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Show SA YS MANY WILL FOLLOW W.E. BORAH A CONVENTION Smith Reviews Party Leaders. Ida-hoan Ida-hoan Delares Presidential Nominee Nomi-nee Must Unite Support of All Wings WnBhlngton, Feb. 9. Comments of Koprcsentntlvo Smith of Iduho, with referenco to tho probablo candidates candi-dates for tho Presidency on tho Ho-publican Ho-publican ticket, follow: "Among public men nnd politicians thoro is now much speculation re-guiding re-guiding picsidontial candidates in noxt ear's campaign. It is bcgln-' bcgln-' nlng to bo realized that In n tew short months the national commit-tcu commit-tcu will bo coming together to fix tho tima and place for tho nominating conventions. During tho Intervening tlmo public sentiment Is likely to cryfetallzo In favor of some ono or two candidates. "Slnco tho outburst ot Michigan's govornor announcing tho discovery of a p.ot to undormlno President Wilson Wil-son In his own party it has become apparent that tho loud noisa upon tho Democratic horizon Is coming to bo a good deal largor than a man's hand. It Is undoubtedly truo that certain Influences aro at work In favor fa-vor ot another candldato to defeat tho Presldont for nomination. Uut It Is tho opinion ot political leaders generally gen-erally that this movement will fall, uud his accomplishments will be tho question up for dobato in tho 101C campaign tho forco which tho Itcpub-Mean Itcpub-Mean party will have to ovorcomo to achlevo succoso and to restore tho country to tho conditions that existed exist-ed provlous to tho unfortunate campaign cam-paign ot 1912. It Is probably truo thut President Wilson Is In somo ways stronger than his party, but this strength will bo almost wholly noutrnllzed If tho Republican party wisely closes, tlio breach that occurred occur-red iu tho last campaign Und selects a candldato who can command thu hearty support of all elemonts that belong in Its ranks. Confidence Welt Grounded "Tho confldonco that now provails among Republican leaders every-vhoro every-vhoro is well grounded ntfU 13 growing grow-ing with tho developments ot each day. Tho problems which tho party has to solve to insure success aro not dlllicult, and rolato chiefly to tho selection ot a candldato. Always for-tuiuito for-tuiuito lu tho possession ot an abuu-dauco abuu-dauco of strong men, men who nro big nnd good enough to stand tho tost ot any position, tho party has now an unusual array of available matorial. Of tho eight or moro prominent prom-inent Republicans mentioned at this tlmo as possible candidates none Is without .tho ability and qualifications qualifica-tions roqulrcd for tho olllco ot President Pres-ident and all havo points in their favor. But it Is reallzod that not all ot tho party's great men whom It would like to know, and who would Ilka to know, and who would adorn tho office, would meet the requirements require-ments of a candldato In tho present emergency. It is first ot all Important Import-ant to bear in mind tho largo progressive pro-gressive voto In tho last campaign and to so stoer our craft that all ot that voto may bo brought back Into tho fold. If that Is dono thoro will bo no possible doubt ot tho result ot tho eloctlon. Herrlck, Lodge, Root "Among tho candidates whoso hats havo been shlcdJnto tho ring, by his friends at least, Myron T. Horrlck of Ohio, lato ambassador to Franco Is tho latest. Ho is a strong man and mado a crcdltablo record abroad. Ho would mako a good Prosldcnt; but his availability as a candldato noxt year Is questioned by many who doubt whether sonio ot tho lutercsts that aro warm In his support might not bo an element of weakness before tlio peoplo. "Senator Lodgo ot Massachusetts Is favored by many and his great public pub-lic rocord, long party servico and high personal attainments placo him well up towards tho top ot the list of thoso tho party would llko to honor. hon-or. Yot horo again tho- question Is rulsod whother his Identification with tho ultrnconservatlvo or so called stand pat wing of tho party would not mako his candidacy unsuccessful. unsuccess-ful. "Tho samo applies to Senator Root of Now York, ono ot tho ablest men In tho Republican party or in tho country. Justice- Ilughes of tho supremo su-premo court, who bus been mentioned mention-ed and who might at ono tlmo havo been an ideal candldato, is understood under-stood to prefer his present position and to consider 'himself unavailable at this tlmo. "Governors Willis of Ohio nnd Whitman of Now York havo been mentioned, but both nro young in party servico and in political experience experi-ence and achievements. Circumstances Circumstan-ces might arise to bring ono of them moro to tho front, but at present thoy aro not seriously considered by those whoso Judgment possesses value, val-ue, although It must bo admitted that, (hoy occupy advantageous ground oo-causo oo-causo of tho largo number of votes their states havo in tho convention and tho electoral collogo. "There is ono big man among thoso now discussed as possibilities around whom thero Is likely, unless all signs fall, to rally a largo following. follow-ing. Senator Uorah of Idaho is considered con-sidered by many political Judges to bo tho strongest man mentioned or likely to bo mentioned. Borah's Qualifications "Ho possesses a cool head, good Judgment and conspicuous ability. As uu orator he has no equal in either houso of Congress. Ills loyalty to tho Republican cause in 1912 when sympathy with progressive ideas and friendship for leaders In that movement move-ment beckoned him away, was an exhibition ex-hibition which won admiration and favor among leaders of tho party. "When it became necessary to reply in somo way to the aspersions or President Wilson in his Indianapolis Indianap-olis speech tho Republican leaders In the Senate askod Senator Dorah to mako tho speech, which ho did. Tho demand for printed copies of that speech has been enormous. Tho Republican Re-publican national committee will require re-quire more than a million copies to supply this demand. "Tho slng'.o objection raised to llorah's nomination Is that ho comes from a small stato, but It is recognized recogniz-ed that It Is not a question this tlmo of tho f'zo of tho stato or tho section sec-tion ot tho country a candldato hails from, but whether ho can solldlry tho Ropubllcan voto and bring back Into tho fold tho thousands who strayed stray-ed away in 1912. Is thero any man who can do this moro surely than Senator Borah? Is tho question that Is bolng considered by tho Republican Republi-can leaders. Mann's Ability Recognized "Tho minority lender, Mann of Illinois, Il-linois, who is recognized as ono of the most wonderful of" men In ability as a leader In the House ot Representatives, Repre-sentatives, will probably have tho support of his homo state In the convention. con-vention. Ho undoubtedly has a wider knowledge in regard to governmental gov-ernmental affairs, as tar as details aro concerned, than any man In public pub-lic Hfo today and would make a wonderfully won-derfully ablo President. The speakership speaker-ship ot tho next Ropubllcan Houso of Representatives awaits him, and It Is not likely that any other candldam will bo considered if he Is In Congress Con-gress nt that tlmo. Tho Progrosslvo elomont of tho party, however, would not likely look with favor upon his candidacy for the presidency. "Senator Cummlngs ot Iowa is not considered as strong with the peoplo peo-plo as ho was two years ago, although ho is recognized as a man of great Ability nnd of presidential slzo. Son-ntor Son-ntor La Follotto's voto for the Underwood Un-derwood bill groatly Injured his chances for being as largo a factor In tho convention as ho was in 1912 Senator William Alden Smith ot Michigan and Senator Weeks ot Massachusetts Mas-sachusetts will havo somo votes In tho convention, and It Is not unlikely unlike-ly that Ex-vlco President Fairbanks of Indiana will havo his state delegation." |