OCR Text |
Show A PARTY HARMONY MOVE. The movement whereby Secretary .1. M. Dickinson retires as Sccrotary of War is undoubtedly a movement in the interest of party harmony and reconciliation. recon-ciliation. Mr. Dickinson is a Democrat from Tennessee. 1 1 is appointment as Secretary of War was the personal tribute of President Tnft to Mr. Dickinson, Dick-inson, a tribute all, the more appropriate appro-priate and earnest from (ho long association as-sociation of the two men in their work in the Philippines. Mr. Tnft returned from the Philippines to take up the Cabinet position of Secretary of War. He was succeeded in the governorship of the Philippines by Mr. Dickinson; and when he .became President ho gave Dickinson tho same promotion Hint he had received himself, to the Same oflice. Mr. Dickinson has been very much such a Secretary of War as Mr. Taft. That is, he has operated largely on general lines, without devoting himself him-self to the drudgery or dotails of tho office. He has visited the Philippines, has visited tho Panama canal, and has taken general supervision over all the matters pertaining to his Cabinet ollice. He has continued to bo a Democrat Demo-crat all Dip lime, but, in general, without with-out the slightest disturbance in the Cabinet, and in entire harmony with the operations of tho administration. Ho hns been a good ofliccr, and he retires re-tires with the respect of I he public and the entire confidence and friendship friend-ship of President Taft. But a President inl election is coming on noxl year. There were certain difficulties diffi-culties to reconcile in Now York. A fierce faction fight was on last year in that State in the .Republican parly. Mr. Henry L. Slimson. who had done excellent work as U. Sj. Attorney in prosecuting violators of the Federal' law in Now York, was named by the Republicans for Governor. Former President .Roosevelt stepped in, opposing oppos-ing the machine, defeating Vice President Sherman, changing the Stato committee, and running a losing com-paign. com-paign. The folly of all this is now manifest. But Ihero were difficulties to reconcile by reason of that folly, and there were wounds to heal. The ousting of the old control I13- Colonel Roosevelt last year was a failuro in results, and the old control of the party in the State has now gone back into party favor, as before. 'Vice President. Sherman is rccoguizod, and his friends arc in tho saddle. Jt was necessary lo do something on the other side, and so Mr. Stimson, tho defeated de-feated candidate for Governor of New York, is given this Ca.binet position. At the same lime, Mr. C. S. Milliugton, a, defeated candidate for Congress, and a special friend of Vice President Sherman, is made Assistant Treasurer of iho United Slates in the sub-treasury at New York. The retirement of Secretary Dickinson Dickin-son was thus, it appears, a necessity in the harmony programme. President Taft has carried it forward with a firm hand, and there can bo no question but that it is a strong move toward political po-litical reconciliation and party harmony. har-mony. Tho deposing of Secretary Dickinson will make no political wounds. Nothing, is lost on that score, while very much appears to have boon gained in New York. The deal probably prob-ably meaite the spc.uring of the New York delegation for President Taft next yoar, involving probably, also, the renomination of Vice President Sherman. Sher-man. All concerned evidently had come (o the conclusion that something' must bo done to rcslorc Republican harmony har-mony if the party meant lo go into 'tho fight next year with its ordinary prospects of success. The ordinary probability of Republican success, however, how-ever, has been very much shaken by the election of a Democratic House last year, by the strength and sclf-rc-' strain!, shown .by the Democratic majority ma-jority in the Lower House, and by the defection of the farmers on account of the Canadian reciprocity agreement. This Intter defection President Taft has manfully defied, and it is probablo that the threats of desertion from tho Republican standard by the farmers will not be as serious as tho farmers themselves arc now claiming. Jt will, however, wenken the Republican party to some extent, and it behooves the party leaders to do what they can to slrengthoi their position, and this programme pro-gramme involving the retirement of Mr. Dickinson is undoubtedly a powerful power-ful move in that direction. |