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The Commoner.
.VOLUME) 10, NUMBER 3j
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NINETEEN domocratic senators, constituting
a majority of tho Colorado senate, have
agrood upon tho terms of the initiative and ref
erendum bill to bo placed before tho senate. .
An Associated Press dispatch describes tho
measure in this way: "Tho bill provides that
legislation may bo initiated by tho people upon
a potition signed by not less than fifteen per
cont of tho total vote cast for governor at tho
last election. This fifteen per cont must como
from at least two-thirds of the counties of tho
state, each county being represented on tho
petition by not loss than fifteen per cent of tho
total voto cast for governor by that county.
Tho same percentage and tho same restrictions
figure in the referendum. In both tho initiative
and referendum, fifteen per cont of tho voto
cast for governor must figure in tho balloting
and a majority of flfty-ono per cont will carry
or dofoat the legislation at Issue."
FOR THE USE of voters who desire to ascer
tain what candidates for congress intend
to do on public questions, Everybody's Magazine
has preparod tho following list of questions to
bo submitted by tho voters to every candidate:
"If elected to congress, will you vote: One
For. Cannon for speaker? Two To talco away
from tho speaker tho power of appointing com
mittees and to give it to tho house? Throe
To revise the tariff again, so that it will rep
resent only the difference in wage cost of pro
duction between tho- United States and foreign
countries? Four To authorize the interstate
commerce commission to regulate rates on tho
basis of a physical valuation of railroad prop
erties? Five To authorize the interstate com
merce commission to limit the issuance of
stocks and bonds to tho actual investment?
Six For tho direct election of United States
senators? Seven For a reorganization of the
postofllce department, and the appointment of a
permanent director of posts? Eight For a
bill to prevent the government from selling any
more of its mineral deposits, the same to be
leased at adequate rentals and for moderate
periods? Nine For a bill to prevent tho gov
ernment from selling any more of its existing
water sites, tho same to bo leased as above?"
THE DEMOCRATIC Textbook for 1910 is
said to bo an interesting document. A
Washington dispatch describing the publication
says: "Speeches delivered by the insurgent re
publicans in congress furnish a large part of
tho matter in the 516-page democratic campaign
text book just issued by the national democratic
congressional committee. Tho volume begins
with tho enumeration of the campaign issues
and is concluded by republican Congressman
Hill's denunciation of tho Aldrich-Vreeland cur
rency law. Hill is the only regular republican
quoted. Thirty-seven .pages are devoted to
speeches of insurgents, the most prominent be
ing Senator Dolliver's attack on the tariff, the
adverse remarks of Senators Cummins and La
Follette on the railroad bill, Congressman Fish's
defense of insurgency and speeches by Haugen
in opposition to tho tariff law and the railroad
bill. Tariff and the high cost of living are
brought forward as tiro main issue, and 176
pages are devoted to these subjects. Champ,
Clark has the place of honor with a tariff
speech. Tho republicans aro attacked for not
making tho law requiring publicity of campaign
funds more effective, for favoring ship subsidy,
for failing to pass desirable labor legislation,
and are accused of showing a lack of activity
against the trusts."
THE FIRST genuine signs of the big war that
is coming in the republican party was given
when the republican state committee of New
York defeated Theodore Roosevelt for temporary
chairman of the state convention by a vote of
20 to" 16. The Associated Press report of this
meeting says: "The committee selected Sara
toga, and September 27, as the place and time
for.tho convention. After the meeting had been
called to order and the time and placo of the
state convention chosen, William J. Barnes, Jr.,
of Albany, offered a resolution presenting tho
name of Vice President Sherman for temporary
chairman of tho stato convention. Lloyd C.
Griscom moved to substitute the name of
Colonel Roosevelt and also moved that the voto
bo postponed until later. After much debate
tho motion to postpone was defeated by a voto
of twelve to twenty-three. The resolution to
mako Colonel Roosevelt temporary chairman
was then lost by a voto of twenty to fifteen,
following which Vico President Sherman was
unanimously chosen, Mr. Griscom- and Henry
Mack of New York not voting. The stato com
mittee then adjourned to meet Monday evening,
September 26, in Saratoga."
COMMENTING UPON the action of the com
mittee in rejecting tho name of former
President Roosevelt, Mr. Griscom said: "I pre
sented tho nam of former President Roosevelt
after consulting with him. The place of the
temporary chairman was obviously his, not only
by virtue of his having been president of the
United States, but by the signal services ren
dered by him to tho republican party in New
York state. Mr. Roosevelt was anxious to en
gage in the political campaign in this state, and
his name at the head of the convention would
have lent extraordinary prestige to the meeting
and been of incalculable value to the party
throughout the state. There is no question of
indorsing or not indorsing the administration.
If an effort is made to show that the choice
of Vice President Sherman 'is an indorsement,
whereas the choice of Colonel Roosevelt would
not have been, it. must of necessity fail, as Mr.
Roosevelt's views regarding the conduct of pub
lic affairs by his successor are well known."
MR. ROOSEVELT "was mad all through"
when ho heard of his defeat. He gave to
the press the following statement: "To the
various persons who asked me whether I would
accept tho position of temporary 'Chairman of
the state convention I said I would do so only
if they were sure, after knowing my attitude,
that they desired me, because my speech would
be of such a character that it might help if the
convention nominated the right kind of a man,
on a clear-cut, progressive platform; but that
it would hurt if neither tho right kind of a
man were nominated nor the right kind of a
platform adopted."
6 inn HE OLD GUARD" in tho republican party
JL were delighted in the defeat of Mr. Roose
velt. The New York correspondent for the
Louisville Courier-Journal sent to his paper the
following dispatch: "One of the "old guard'
leaders in the republican organization in this
city told a friend yesterday that before many
days Colonel Theodore Roosevelt would 'know
his place.' The organization made good the
prediction today ahead of the scheduled time'
when, at a meeting of the republican state com
mittee, Colonel Roosevelt was defeated for the
post of temporary chairman of the state con
vention and vice president James S. Sherman
was selected in his placo by a vote that was
unanimous. The prestige of ex-President Roose
velt has received several hard knocks since his
return from the hunting trip through Africa'
and his tour of the courts of Europe. First,
the New York state legislature ignored his
recommendation that the extraordinary session
pass a direct primaries bill. Then his nephew,
'x odor Douglas Robinson, was defeated for
the senatorial nomination in the Thirty-second
senatorial district, Vic President Sherman en
gineering the defeat. Then again the refusal
of tho republican state convention in Ohio to
sustain Mr. Roosevelt's friend, Garfield, and
adopt a' 'progressive' platform came as a' third
defeat for the" colonel. But it was admitted
even among Colonel Roosevelt's friends .that the
action of the republican state committee today
was the heaviest blow yet. It upset Colonel
Roosevelt terribly. When he first heard of
the news he fumed and refused to believe tho
report. It wa3 just about luncheon time when
Col. Roosevelt was at the 'Outlook offlceT Those
who saw tho colonel leave the building to go
to lunch noticed that Mr. Roosevelt had his
fighting face on. Some reporters accosted him in
the corridor outside the Outlook office and
asked him for a statement. When Colonel
Roosevelt gave out his statement it was clear
from his attitude that he felt the state commit
tee had committed an eggregious blunder in
turning him down and that he felt confident.
Mr. Roosevelt's friends were declaring tonight
that they would take the fight into the con
vention. That body has all the power necessary
to undo the state committee's work. The lead
ers of the opposition laughed at this suggestion.
They assert that the votes cast against Colonel
Roosevelt in the state committee represent fully
a two-thirds majority of the delegates to the
convention.. That Colonel Roosevelt will go to
the republican state convention at Saratoga as
a delegate from his district and that ho will
mak a speech which will mako the ears of
the old guard tingle may be taken for granted
as a result of statements apparently inspired
that were forthcoming after his defeat, but no
body has any idea' that he will be able to stam
pede the convention which the reactionary ele
ment in the republican state convention expects
to dominate completely."
THAT THE ATTACK on Roosevelt was care
fully planned is generally believed. Tho
Courier-Journal correspondent says: "It may
be stated on good authority that the defeat
had been carefully planned during the con
ferences Held on last Monday afternoon and
one on Monday night at which Vice President
Sherman himself was present. Some of the
opposition leaders had been lying awake worry
ing lest Mr. Griscom should fail to ring in the
colonel's name and give them the much longed
for opportunity to administer the 'substantial
rebuke they subsequently did. State Chairman
Woodruff was positively bubbling over with
pride and satisfaction after he had laid aside
the gavel and joined one of the chatting groups
of committee members that swapped congratu
lations over having 'done' Roosevelt after the
meeting. Barnes, Speaker Wadsworth, George
W. Aldridge, Francis Hendricks, Congressman
George R. Malby and all of the old guard were
in an equally joyful frameof mind. The demo
crats who heard of Colonel Roosevelt's defeat
and the trouble it is likely to bring about in
.the republican organization were jubilant. The
republican bosses who were instrumental in
Colonel Roosevelt's defeat and who bitterly have
resented his interference and attempts at dicta
tion to assume the role of a dictator, were hardly
less exultant. The democrats declared without
reserve that the repudiation of Roosevelt by
the state committee would mean an overwhelm
ing democratic victory in the fall. Increditablo
as it may seem, some of the republican leaders
who had helped to rebuke Colonel Roosevelt
admitted that their party was in for defeat "and
did not seem to care much as long as they had
an opportunity to demonstrate unequivocally
their control of the party machinery and clinch
their grip on the leadership. There were some
circumstances in connection with tho action of
the republican state committee wh'ich, no mat
ter how one looks at them, add to the humilia
tion of the once all powerful Colonel Roosevelt.
In tho first placo the selection of Vice President
Sherman for the place to which the colonel had
aspired came with a peculiar sting because Vice
President Sherman had been chiefly instrumen
tal in bringing about the defeat of young Mr.
Robinson for the senatorial nomination. In
the second place the record of the state com
mittee meeting contains the damaging evidence
of the man representing Colonel Roosevelt's own
district voting against him. J. J. Bartlett, the
committeeman from the Long Island district,
in which Sagamore Hill Js situated, did not
attend the meeting himself, but had given his
proxy to Colonel Lafayette B. Gleason, secretary
of tho republican stato committee, about whom
there could not be the slightest doubt that
Colonel Gleason's vote would bo adverse to tho
colonel. Members of the committee could hard
ly withhold their feelings of victory over Mr.
Roosevelt until the meeting could be adjourned.
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