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JJLPRIL 19. 1907,
The Commoner.
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CCURB8NT Topics
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TIIE Avar in the republican party upon Mr.
Roosevelt grows in fury. At the young
men's republican club in Philadelphia, John M.
Thurston, former senator from Nebraska, led oil'
with an attack upon the president, while Mayor
Raybum displayed great bitterness. A Phila
delphia dispatch referring to this meeting says:
'"When the mayor made his first references to the
president his purpose was not clear, but soon it
became apparent that he was launched upon a
sweeping attack. The diners sat amazed. With''
the organization still staggering from the blow of
President Roosevelt's disclosure that Senator Pen
rose was plotting with the corporations to defeat
his policies another organization officeholder
spoke in defiance. The regulars who heard him
realized that this would simply increase the wide
spread belief in the existence of a definite com
paign to crjish Rooseveltism and all the public
spirited policies that it stands for a campaign
led by the corporations and regular leaders of the
republican party."
FORMER GOVERNOR ODELL of New York,
also bitterly arraigned Mr. Roosevelt. In a,
public speech Attorney General McCarter, speak
ing before the lawyer's club at Trenton, Now Jer
sey, said: "The president of the United States
summons into his presence prospective appointees
of the federal judiciary aud makes their appoint
ment contingent on their opinions with regard to
certain laws that may come before them for con
sideration. He influences the courts in their de
cisions, and went so far as to send the attorney
general of the United States to Chicago to inform
the judge trying a certain case that the president
wanted, it decided thus and sor Justices of the
supreme court in two instances since I have been
the attorney general of this state have come to
me and asked me to represent the people in cer
tain criminal; cases to be tried because they, could
not trust the prosecutor of the pleas in the coun
ties where the cases were to be tried."
IS MR. ROOSEVELT a candidate for a' third
term? This is a very popular question these
days and men' are divided upon it. Under date
of April 0 the Washington correspondent for the
St. Louis Globe-Democrat, republican, says:
"There is little doubt but the president, while sin
cere at the time he made his announcement, would,
at this time accept the republican nomination and
an election at the hands of the people if he thought
the people would stand for it and would rally
about him in the campaign. Many who have
talked with him recently believe that he is now
engaged in pointing out the objections to a third
term and his possible defeat at the polls, with the
hope and idea of having his objections overcome
by a great wave of sentiment in his favor."
O-
A PROTEST made by Haywood and his friends
is just now giving Mr. Roosevelt great con
cern. It will be remembered that in his letter to
Mr. Sherman recently made public, Mr. Roosevelt
referred to Haywood as an "undesirable citizen."
The CentraUFederated Union has taken up the
Haywood protest and reinforced it with its own
Referring to the Union's protest, the New York
Evening Post says: "There is much force m it.
Here is a man on trial for his life, the facts about
whose guilt remain to be proved, and the president
of the United States openly stigmatizes him. ,It
was a grave impropriety, arid good lawyers agree
that Haywood" has a just grievance Yigalnst Mr. "
Roosevelt. The Central Union is so stirred by it
that it calls upon Mr. Roosevelt to 'retract.' Labor
newspapers are angrily taking up the quarrel, just
as they are ringing the changes on the revelation
that the president was urging Harriman to come
freely to the White House and advise him about
his message, and was gladly taking his money
with that of his plutocratic railway associates.
There is the possibility of serious political trouble
In this; and If Mr. Roosevelt should not be able
to compose It; above all, if hard times should su
pervene and the presidential outlook appear
squally, we should,'- Jook to see the plecjtion-night
eelf-denying ordinance of the president heroically
lived up to."
rrvHE NEW YORK WORLD reminds Mr. Roose-
X velt that his enemies lnthe republican party
know the secrets of the republican national com
mittee. The World says: "Does Mr. Roosevelt
believe for a minute that they will hesitate to use
this information at the psychological moment to
discredit him and destroy his popularity? Does
ho not understand that it would be infinitely but
ter for him to touch off the mine himself than to
allow his enemies to do it when his back is
turned? There must be plenty of correspondence
similar to the Harriman-Webstcr letter in exist
ence and plenty of men ready to see that it gets
into print. If Mr. Roosevelt is wise he will at
once throw open -the books, make all the facts pub
lic and disarm his enemies at a single stroke."
npHE Washington correspondent for the St.
1 Louis Globe-Democrat says: lThe adminis
tration has taken cognizance of the charges made
against the commissary department on the Isth
mus of Panama by Representative Rainey of Illi
nois, and in view of some seeming corroborative
evidence offered here, a rigid investigation Is to
be made. If the new chairman of tue canal com
mission, Maj. Goethals, does not- make a satis
factory and exhaustive report relative to the latest
attempt to create a canal scandal, the president
has it In mind to senda personal representative to
the isthmus to look into the matter. Joseph Buck
lin Bishop will possibly be chosen for the task
if such action is deemed accessary."
SENATOR LAFOLLETTE of Wisconsin, in a
newspaper interview given at Helena, Mont.,
declared for the rejioinination of Mr. Roosevelt.
Senator LaFollette said the railroads wore taking
the wrong course If they wanted to defeat the
president's policies by securing the nomination of
someone holding different views. "They will
force President Roosevelt to be a candidate, If I
am correctly, in formed as to the actions of Harri
man arid his associates," said the -senator. "Abus
ing the president will not help the railroads with
the people, as, after all, public sentiment rules
tliis nation, and antagonizing him and question
ing his motives will result in Theodore Roosevelt
renouncing his declaration not to run again and
making the race by way of vindication. It could
hardly bo called a third term, since during the first
three years of his administration he was in a
sense carrying out the policies of. his lamented
predecessor, and it was only during his present,
term that he promulgated and carried out his own
plans. President Roosevelt Is entitled to another
term, and the people are entitled to Roosovelt
, The needed reforms he has inaugurated must oe
carried out and Jie is the one man to do it. We
must have Roosevelt again." Senator LaFollette
delivered his lecture on "Popular Government" at
Helena.
A SECOND SOLOMON has been discovered in
the police court at Bayonne, New Jersey.
The New York World tells the story In tills way:
"A horse has decided a case in the police court
of Bayonne, N. J., that baffled the efforts of two
lawyers and Acting Jtecorder Hugh K. Mara.
Simon Cohn, of No. 521 Avenue C, reported to the
police some time ago that his horse had been
stolen. Later the horse said to be Conn's was
found hi the possession of Jacob Alpine, of Pas
saic. Alpine declared that the horse belonged to
him and refused to surrender it. Cohn had wit
nesses to prove the horse was his, and lawyers
wrangled over the ownership of the horse for more
than-an hour and a half. Finally Cohn said ihat
the horse knew the way home from any part of
Bayonne. The animal -was liberated from a stall
at police headquarters and went straight to die
stable of Cohn. The court then decided that .the
horse belonged to Cohn."
SlENATOR FORAKER delivered a speech at
Canton, Q. Tills was taken to be the open
ing gun of the Foraker-Taft battle. Mr. Foraker
quoted a published report that "President Roose
velt has drawn a dead line for Senator Foraker"
and that "if he attacks President Roosevelt, Presi
dent Roosevelt will be heard from In no uncertain
tqnes." Senator Foraker said: "The wicked flee
when no man pursueth. I have not forecasted the
character of any speeches I am intending to make
and if I had it would seem Incredible to the aver
age mind that spell a story could be anything
more than a mlschief-makhig pipe dream of an
overambitious correspondent. That the president
of the United States should become personally en
gaged in a political contest to determine his suc
cessor Is without precedent, unless it be the bad
precedent set by Andrew Jackson as to Martin
Vaii Buren. That ho would enter upon such a
struggle with a declaration that he is to set limi
tations upon the freedom of speech of those who
may differ from him, and that they are to disre
gard those limitations at their peril, Is without
precedent oven In the case of Jackson, and is so
inconsistent with the dignity of his high ollleo
and the properties always to be observed that I
feel it a duty toward the president himself to en
ter for him, on my own motion, a disclaimer of nil
responsibility for such a publication. The time
has not yef come, and nobody knows that better
than the president himself, when 'dead lines' can
be drawn In debate for anybody to observe, nor
has the time come when any real man would re
spect them If they were drawn. So far as I nm
personally concerned, I shall always' speak with
malice toward none but according to my convic
tions whenever and wherever I may have occas
ion to speak at all."
WILLIAM T. STEAD, the English editor, ad
dressed the New York conference of the
Methodist church recently, pleading for the as
sistance of Methodists in the movement for Inter
national peace which Is to be considered at The
Hague conference. This report is taken from the
Associated Press: " 'Are you American church
men wlllllng to take action to secure the enact
ment of tills law as an International statute?'
he asked, 'and say there shall be a moment's
pause before the dogs of war are unleashed?'
Amen, amen,' came in a chorus from all over the
church. 'Amen! Oh, nobody cares for amen, un
less it leads you to do something to put into effect
your prayer,' the speaker responded, ne declared
that in his visits to various parts of the world he
has found no one who thought tlie Christian
church was a force in the world today, ne said:
You speak to the great .men of Europe and ask
their opinion of its power and they shrug their
shoulders and tell you that the Christian church
has been allowed to go to the devil. Is the
church of Jesus Christ going to do anything to
help In the secular work of the nation? You
Methodists arc, at least, the second church In this
American country... If you should decide to put
your forces to Avork to the task that is before us,
we might have great results from this meeting.
We held a meeting at Leeds before I came here,
to consider this, and the tfree church announced
that it was ready to act under the direction of
the archbishop of Canterbury In the matter, and
when I left they were considering whether it
would not be better for the Church of England
and the Roman Catholic church to unite in joint
action. I don't know whether you can do this here,
but are you willing to act together?' As the
speaker sat down there were loud cries of Yes,
yes, yes,' from all over the auditorium. A com
mittee of three to draft suitable resolutions was
appointed by Bishop Berry."
MR. STEAD proposes that a group of promi
nent Americans shall start May 1, for Lou
don, there to be joined by a similar group of Eng
lishmen. The entire party is then to visit the dif
ferent capitals, adding at each one new delega
tion. Then the big peace army will on June lf
arrive at The Hague to attend the first peace -parliament
of the world. In a statement given- to
the New York World, Mr. Stead outlined the ob
jects of the "Peace Pilgrims" as follows: The3e
four points are the Immediate objective of any
demonstration which may be set on foot in sup
port of The nague conference, and they- might
be taken as the petition of the pilgrims: ,
. 1. An arrest of the increase of armaments.
2. Governments to undertake the work - t
peace societies and appropriate one dollar for
every thousand dollars spent for war to peace
propaganda and international hospitality
. 3, Refusal to call in seconds or special media
tors before making war to be punished 'by refus
ing war loans and making imports contraband of
war.
4. Arbitration to be made obligatory on all
questions of secondary importance which do not
affect honor or vital interests!
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