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The Commoner.
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VOLUME 10.. NUMBER 48
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us Before the Battle
Novor in American history was tho political
situation so feverish as is now the case In all
sections of tho country. Everywhere tho fight
has grown hotter and hotter and all sorts of
personalities are being indulged in.
In New York the gubernatorial fight is par
ticularly bitter. Mr. Roosevelt is on tho stump
and has attacked Mr. Dix, democratic nominee
i for governor. Judge Alton B. Parker is mak
ing speeches in which he attacks Mr. Hoosevelt's
record as a trust buster. Martin W Littleton,.
candidate for congress in the Oyster Bay dis
trict, charges that Mr. Stimson, republican nom
inee for governor, had enjoyed closo personal
relations with Charles W. Morse, tho ice trust
king, whom he later sent to prison as an attor
ney for a New York national bank. Tho im
pression seems to be growing that Mr. Roose
velt's candidate for governor of New York will
bo defeated, and tho professional betting appears
to bo in favor of Dix, the democratic nominee.
In Pennsylvania the editor of tho Philadelphia
North American has been arrested on a warrant
sworn out by John K. Tenor, republican candi
date for governor. The editor, E. A. Van Val
kenburg, Is charged with criminal libel because
ho intimated that Tenor had sold his name to
"a fraudulent and swindling corporation."
Mr. Roosevelt has injected himself into the
Connecticult campaign and has attacked former
Chief Justice Baldwin, who Ib the democratic
nominee for governor. Judge Baldwin has writ
ten to the former president the following letter:
"Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, LL. D. Dear Sir:
In tho newspaper reportsof a speech delivered,
by you at Concord, N. H.', on October 22, it is
stated that you remarked that the democratic
party of Connecticut had nominated for gov
ernor a former judge who was 'a man who took
tho view that it was competent for the work
man, when driven to accept any employment
to grind him to bind himself not to be compen
sated, if he lost lifo or limb in that occupation.'
I never took such a view. I never stated that
I took such a view. Such a view would be
opposed to the settled principles of law, and no
competent lawyer could or would take it. I
trust that your remarks at Concord were mis-.,
interpreted; if not, you certainly were misinVr
formed. If you did, in fact, make the charge
against me, or one substantially of that charac
ter, I write to request that you would retract it,
as it is ono calculated to affect my standing as
a lawyer (at least among those who do not
know me) , as well as to prejudice my position
as a candidate for public office,. Yours truly,
"SIMEON E. BALDWIN."
In Indiana the fight swings around the sena
torial contest with John IV. Kern, tho democratic
candidate, and Senator Beveridge, struggling
for re-election. Mr. Kern's friends are much
more hopeful than the followers of Mr. Beve
ridge are.
Tho New York Herald, which has generally
shown itself to he reliable In election predic
tions, says that'the democrats will probably win
In New York state. The Herald's canvass in
dicates that the next house will be democratic.
The Herald gives 179 districts to the democrats,
151 to the republicans with 61 districts in doubt.
The Herald's canvass shows that political lines
everywhere are broken. It shows that districts
that heretofore have been republican in Con
necticut, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Pennsyl
vania, Minnesota, New York and Wisconsin are
now in tho doubtful column and likely to go
democratic.
As to the next United States senate the
Herald shows that the democrats and insurgents
will be in control. ThoJIerald says:
"The senate consists of ninety-two members.
There are now three vacancies, caused by death
Mr. McEnery of Louisiana, and Mr. Daniel
of Virginia,, both democrats, and Mr. Dolliver
of Iowa, republican. It is proper to assume
that when these vacancies are filled the political
sentiment of tho incumbents will bo tho same
as that of their predecessors. Making tho basis
of argument on the full senate, there are fifty
nine republicans and thirty-three democrats.
Drawing the line between the conservatives and
the insurgents, the political control of the sen
ate has almost passed away from tho conserva
tives into the hands of the democrats and the
Insurgents. There Is twenty-six republican ma
jority in tho senate, including tho Insurgents.
There aro at least eleven insurgents in the Ben
ate, which makes the margin very small, and
occasionally tho regulars have had to obtain
democratic votes to save them from defeat. On
March 3, 1911, tho terms of thirty senators will
expire. Of tho six democrats Senator James R.
Frazier of Tennessee, appears to be the only
one in danger. The other democratic seats then
to bo vacant aro thoso of Texas, Virginia, Mis
sissippi, Maryland and Florida. But twenty
four republicans go out, and of these the demo
crats have already gained one, in Maine, whero
a democrat will succeed Senator Eugene Halo.
Senator Aldrich of Rhode Island, has decided to
retire at -the end of the present term, on March
3, 1911. In consequence there is great dis
turbance in Hhode Island over his successor.
There are three candidates Colonel Henry F.
Lippett, Robert Ives Gammell and Colonel Sam
upI P. Colt. Tho republicans can see no great
defection threatening tho legislature, but the
democrats assert that they will sweep every
thing in Rhode Island. . What is the forecast?
Of tho three insurgent senators Beveridge,
Clnpp and LaFollette Mr. Beverldge's" election
is in doubt, while Mr. Clapp and Mr. La Follette
will be returned. There will also ho a repub
lican successor to Senator TDolHver. Of the con
servative senators, tho seats of Messrs. Bulkeley,
Depew, Dick, Dupont and Kean are in doubt.
Messrs. Burrows, McCumber and Piles will be
succeeded by Insurgents. Messrs. Hale and
Warner, beyond question, will he succeeded by
democrats. This is a net loss to tho conserva
tive republicans of five, with the possibility of
six more "being succeeded either by Insurgents
or democrats. The forecast Is that the demo
crats and insurgents will easily control tho
United States senate after March 3, 1911."
Tn Ohio the political situation Is so complex
that only an election can solve It.
Tn Connecticut the republicans aro badly
scared.
'Tn Nebraska a hot fight is on between Dahl
man. the democratic nominee for governor, and
Aldrich, the republican nominee, and between
Hitchcock, the democratic nominee for senator,
and Burkett, the republican nominee for senator.
Party lines in Nebraska are badly broken and
both sides claim the victory with but little bet
'ting and no experienced 'men willing to make
predictions as to tho result.
Tn California a hot fictfit is on between Theo
dore A. Bell, democratic nominee for governor,
and Hiram W. Johnson, republican candidate.
Democrats claim that Bell will be elected and
that California will have democratic victories
generally.
In Massachusetts democratic dissension has
made results uncertain and the friends of Sen
ator Lodge claim that Roosevelt's speeches in
Lodge's behalf will Insure his re-election. At
tho same time many reform republicans are
condemning the former president for urging the
election of a senator who stands for "the
system."
GOING SLOW,
The American Economist (tho mouthpiece of
the interests that havo grown powerful through
tariff extortion) prints a story from Washing
ton to tho effect that tho tariff board is "dis
posed to go slow," and that "little progress has
been made thus far in ascertaining the cost of
production either at home or abroad."
This prompts LaFollette's Magazine to in
quire: "Does this mean that the Economist has
Inside information? Or merely that it Is just
'playing horse' with the. public, well knowing
that the tariff board Is' a hody without power
and without authority to do the work required
of a tariff commission and that it was made so
by Aldrich and his 'me-too senators?"
WALL STREET ALLIANCES
Mr. Roosevelt begins his campaign in New
York by charging that Tammany has made an
alliance with Wall Street. That is important,
if true, and as bad as it Is important. But why
does Mr. Roosevelt complain? Does he think
the republican party has the exclusive right to
an alliance with Wall Street? Does he think
that his party has secured a prescriptive title
to Wall Street's support? He has never won
an office except when his party has had an
alliance with Wall Street. He was an enthu
siastic supporter of the, alliance which the re
publican party made with Wall Street In 1896
and as a result of the victory he became assis
tant secretary of tho navy and colonel in the
Spanish war. His party was in alliance- with
Wall Street in 1896 when he was elected gov
ernor of New York with the aid of Senator
Piatt. His party wa3 In alliance with Wall
Street In 1900 when ho was elected vice presi
dent. His party was in alliance with Wall
Street In 1904 when ho waa elected president,
and again in 1908 when h picked out bin
successor. m
In all these campaigns he knew that Wall
"Street was in open and notorious alliance with
the republican party and it did not arouse his
indignation. Why is he so wrathful at the
possibility of the alliance being dissolved? And
is ho sure it is dissolved? Can Tammany get
closer to Wall Street than Mr. Root? if
so, sinco when? What influences elected Mr
Root to the senate?
It will be remembered that Mr. Roosevelt
tried to make the public believe that the Stand
ard Oil company was supporting the democratic
party in the campaign of 1908, but just before
the election Mr. Rockefeller gave out an inter
view, urging the election of Mr. Taft too lato
t for the country voters to find It out.
Possibly Wall Street will be "practical"
enough to conceal its support of the Roosevelt
ticket until just before tho election, or even
until after.
CUMMINS' INDORSEMENT
Now that Senator Cummins of Iowa has
spoken in Nebraska in the effort to hold pro
gressive republican voters in line for republican
senators and congressmen seeking re-election,
it is interesting to note what he said in Chicago
just before coming to Nebraska, and what a
progressive republican newspaper in that city
thought about it.
In the course of hie Chicago speech Senator
Cummins pleaded for the election of every re
publican candidate in Illinois, including Speaker
Cannon. He used these words:
"I certainly desire that every man the repub
licans of Illinois have nominated shall be elect
ed. Any man who can draw from any of my
speeches the conclusion that I would substitute
for any republican the best democrat on earth
is sadly in need of a mental stimulant."
How much is Senators Cummins' indorsement
worth, to any republican candidate, when he
frankly declares that he prefers "any republi
can," no matter how bad, no matter how faith
less, no matter how 'slavish a tool of the special
interests, to "the best democrat on earth;" how
much is it worth?
What weight can any -Independent voter,
weighing the records of Burkett and Norris and
Kinkaid, give to the plea of a man who takes
this position?
This is what the Chicago Record-Herald, con
sistent but progressive republican newspaper,
thinks about it:
"The speech of Senator Cummins in this city
was certainly 'regular' enough to satisfy the
most hardened standpatter. The senator virtu
ally declared that the most reactionary repub
lican, if 'honest' in his beliefs, should bo pre
ferred by voters to the most level-headed and
progressive democrat; . and he asserted in so
many words that he would rather suffer the
mistakes of the Payne-Aldrich tariff for a thou
sand years than the disaster of a tariff for
revenue for a single month.
"Having made up his mind to encourage the
'regulars' and emphasize his own loyalty to
party, Senator Cummins was regular with a ven
geance. He knew he was expected to stand
straight; he leaned backward so far backward
that the effect must have been bewildering to
many independents and more democrats."
Omaha World-Herald.
SENATOR BURKETT AT PENDER
C. O. Whedon, whom the Nebraska insurgents
supported in the republican primaries as a can
didate for senator against Mr. Burkett, is de
nounced as a liar by Mr. Burkett in a speech
which the latter delivered in Pender Tuesday
night. In response to a question from the au
dience he said that Whedon was a "liar," and
that "the contents of the circular he published
and distributed were false In every particular."
Since every statement that Mr. Whedon made
in his circular was based upon the Congressional
Record, and is substantiated by the proceedings
of the house as published in the Record, tho
Congressional Record must also be a liar.
And, in addition, a brand new "liar," of
strong republican faith and with an honored re
publican record, has just sprung up in Lincoln.
H. M, Bushnell is one of the best known and
most substantial citizens of Lincoln. He served
as a postmaster there, and was for several y ars
editor of the Lincoln Call, a republican daily.
He is now publisher and editor of the Trade
Review, a thriving publication devoted to th
upbuilding of tho commercial interests of Ne-