Republican

3970

Requiem

 

Cleveland. The assassination of McKinley
in July, 1901, and the succession of Vice-
President Theodore Roosevelt, involved no
notable change of policy. The campaign of
1904 was based on the party's past achieve-
ments and the general national prosperity.
By 1908, however, the demand for tariff
reform became so insistent that the chief
plank in the Republican platform for that
year declared 'unequivocally for a revision of
the tariff immediately following the inaugu-
ration of the next President.' William H.
Taft, the Republican candidate, was elected
President by a large majority. Early in 1911
a large and active part of the Republican
electorate prevailed on former President
Roosevelt to enter the campaign for the Re-
publican nomination. His candidacy widened
the breach in the Republican ranks; and af-
ter a bitter struggle for supremacy in the
National Convention, which resulted in the
victory of the Taft following, the Roosevelt
forces withdrew from the Convention and
organized the Progressive Party. In the na-
tional election of 1912 the Republicans were
overwhelmed. W. H. Taft ran third to
Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic nominee,
and to Roosevelt, the Progressive candidate.
In 1916, chiefly on the issue of Wilson's
peace platform, the Republicans again met
defeat in the Presidency, though winning
the House. During 1917 party lines were
wiped out in support of the war program;
but in 1918 the elections resulted in control
of both Houses by the Republicans. This
was followed by a Republican victory with
the election in 1920 of Warren G. Harding,
of Ohio, as President, and Calvin Coolidge,
of Mass., as Vice-President. The death of
Harding in Aug. 1923 brought Coolidge to
the Presidency, to which he was elected in his
own right in 1924, with Charles G. Dawes, of
Illinois, as Vice-President. Herbert Hoover,
Secretary of Commerce in the Coolidge ad-
ministration, was elected President in 1928
to succeed President Coolidge, who 'did not
choose to run,' with Charles Curtis, of Kan-
sas, as Vice-President. The economic depres-
sion, which began to attain considerable
proportions in 1929 and 1930, was the strong-
est contributing factor in the defeat of
Hoover for re-election in 1932, with an over-
whelming victory by his Democratic oppon-
ent, Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Republican
Presidential candidate, Alfred M. Landon,
was decisively defeated by Roosevelt in 1936.
In 1940 Roosevelt was again reelected over

Republican Wendell Willkie. See united
states, History.
Republican River, rises in the eastern
part of Colorado, and flows in a northeaster-
ly direction to the border of the State, cross-
ing the n.w. corner of Cheyenne co., Kansas.
It then enters Nebraska, and flowing e. near
the border re-enters Kansas. It joins the
Kansas River at Junction City, after a course
of about 525 miles.
Repudiation. When a state repudiates its
financial obligations, or makes default in
paying the interest or capital of loans made
to it, it is a question of international law
whether and to what extent another state
will interfere for the protection of its sub-
jects who suffer loss. In this particular case,
although the right of interference exists, gov-
ernments generally refuse to take any steps
in favor of the sufferers, partly because of
the responsibility which a state would as-
sume, partly because loans to states are usu-
ally made with sufficient knowledge of the
attendant risks, and partly because of the
difficulty which a defaulting state may really
have in meeting its obligations at the time.
A modern instance of repudiation is that
which was announced by the Soviet govern-
ment of Russia immediately on its accession
to power, when it disclaimed all connection
with or responsibility for the foreign debts of
the former Imperial State which it replaced.
Repudiation, in American history, means
State legislative action reducing or wiping out
the State debt. This has usually occurred in
the newer States or in States of new indus-
trial importance in the second third of the
19th century, when there was throughout the
country a craze for internal improvements,
especially railroads, built with governmental
aid, and for banks assisted by the State.
After the Civil War repudiation was com-
mon, because heavy interest had accrued,
because the war had greatly impoverished
the Southern States, and because State debts
were recklessly, extravagantly, and corruptly
increased, in many cases, during the period
of negro domination. It has been estimated
that by repudiation, Southern States reduced
their debts from $235,000,000 to $108,000,000.
The Federal Constitution, as interpreted
by the U. S. Supreme Court, furnishes no re-
dress to a creditor of a State. A few State
constitutions have provided, or have empow-
ered the Legislature to provide, how suits
may be brought against the State.
Requiem, the mass for the repose of the