Representative Fitzgerald was defeated as can
didate for justice of the Supreme Court by the
German Vigante committee, a rebuke to Presi-
dent Wilson, and the Hon. William NJ. Bennett
was elected to Congress by the Anti-saloon
League which announces that it will control Mr..
Benefits vote for national prohibition.
These are both rather startling revelations, but
it is not quite clear why the German VigilanteS
should have prevented the retirement from Con-
gress of the most courageous opponent the Presi-
dent has found among his party followers in the
House, and have done that to rebuke the Presi-
dent Many of the Presidents close friends hoped
for Mr.. Fitzgerald's election to the bench as a
pacific way OF getting him out of the House where
he has been more or less of thorn in the admin
istration's side. But the leader of the German
Vigilantes says that they liked Fitzgerald and had
every confidence in him, but they defeated him to
rebuke the President.
The election OF MI. Bennett is just as puZZHnB.
year ago Mr.. Goulden was elected a Demo-
crat with plurality of 5000 over the Republican
candidate when 5000 votes were cast for the Pro-
gressive candidate. Last week Mr.. Bennett was
the Republican candidate in the election to fill
the vacancy caused by Mr.. Goulden's death. He
had no Progressive opposition and made his cam
pagn on the tariff issue. Some of the strongest
protectonsts in the country into the district
to speak for Mr.. Bennett and they talked nothing
but protection. Among them was Representative
Phil Campbell, of Kansas, prohibition State, but
Mr.. Campbell never mentioned prohibition as one
of the issues in Mr.. Benefits campaign. Neither
did Mr.. Bennett. He busy predicting the
return of prosperity with protective tariff that
he forgot tell the voters what he thought about
national prohibition, if he had any thoughts on
that question. For just week Mr.. Bennett and
the Republican leaders have been allowed to fat
ter themselves with the prediction that his cleo
ton means reunion of all Republicans and
Republican national victory next year.
That deluson has been rudey dispelled by the
Anti-saloon League which has given out formal
statement indicating that the tariff the return of
the Progressives and the dissatisfaction with the
Democratic administration and the Underwood
law, had nothing to do with Mr.. Benefits return
to Congress 1t was a Prohibition victory, and
Mr.. Bennett comes back to vote for national pro-
hbiton. This is all the puzzling because
Mr.. Bennett never advocated or voted for pro-
hibition when he in Congress before, never
told the voters in his district that he favored ma
tional prohibition and did not have Repre-
sentative Campbell of Kansas, make any such
pledges for him.
These after-election stories interesting, and
serve the purpose of publicity for "the who
did it." 1t is, however, recalled that neither the
original Mckinley man nor the original Wilson
man received much consideration from President
Mckinley or President Wilson. So it is likely to
be with the men who defeated Mr.. Fitzgerald to
rebuke the President, and elected Mr.. Bennett to
do something he never told any one he wanted to
do. Fitzgerald and Bennett both who
dislike to be bossed. Mr.. Fitzgerald will remain
in Congress to lecture Democrats about extrava-
gance and Mr.. Bennett will take his seat near
as possible to Jim Mann and not too far from
Uncle Joe Cannon, and be ready at all times to
talk about the glorious days of the past when we
had Republican rule with protection and prosper
ity. He may entirely forget the promises the
Anti-saloon League have made for him, for he
has a way of making his own promises and in the
open to his constituents. The next thing hear
from, the who did it may be that Mr.. Bennett
was elected by the Germans, the Irish, the Rus
slams. the Poles, the Socialists the grangers be-
cause he did not discuss the foreign war, "the
rights of man" or when to plant potatoes and that
his silence all these subjects meant a pledge to
vote any old thing which is in the mind of any
other
The man who did it is always IAN amusin lit
tie cuss" and he does not grow less amusing with
age and acquaintance.