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Show ROOT'S POWER WILL GROW." 1 Secretary of War ' Will Have Full ! Sway Under New Regime, "j (New York World.) ',) Washington. The star of Elihu Root. j secretary of war, bright as it was while ' he sat in the McKiniey cabinet. Is still 1' ' further in the ascendant. No one can possibly be closer to the new resident, and it is predicted that no new honor he may desire, which is i!i "within the gift of the chief executive, f ' ."w-ill be denied him. The secretary of I' -war is believed to have his eye, too on !thc presidential chair, but unlike Senator Sena-tor Hanna and Governor Odell. the unexpected un-expected elevation of Mr. Roosevelt I means no bar to his aspirations. I As the warm personal friend, as I counselor and guide to Mr. Roosevelt. . he stood as one on the waiting list; - fc one who must hope for the greatest " gift of all only after the ambition of his friend has found its fulfilment. . In truth, those who should know say " that the elevation of Roosevelt means for him a still less starrv oath to th .. "White House, for who should the pres- ident more surely put forward into ' places where public records are made than the man who, next to himself, he wculd rather see president. I ? S ?, Po, it is figured out here by those who f. forecast political futures, that Mr. yft Root will become, has already become, f a tremendous power in the present ad- 4 ministration, and that matters will be made to shape themselves to the end i that the secretary of war shall be found a potential figure in some future national na-tional convention, s Mr. Root and Mr. Roosevelt were ever the same type of Republican, both I moving in an atmosphere more highly rarified than that of the Platts and the I Odells of the party: gentlemen born 1 and bred, highly cultured, members of i the Union League club; men between whom there was much in common aside h from all political considerations. ! . ' Their most marked affiliation began i in '9S. when Colonel Roosevelt was 1 -j talked of for the governorship. The J vital question of Colonel Roosevelt's ' ) actual, legal place of residence having J arisen, it became necessary that he t- i should have the cleverest legal advlcfi and help obtainable. 'Mr. Piatt wanted Colonel Roosevelt u to win with at the polls, and it. was 1 vith his desire and suggestion that Mr. j Root made it his business to establish the fact that Oyster Bay was Colonel i Roosevelt's home. Mr. Root put aside his big law practice, prac-tice, which meant an immense sacrifice -. ' cf income from the big corporations j whoBe affairs he looked after, and gave i to his rough rider client practically all of his time. j He was successful, and by reason of 4 his carefully drawn agreement Colonel i 1 Roosevelt's sponsors went to the Sara- ; toga convention assured that no at- 1 tempt at the disqualification -of their I candidate could prevail. ' h I. The devotion of Mr. Root to the in- lerests of Colonel Roosevelt cemented more solidly the friendship of the two men. and while he was governor. Mr. Root was ever certain of a listening ear from the executive head of the state. v i R is notable, too, that ever since the ' death of President McKiniey the sec- retary of war and the new president have been constantly together, and it . t is evident that Mr. Root has once more been a staff to the man whose home he . had proved was in Oyster Bay. i Mr. Root, as a member of the bar of i New York, stood in the front rank of , " the big lawyers. He is regarded as ' ; . clean, clever, strong and conservative. "i The wise ones say that Elihu Root is to be taken into account for the next four years in Washington. |