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Show Political Adviser of President Taft Has Difficult Task ' Before Him. INSURGENTS AND REGULARS GETTING FARTHER APART Either Faction Would Almost Prefer Democratic Victory to Triumph of Other. BY RALPH! M. WHITE SIDE, By Leased Wire lo The Tribune. WASHINGTON, Aug. G. Postmaster General Hitchcock has the faculty of keeping his own counsel as highly developed de-veloped as any man in public life today. to-day. It is not strange, therefore, that he refuses to discuss his homecoming trip to Povcrly hoyond the statement that he will probably leavo hero Monday uight and seo the president Tuesday. The political observers here aro not, however, as silent as Mr. Hitchcock regarding the proposed visit. In fact, it is stated confidently that tho postmaster post-master general, who is chairman of the Republican national committee, and pol-itician-in-cliief of tho administration, has been called to Beverly 'to consult with the president as to the ways and means of straighteniug out tho kinks in which tho party has gotten itself in tho westoru and middlo stales particularly. particu-larly. Time to Act at Hand. The results an Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa have convinced the president that something must be dono at once. No man in the party has a closer grip on tho organization" than Hitchcock, and according to his frionds, no Republican has a wider or closer acquaintance with the men who make up the organization in ever' county and state. That this advice- should bo sought by the president presi-dent at a time when the fate of tho part- hangs in tho balance seems, therefore, the entirely natural and necessary, nec-essary, is the opinion of those who know Mr. 'llitehock's political power. Por the last two days there have been rp-ports rp-ports and intimations in the public press that Crane has succeeded Hitchcock Hitch-cock ns chief adviser of the administration. adminis-tration. At this, the frionds of Mr. Hitchcock laughed, declaring that he holds now the position that he always has held one of tho trusted advisers and tho political manager -of tho ad-ministralion. ad-ministralion. Just how Mr. Hitchcock will go lo work to get insurgents and staud-pat-ters together is an interesting question. It is tho best belief here that it will bo impossible. Both sides have now reached pretty nearl3f tho point where they would rather seo the Democrats win than tho othor faction, and as astute as-tute a politician as Mr Hitchcock is acknowledged to be, it is feared -tho task is beyond him. |