The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-05-26
Foraker Proposes TO Force
Through His Resolution
REGARDLESS OF MR. HANNA
Recent Interview Given Out BY Hanna
Has Set Political World Aaog and
Royal Fight Is Ex-
pected In Ohio.
BY wATTERsoN sTEALEY.

Washington, May 25.-(special.)- AN
open field and no favorites in the matter
of the next republican presidential nomi-
nation" is the construction placed by re-
publicans here upon the interview which
appeared in The Age-Herald with Senator
Hanna of Ohio.
Washington is more agog with politics
tonight than 1t has been for long time.
Republican members of congress In the
city have shut up like clans. except in
one instance-that being Senator Hannas
colleague. Joseph Benson Foraker, who
has taken issue with the chairman of the
national committee, and declares he Will
force the Ohio republican convention,
Hanna or no Hanna, to endorse the can
didacy of Theodore Roosevelt.
Should Foraker win. Roosevelt's nomi-
nation seems to be assured. Should the
Roosevelt resolution be defeated by the
Hanna forces there is enough doubt to
warrant speculation over the next re-
publican standard bearer.
One year is long time in politics. The
defeat of the Roosevelt resolution may
be a minor circumstance as to Its effect
upon the candidacy of the President, but
there are those who profess to see great
significance in a triumph for Senator Han
ma at the approaching convention.
The two Ohio senators are not on good
terms. Hanna hogged the patronage un-
der Mckinley and dominated state poll
tics. Under Roosevelt Foraker has had
the ear of the President, Hanna always
under the suspicion of trying to prevent,
through his own possible candidacy or
that of Fairbanks, Taft or some other
man. the political aspirations of Theo-
dore Roosevelt. At any rate, Roosevelt
got that impression from some source.
What Hanna has obtained from the
White House since the shot that elected
Roosevelt has been more through fear
than favor
Depending upon his own personal mag
netism a convention orator and the
dashing personality of the object of his
speech. Foraker doubtless believes that
with a convention containing good
sprinkling of Federal office-holders In
debt TO Roosevelt and the fact that the
President is ahead in the race, the dele
gates. even though Hanna men at heart,
can be stampeded for the Roosevelt reso-
lution. This will put Roosevelt heavily in
debt to Foraker, who is but 81 years OLD
and can wait until 1908 for the President
tial nomination
Should the fight come up next year in
stead of five years from now, Foraker's
might get the Roosevelt influence and a
nomination, though Hanna prefers Roose-
welt and terror In Wall street to his rival
Foraker.
That Hanna is very much in earnest
over the defeat of the resolution there
can be no doubt. He is a great fighter,
and Foraker will have no walkover. II,
indeed, he gets his resolution through
At this late day he can hardly back out
of the fight, and rout of the Roose-
yelt-Foraker forces will not cause sur
prise. All IN all the Roosevelt resolution
looks on its face like rather exagger-
ated political Incident. Several states.
New York and Pennsylvania among
them, have indorsed Roosevelt, but the
conventions which meet next year and
select delegates are the ones that count.
Suppose that within the next year the
President allows donkey TO be carried
over the elevator of the Ship Of State, as
he did the White House elevator? And
he is very liable to do 1t.