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OCTOBER 26, 107
The Commoner.
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such a -word, because it is false. I knew hio
father The sqn comes of line stock. How
would 'Chanler and Johnson' suit me? Good
as any, If Mr. Bryan would bo eliminated. Ho
is a destroyer of plans and a breaker of images.
I am sick and disgusted with the people of my
state. How should I be expected to take any
interest in the prospect of carrying New York
with a man who has proved his popularity by
obtaining office when the head of his own ticket
was defeated? No, I am out of politics."
WITH THE expiration of the fifty-ninth con
gress tho terms of- thirty senators ex
pired. Referring to this fact a writer in tho
New York American says: "Of these, seven
teen were re-elected, leaving thirteen brand-new
senators to be chosen. If it is conceded that
George P. Wetmore, who is still making the
'political fight of his life in Rhode Island, will
bo elected; that the president will proclaim
Oklahoma a state and its two democratic sen
ators who were elected at the primaries are
seated, the new serfate will consist of sixty-one
republicans and thirty-one democrats the sen
ate for the first time in its history comprising
ninety-two members. Thus the new senate will
be the largest yet, and will consist of two-thirds
republicans, which gives them the power, to
ratify treaties without the aid of democratic
votes. Tho democrats will have to elect a leader.
Senators Daniel of Virginia and Culberson of
Texas are the most promising candidates so far.
Through the retirement, death or expired terms
df such men as Clark, Alger, Dryden and Millard
the new senate will not be as wealthy in the ag
gregate as was that of the Fifty-ninth congress,
there being only two millionaires among tho
newcomers Guggenheim of Colorado, and Rich
ardson of Delaware. The age limit is greatly
reduced, the newcomers nearly all being com
paratively young men."
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THE AMERICAN writer adds: "This will be
the long session of the senate, but it' will
probably adjourn by June, 1908, as the con-
vention of the two' big parties will be held about
.- ...v-.'.. hn- wn-nh or tbp'flrst of July. From
the infusion of new and young blood much is
:t. ..' .;,w-Lu iiita -Miii be picturesque, pyrotechnic
and even pathetic, for one of the expected Okla
homa senators is totally blind. "With the seat
ing of Robert L. Owen and Charles Curtis, who
are Indians, there come for the first time two
members of this race. Guggenheim of Colorado,
is the seventh Hebrew to enter the senate, and t
there will be two of this race Ankeny and
Rayner to welcome him. 'Bob' Taylor of Ken
tucky, is a famous humorist, and has promised
to make things lively in the austere end of the
capitol. The noted platform speaker, Jeff Davis,
of Arkansas, is expected to out-Tillman Tillman
and furnish some of the pyrotechnics, and there
may come 'Tom' Gore, the spell-binding orator
from the new state, with the windows of his soul
closed forever to the light of day and the silent
appeal of his blind face. Those who may be
classed as new senators for the approaching ses
sion, including two who' have filled short un
expired terms and the probable new senators .
from Oklahoma, are as follows: John H. Bank
head, Fayette, Ala.; William E. Borah, Boise,
Idaho; Jonathan Bourne, Jr., Portland, Ore.;
Frank O. Briggs, Trenton, N. J.; Norris Brown,
Kearney, Neb.; Charles Curtis., Topeka, Kan,
(served out the unexpired term of Senator Bur
ton In the Fifty-ninth congress may be con
sidered new) ; Jefferson Davis, Little Rock, Ark.;
Joseph M. Dixon, Missoula, Mont.; Simon Gug
genheim, Denver, Colo.; Joseph F. Johnson,
Birmingham, Ala.; T. H. Paynter, Frankfort,
Ky.; Harry H. Richardson, Dover, Del.; William
Alden Smith, Grand Rapids, Mich., (served out
the unexpired term of Senator Alger in the
Fifty-ninth); Isaac Stephenson, Marinette, Wis.;
Robert L. Taylor, Nashville, Tenu.; Thomas L.
Govp, Oklahoma: Robert T. Owen, Oklahoma.
Threo of these members are promotions from the
house Bankhead, Dixon and Smith.
SOME VERY suspicious proceedings are going
on just now in Oklahoma. The Houston
(.Texas) Post tells the story in this way: "It
. ., seems that the .board appointed by the repub
!' Jican territorial gpverjiment of Oklahoma to can--
,vass the returns of, the recent election has made
XKup its Tnind'to either. steal the stai'or have tho
ielectioiitfdeelaxedj.void. .rflCheyihaycwithout rea
son declared that the 'returns' within the mean
ing of tho onabling act aro the poll book, tally
sheets and certificates of tho vote cast In tho
1800 precincts of tho state, instead of tho ab
stracts of tho vote prepared by tho county clerks. .
Nowhoro in the United States is such a rule ob- f
served in canvassing tho returns of state elec
tions and it was not the intention of the enabl
ing act to havo any such rulo applied in Okla
homa. In nono of tho states formerly admitted
under congressional acts was such a rulo recog
nized. Of course, the democrats aro protesting
against the ruling and will resist it iu tho.courts,
but as tho matter will havo to bo decided by
republican authority, and because tho republi
cans throughout tho country aro anxious lo bar
Oklahoma, it is not certain what the decision
will be. It ought to bo plain to tho Oklahoma
republican managers, however, that they aro
pursuing a course that will eternally damn tho
party in Oklahoma. Whether Oklahoma bo ad
mitted in an orderly afid decent manner or
barred for an indefinite timo, it is a democratic
state and tho outrage now sought lo, be per
petrated upon its peoplo will bo remembered as
long as this generation survives. Mr. Roose
velt has an opportunity to win the commenda
tion of tho peoplo of Oklahoma by Indicating to
republican territorial satraps thero that it is
not his desire for them to steal the state or
obstruct statehood. It is a disgrace already
that Oklahoma has been kept out so long merely
as a matter of political expediency and he should
terminate tho uncertainty with a quiet, hint that
further obstructions to statehood aro not tde
sired. Thero is no doubt tho brood at Guthrie
are bold enough to attempt tho steal if tho
president should wish it, but they would havo
a fine time. undertaking to maintain a govern
ment thus filched from tho people."
SENATOR LAFOLLETTE, of Wisconsin, is
finding it very difficult to maintain intimate
relations with tlje republican party. The Wash
ington correspondent for the Chicago Record
Herald (rop.) says: "There is a chance not
so extremely remote that Senator LaFollette of
Wisconsin, an avowed candidate for the presi
dential nomination, may havo to fight for ad
mission to tho republican national convention
next summer. Confronted by the same condi
tions he went up against in 1904, there Is again
tjio possibility that ho may have to carry on his
individual battle outside the national party
breastworks." The Record-Herald's correspon
dent adds: "Incident to the gathering of re
publican leaders here this week for tho purpose
of arranging the preliminaries for tho national
committee meeting in December, some signifi
cant facts relating to the calls for national con
ventions havo been unearthed. Unless the
executive committee of tho national committee,
which will issuo the call for the 1908 convention
after tho time and place have been set for the
full committee, breaks all precedents the call
will provide specifically for the election of delc
gates at large from all the states and territories
by conventions, taking no cognizance of the
direct primary system prevailing in Wisconsin
under which LaFollette's friends would expect
him to bo elected a delegate at large from the
Badger state and to head the Wisconsin delegation."
JUST HOW to keep LaFollette out of the na
tional convention is a question, the diffi
culties of which are injtiniated by the Record
Herald's correspondent when he says: "Politi
cal conventions are a thing of tho past with
Wisconsin republicans under the direct primary
scheme which LaFollette forced through during
his term as governor. Delegates to national
conventions are to be chosen as candidates for
state offices are nominated by direct vote of
the people. The state law and political organi
zation regulations, however, hae no influence
upon the national committee. This committee is
all powerful in prescribing how the membership
of the party conventions shall be selected. In
1904 and tho time before that and tho time
still previous, and as far back as there is any
record at hand, the republican national con
vention call has provided that 'delegates at large
shall be elected by popular state and territorial
conventions, to be held at least thirty days be
fore the meeting of the national convention and
of which at least thirty days' notice shall have
been published in gome newspaper orewspapers
of general circulation in the respective states
rxri rrritnrkw. finmetimea there has 'been a
. change dpitheaianiber of ,day8no'tfcehafe,iiiust .
be given, or the time ahead of the natldnafgath-
cring at which tho state convention must bo
hold, but thero has boon no dovint!onfmT tho
'popular state and-territorial convention' '"feat
ure. Thero Is a fooling that whllo Ijafrrflctto
miht.bo certain to pull down ono of$Jid four
dolegateihlpS-at-largo at a direct primary, ho
might fall by the 'wayside through the1 ifoldlng
of a party convention, which might chodne a
complete delegation favorablo to some otliep'per
son as a candidate for president and instruct
tho members accordingly. It will bo recalled
that three yoara ago the factional split In Wis
consin resulted In dual stnto conventions and
the election of rival delegations to tho national
convention at Chicago. Tho republican national
.coinmltteo In making up tho temporary fofl of
the national convention threw out tho LaFol
lette delegation and unanimously wonted tho stal
wart - delegation, headed by Senator Spooner.
Tho national committee of today Ik no rnoro In
clined to Idolize LaFollette than was tho case
In 1904, when he practically waB without a
friend In the whole outfit."
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THE RECORD-HERALD'S story concludes
thus: "Tho contingencies thnt may arise
in vleV of the fuel -that certain members of-thc
nhtional committee aro known to favor strict
adherence to tho old form of call for tho na
tional convention aro manifold. LaFollette and
his friends might go ahead with tholr primary,
believing tho 'result would be accepted, by tho
national convention ns the will of the republi
can organization In Wisconsin. Tho other re
publican element In tho slato might call, a con
vention and elect delegates iu strict conformity
with tho call for the national convention. Thou
It would bo up to tlie national committee to
pass upon tho credentials of the two sets of
delegates, and it Is more than probable prac
tically certain that tho decision would .Boat
the set chosen as prescribed by the committee.
If both elements accepted tho literal construc
tion of a call made as Indicated there Would bo
tho merriest kind of a fight for control between
those wanting LaFoIlotte for president and those
believing that Wisconsin would do better to
support somo caudldate outside the state who
stands a better shew of getting the nomination.
A state convention might load to the Hameuolt
uatlon as Was presented In 1904, with a bolt
or something of the kind and the oJoclJon'of
two sots of delegates, the same ns preceded tho
national couvcntlon at Chicago. If prejudices
cut any flguro with such a contest launched,
the LaFollette side would get tho smallest pon
sldcratlon. Tho exacting possibilities of tho
prospective situation aro increased by the fact
that Lieutenant Governor Connor, who is chair
man of the Wisconsin republican state central
committee, has broken with LaFollette, and tho
senator's old strength around the state capitol
at Madison is likewise shattered to a consider
able extent. Chairman Connor might fall In
readily with an anti-LaFollette program, cajl a
state convention under tho direction of the na
tional committee and prescribe the manner in
which delegates thereto should be elected In
Washington LaFoIlotte has been playing aJonc
hand ever since ho entered the seriate, and. ,hls
indiscriminate attacks on his colleagues have
arrayed nearly ever national leader against him.
The leaders would drive LaFollette out of. tlie
party If they could, many of them declaring that
his attacks already have put him outside) tho
ranks in everything except name."
( ONSlD"ERABLE interest is just now nttract
J ed in an incident that took place at St.
Louis, according to the newspaper dispatches.
These dispatches say: "The toast to the presi
dent proposed by President Smith, of the Busi
ness Men's League, was drunk standing, whilo
the president remained seated. When the others
had resumed their seats the president arose. He
grasped his well-filled glass of champagne, ho
lifted it, he crooked his elbow, he brought tho
glass close to his lips, then, smiling quizzically,
he at the glass back on the table and quietly
sat dovn. There was a murmur of applause
around the table. 'He Isn't going to drink it
said several of the guests, who had left their
glassdd turricd down. In an Instant the presi
dent was on bis feet again. He lifted the glass
a second, it approached his lips, but thi time
it did not stop. He took a sip of the wine and
held the glass poised. There was a burst of
applause much, louder than the first. This time
hisfacebrokeinto a bread' grin; and,.-bowing
itir-.Pjres'ident' Smith, with one. gulp he drained
gath- his glass.'.
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