| OCR Text |
Show I TALK THAT JOT'S I VICTilMS SURE .1 Washington's Tip Is That He ffi Will Secure Nomination on the First Ballot. i . HUGHES MEN SORE AT 1 NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION I Accusation of "Buying" Lead I' ers by Promises of Oflico J Under Taft Made. 1$ Special to The Tribune. fj XEW ,YOBK, Jan. 12. Tho talk in Wa Washington -now ia that Taft's nomina- g tion for tbo Presideuc3' may bo ex- Ifi pected on tlie tirst ballot in the next Re- W3S publican u3tioual convention. Such ,Wu have been the accessions to Taft II strength in the Inst few weeks in West-11 West-11 ern States that, if he can be assured U that the South will not get away from If him and the Eubl will give him a rea-g rea-g fiouable decree of-support, his most seri-P seri-P ous troubles are much lightened. The It tendency of tbo Southern Republican M politicians for days has been to climb II into the Taft band wagon. It is real-H real-H ized. , however, that the opponents of H Taft will bo very active to effect their WL alienation. JW Taft has needed a competent- cam- "! Taiii manager, and it is understood that jM Frank Hitchcock, First Assistant Post- mm master-General, will take care of his in- III terests and will be seconded by the V President's private secrctarv, 3Ir Loeb. mm There has been rankling- in the Cortel- you ranks because of the friction be-I be-I tweon the Taft and the Cortelyou ml booms, and it required some diplomacv Jl jo secure Hitchcock's services. Whito 11 house help is understood to have been l given with that end iu view. The Pres-II Pres-II ident thinks highly of Hitchcock's abil-I abil-I JtJ' an 's anxious to ha.vc his services U m Taft's favor. One difficulty in tho g situation has been the feeling of Hitch-Wf. Hitch-Wf. cock and otliers who wero supposed to U b working for Cortelyou that Secre-E Secre-E tary Loeb had ill treated them and put Mj . them in a wrong political light beforo M the country. In case Hitchcock goes H into the Taft management and makes II a success of it. it will not be surprising H li he is made Republican national chair-1 chair-1 man. Some such deal is on foot. I Test of Strength in Ohio. I On February 1J the Republicans of fl Ohio are to declare whom they prefer I as a Presidential candidate. Each Re- I publican, uncoerced and unwatched, his i political weight as great as any other J Republican, will mark a ballot, prac- tically iu his own dooryard, indicating J li is choice. In many Stales there have M been primaries as to Governors and Sen- M ators, but this is the first application H of the principle to a Presidential can- m didatc. It is obvious that what is called It the democratization of parties is mak- IM iug progress, Jn Ohio counties and parts mm of counties are the political units. The ' Bjl next step will naturally be the Statc- SI wide Presidential primao'. In time it ul is not impossible that Presidential nom- jftl inations will be made at nation-wide III primarips. KM " That the Taft managers have adopted H such a method of settling the Ohio re-!SJ re-!SJ suit proves at once thoir candor and mm their confidence. They are not relying Ml on back-room conferences or combina-U combina-U tions, nor do they fear tho people. Bell Be-ll ing human politicians, it may be as m sumod that they would havo' avoided JH such a test if they had any fear as to II what judgment tho appeal to popular :H Caesar would give. They could havo ;u easily avoided such a plebiscite if they H had so selected, and at the same time II have aocured a solid Taft delegation WM from Ohio. It is an open secret that Senator Foraker has been gunning for H the Presidency in tho hope of bringing B down his re-election in tho Senate. Pic iH thought the situation was one that deal de-al mantled a trado, and as the Taft man W ngcrs held aloof from dickering, he has done what, la in his power to exert H pressure to make it appear that Ohio WM was fuiriouslj- divided as to the Presi-H Presi-H dency. The Senator, assuming that a Hi politician's first duty is to himself, is 91 not to be blamed. His pcaco overtures H have been rejected, a concourse of cir-jjH cir-jjH cumstances has forced him back to the IH wall, and he has had no option except I J to raise all the row ho could. flj Demerits of Foraker, H Many signs indicate that on February 11 11 Secretary Taft will win n sweeping H victory. This will be mainly because H of his own merits, but partly because H of the supposed demerits of Senator H Foraker. Ohio ia proud of the fact that. Mj sho has furnished so man' Presidents n to the nation. ' The State .would like to SH add another name to tho list. Although Hj a man of engaging personality and of 'mm admitted ability, Foraker man.y times H shocked the sensibilities of the Repub- Kcnns of Ohio. He is beliovcd by many IB to have betrayed John Sherman when jflj Sherman was Ohio's candidate for the H Presidency. He was a constant and j often an underhand critic of William. iS McKinley, nnd he did all in his power to H prevent tho rc-elcction of Marcusx A. II Hanna to the Senate. Consequently, HI tho great- majority of Republicans in H Ohio do not like Foraker. IH The big jump i" Taft's chances for H tho nomination have almost paralyzed IS tho Hughes forces in New York, where M a concerted effort has been making of jflj lato to work up a boom for the Gov. H rnor. Repeated efforts to securo an H expression of tho Governor's mind on H the subject have failed. Personal H. friends of the Governor beliove he will Hi continue to rofusc to declare himself on HH the question of the Presidency until it KB bhall becomo apparent to all that his IHj nomination is demanded by tho people H of New York State generally. "Until IH that time arrives, his policy will be mm Hilcnce, rogardlesB of the policy of his IH friends, as outlined by Senator Page, IH to press the fight in every locality where H there is a chance to win delegates for H the Governor. Tho Hughes mon assert H that tho work of systematic organiza- H tion and precise management is of great HJj importance, because the National Ad- H ministration is literally buying leaders IH on the hoof with the promise of offices H under Taft. Of course, this may bo IH Lruc and it ya.y not. At any rate, the H Hughes following is very sore over the IH course of the Administration party. U On tbo Democratic side there is still HH no one in sight, except Mr. Bryan. No pH concerted opposition to his nomination Hi has becu made manifest any w hero, and HJ it was hardly necessary for him to an- HH nounce his candidacy, as he did last HH "week "With tho Democrats it auDears HH o be "Bryan or notbinir." |
