Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 85, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 June 1904 — POLITICAL COMMENT. [ARTICLE]

POLITICAL COMMENT.

Roosevelt’s Path Clear. There Is nothing in the political atmosphere to disturb Republican equanimity, nothing to cause one to doubt Republican success. True, we are having strenuous contests In several Republican States and considerable bitterness has been aroused, but in every case, the difference does not extend to the national ticket Wisconsin Republicans may be (divided on some question of State prlnclple, but they are united on Teddy. Illinois Republicans may fight like cats land dogs over the gubernatorial candidate, but they are as one man when it comes to Roosevelt ' And so it is from Maine to California, and up and down the line. Out of (fewer than 1,000 delegates who will sit in the Chicago convention, considerably over 700 are implicitly Instructed for the President many others impliedly Instructed, while only a dozen pr so can lay claim to absolute freedom in making a choice. Rarely in the history of the country has there been so great a unanimity in any party, and the strength of it is the unbiased judgment of the rank and file, not sentiment manufactured by the politicians. JNo other President has ever attracted to himself a more magnificent army of .voters. Walter Wellman, whose opportunities for observing the politicaLdrift are Unexcelled, has been devoting some S.me to Wall street opinion, and has iscovered a feeling of resignation to

the President's nomination. This Is a remarkable reversal. Not so many months ago we were being told that the business Interests of the metropolis bvere arrayed almost solidly against the President. No doubt It was this Situation that impelled Dave Hill to force the indorsement of Parker, a man who was said to be cheek by jowl with the Eastern capitalists, and this was pmphaslzed when ” h«—• ia setm turfmtnr < &ua'»ureßented ) his | hires, were plac*- ui» die Parker State ticket as candidates for electors. These men have suddenly discovered that ‘they are ineligible, because they are bank directors, and so they have resigned, although it would have been an easy matter for them to qualify before the election. The political student fees In this a determination of Wall street Interests not to be tied to the Democratic band wagon. Inveigh aaglnst Roosevelt as they will, because of the Northern Securities decision, they know at heart that he was right, and that the disintegration of the great trust was for the pubUc good. Though they cried out from the mountain tops that the President was unsafe, still they know that he is safe. They trust him, though they may deny It, and they fear more than anything else the Uncertainly of a Democratic administration. '

The laboring Interests are with the President because the prosperity of the country is their prosperity. And but for his firmness in dealing with the great questions that have come before him, we would to-day be in the throes bf one of the greatest panics the world has ever witnessed. Financiers admit It Manufacturers know it. The great Industrial ship of the nation, piloted by trust promoters, was headed straight for the rocks of unhealthful combination, and the President changed the course none too soon. He may have cost individual speculators much, but he saved thousands from utter ruin, and the country from a season of great depression. With a united party back of him, and with a large army of recruits from opposing organizations who hold national glory above partisan success. President Roosevelt will march on to a magnlflcenF'Vlctory.— Toledo Blade. Hearst in Ohio. For months the Hearst propaganda was active among the Ohio Democrats. At one time, about the beginning of April, some timid souls were willing to admit that he would sweep the State nnd secure the entire forty-six delegate votes in the national convention. But the recent State convention showed the utter failure of Hearst's plans in Ohio. A few district conventions Indorsed him when they named their delegates; but the State convention bound them closely by the unit rule to vote with the majority, and the yellow journalist will net get a single Ohio vote at St Louia.

Nobody except himself, probably, knows how much money he spent in this State; however, it must have been a large amount, for Ohio Democratic heelers are not in the habit of working for nothing, and the of the State in the Hearst interest w-as very thorough. It was an extremely unprofitable investment, whatever its amount—Toledo Blade. A Sensible Plank. The reciprocity plank in the lowa Republican platform is a plain declaration. It leaves no room to fight over Its interpretation and gives nobody the slightest pretense to squabble about what constitutes true blue party principle on this phase of Republican doctrine. It says “We are in favor of reciprocity of noncompetitive products only.” There is no straddle, neither is it a declaration of war nor a signal for a political family combat. It is the sentiment of the people of lowa. It comes from the farm and. the workshop and is an expression of the nockrooted, deep-seated conviction that the working man of the United States is the first care of the party Which yesterday held a State convention in Iowa; that to it he may safely and serenely trust the product of his hands with the assurance that its policies first insure a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work. Politically the action of the party yesterday on this question means that the “lowa idea” is dead and buried.

These are the cold facts and the statement need anger no member of the organization nor cause him to swerve from the path of Republican duty. He was privileged to dissent from affy other view prior to the convention and was entitled to respectful attention. He may even now hold the same views and still And ample room in the Republican party to remain an active, worker. Settled in the manfcjAii platform fixed it, reciprocity now becomes a minor consideration. It is now simply a historic declaration of a party precept and in its way can no more be questioned than the ten commandments can be successfully attacked.—Muscatine (la.) Journal. A Good Work. In declaring themselves as they have in their platform, lowa Republicans have aligned themselves, beyond all possibility of question or dispute and every contingency of change, with the party In the country at larger Inferentlally, in so doing, they have utterly repudiated the so-called “lowa Idea,” reciprocity with Canada in competitive products and all similar ideas and Isms looking' toward relative or absolute free trade. In thus clearing themselves of the Imputations put upon the quality of their Republicanism lowa Republicans have accomplished a notably good work. Henceforth their character Is not to be doubted or questioned in any quarter. Thqy have completely vindicated themselves and are entitled to march In the front rank In the great Presidential contest In which the party is about to engage.—Keokuk (la.) Gate City. The Balance Wheel. The American farmer is the country’s balance wheel. His is the greatest of all our Industries, and he Is most prosperous when Republican policies are In force. He realizes this, ajid that Is the reason why he votes for continued prosperity by supporting the Republican candidates.—Troy Times. Sane and Safe. “We believe In reciprocity In noncompetitive articles only." The seventh plank in the Republican State platform, and a safe one for any one to stand on?—Oskaloosa (fa.) Herald. The Limit of Absurdity. lowa Republicans may have been a little wild in launching the “lowa idea,” but they never did anything so absurd as instructing for a man like Hearst. —Kansas City “Journal.” Same Policy. The Republican party has been frank with th* people in its acts, and the same policy is to be pursued In the Presidential campaign of this year. .-Superior (Wls.) Telegram. A man's hair turns gray fire years sooner than a woman's.