The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-06
HANNA VS.. RoosFvELr.

Within the past few weeks, the signs
of a serious and persistent movement
for the nomination of Senator Hanna
as the Republican candidate for presi-
dent have become more marked than at
any previous time, Mr.. Hanna's de-
malls of any desire for the honor had,
long before. become part of the stock
in-trade of the funny men, of the
newspapers. and had ceased to be con-
sidered as having any real meaning:
but the presumption that Mr.. Roosevelt
was the destined candidate-amounting
as it did, three or four months ago. to
practical certainty-remained too strong
to give Mr.. Hanna's possibilities serious
standing in the public min6. Recently,
however. a striking change has taken
place in this regard. The Hanna work
ers have apparently become convinced
that the time is opportune for getting
in their strikes, and have been feeling
their way toward the development of
a fuil-hedged boom for the Ohio SEN
ator
Whether this stimulation of the
Hanna campaign has been connected
with the Panama episode or not would
be an interesting subject for conjec-
ture. Time is required for working up
a boom of the Hanna kind, and it is
possible that the activity of his hackers
at this particular juncture is simply
a natural result of the approach of the
nominating season. But. whether in
f1uenced by this consideration or not,
certain 1t is that the disfavor with
with President Roosevelt's method of
dealing with the Panama situation has
been viewed by persons of conservative
and careful disposition has made the
last two months peculiarly favorable
for accentuating any weakness existing
in Mr.. Roosevelt's lines.
That Hanna should be set up by way
of rebul1e to Roosevelt for want of
scrupulousness in the pursuit of his
purposes would be, of course. a scream
ing absurdity but it is not in this way
that the game is worked. Anything
that makes Roosevelt seem not the in
evitable candidate is grist for FIannas
mill; the particular quality of the grain
is of no consequence. Mr.. Hanna does
not need to proclaim himself lover
of trusts in order to profit by the hos
tility of J. Pierpont Morgan and his fol-
lowing to the president: it will not be
necessary for him to take a position
antagonistic to Mr.. Roosevelts on the
relations between labor and capital In
order to get the benefit of such opposi-
ton as the presidents acts or words in
this domain may have excited; and it
is equally needless for him to commit
the absurdity of pretending to a high
standard of International morality in
order to gain the advantage which dis
satisfaction with Mr.. Roosevelt's free
and-easy Panama course has pro-
voked All that the Ohio man wants is
70 annnar that Mr. c
prestige has waned to point which
will make his election highly doubtful;
| if he can accomplish that, he may look
to the manipulation of the machinery
of practical politics. to do the rest.
Now, this way of looking at the Re
publican situation may, for a time
seem very plausible to the professional
politicians; but it requires no great as
sumption of prophetic powers to pre-
dict that, just as soon as the scheme
shall have advanced to the stage of be-
ing a subject of genuine popular in
terest, a change will come over the
spirit of the Hanna boomers dream.
The success of Roosevelt at the election
is not as sure a thing now as it SEEM
ed a few months ago; but. whatever
his chance of defeat, that Of Hanna's
strength before the people as presi-
Dental candidate. in the nation at
large, is simply non-existent. Roose-
Welt has enemies, he has critics, he has
nesitating or doubtful supporters: but
he has also a vast body of admirers
and such strength as he has is genuine
and not manufactured. To put him
aside in favor of a man who, more per-
haps than any other conspicuous ma
tional figure, represents the power of
money-and the corrupting power of
money-in politics would be an act of