The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-07-05
Canvass Of Republican Sentiment
in Washington Favors
Sec'y. Of War.
THREE CANDIDATES
Fairbanks and Shaw Actively Seek
ing the Honor.
SENSATION CREATED IN WASH.
fNGToN BY ACTION OF JUSTICE
BREWER-RoosEvELT Is CON.
WINGED THAT BRYAN WILL BE
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR
PRESIDENT IN 1908.
Special to The journal

washington July IA canvass or
Republican sentiment in Washington
reveals a majority conviction that
Secretary of War Taft is long ways
ahead in the race for the next Re-
publican presidential nomination. Il
will be interesting to ascertain, when
the senators and representatives come
back to the capital next December az
ter spending the summer among their
people, if they are still of the Taft
way of thinking.
It is recognized that there are two
active and aggressive Republican can
didates for the presidency. They are
Vice President Fairbanks and Secre
tary of the Treasury Shaw. They are
not themselves soliciting support, OF
course, nor do they avow an aspira-
ton to attain the first Office Of the
land. But their friends are actively
engaged in the canvass, with the full
knowledge and consent of Messrs.
Fairbanks and Shaw
Mr.. Taft's Ambition.
1t doesn't appear that there Is any
organized effort on behalf of Mr. Taft
yet he grows daily larger as a prcsi-
y.
rotary has not been placed in the cat
egory of active candidates, but7his de-
lay in accepting nomination to the
Supreme Bench is taken as an indi-
cation that the sirens song is not UNI
musical to his ear Until folks De-
gan to mention his name in connec-
ton with the. presidency, a seat on
the Supreme Bench had been the life
ambition of Mr.. Taft
It is a strange coincidence that one
of the most enthusiastic of the Taft
boomers should be an associate JUS
tice of the Supreme Court. 1t Is very
strange, indeed and almost without
precedent, that an associate justice OF
the Supreme Court should boom any
body for the presidency. Something
very nearly akin to a sensation was
created in Washington when press
dispatches told that In addressing the
Yale alumni at New Haven. Associate
Justice Brewer had used these words
In speaking of Mr.. Taft:
'THe safely guided the country
through the intricacies of the Philip
pine situation and Is at present car
lying on successfully the great canal
problem; and he will carry to the presi-
dency the same strength of character
he has shown in dealing with the
other problems And when he Is in
the White House, hope and know he
will put into his administration those
same high principles taught by Yale.
which he is already showing In his
public life"
President Much Concerned.
Recent Republican callers at the
White Housce conceived the notion
that President Roosevelt Is quietly
promoting the presidential fortunes
of his war minister They represent
Mr.. Roosevelt as convinced that Will
liam J. Bryan will be the Democratic
nominee and as being much concerned
az to whom the Republicans shall name
to successfully oppose the Nebraskan.
From things said, and from the
way in which the president said them,
his callers concluded that Mr.. Roose-
welt believes Judge Taft Is abou: the
only man equipped to assure Re-
publican victory in 1908. Now, the
president is not going to declare him.
self for Judge Taft, nor for any other
CdHuludlc buI LhCiS are a. thCuShiA
ways in which he could use the in
fiuence of his high office to the advan-
tsge of any favored candidate for the
succession, and should he really sci
out to effect the nomination of Taft
1t will require a strong mau and a
strong organization 10 thwart Elm.
Boom Handicapped.
lust now the Taft boom is handi.
capped by the fact that there appears
to be no marked Taft sentiment IN
Ohio. What little feeling there IS on
the subject would seem to come from
/ the strict Republican organization
men and TO be hostile to Mr.. Taft.
They have neither forgotten nor for
given his speech at Akron last fall
In which he attacked the Cox machine
i'm Cincinnati That speech, without
doubt. resulted in the defeat OF the
Cincinnati Republican ticket and con.
tributed in no small degree to the
election of a Democratic governor
The fact that there Is no Taft sentf-
ment in Ohio, however, does not
mean that in the convention Ohio
might not be enthusiastically for
Taft. Political sentiment is a shifting
thing. especially in the matter OF
presidential candidates. And 1t Is
true also that men have been nomin
ated for the presidency when their
own states were positively hostile to
them. Grover Cleveland 10 IN Ill %
trious example.