Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-05-30
PRESIDENT IS MUM
ON PRESIDENCY.

Wash iugtOn, May a0.-iH the ii''c of circumstantial stories that Pfesl- dent Roosevelt seeks to shape poli'l- cal affairs to the end that Secretary Taft may be the Republican nomlnee for resident in 1908 an unbroken si= lence is maintained at the White House
 Twice within I month has Wash ington newspaper friendly to the a'= ministration, published stories that the president desires that his secfe= tary of war should be his successor The latest version is that the decision to defer the nomination of Secretary Taft as an associate justice of the supreme count to succeed Jus'lce Brown fits in well with the alleged de sire of the president that Mir. Taft shall decline 10 go on the bench, but shall complete the great works before him as secretary of war and thus win the confidence and admiration o' the entire American people.
 Simultaneously with the publicatio of the stories referred to, welldefine ] ftimations were forthcoming that they were based on information Whie3 came from the White House. eTn f they were moi actually inspired hg taz president.
 Other men. who hear tha htf .ae he presidential be faero CT =fess Fl of the Iira, are much Interested il these 1aports. An effort was roaaG made to obtain from the White Honze an authoritative confirmation CT l nial of these reports, Rat n such an= thority could he obtained for an: statement. t WAS the apparent 9nls poso of the officials at he White House not to say anytbia@ one wa2 CT the other.
 Secretary Taft never commits A3r.- self on the subject of his availability for the presidential nomination. He n.ofers rather to trea+ it as a joke S,ans are not wanting that the presi- dent approves of him more than any ether candidate in the race. and the reports are credited by many public men,
 They think it strange that 1t should take Secretary Taft from now until next December to make up his mind V neither he will 90 on the bench, es- pecially as Justice Browns retirement will make a vacancy for the term ne einnin@ next October The proper in depreciation of this postponement IS that Senator Taft's friends, including the president. have urged him to await the results of the congressional elections in November.
 If the Republican party is vietorl- ous in these elections, and President Roosevelt's administration thereby Is ! irdorsed. it is thought Secretary Taft will himself realize his strength as
 q popular member of the Roosevelt
 admin stration, and that he will de i cline the offer of place in the high est court and place himself in the hands of his friends IS candidate
 fer 1908.
 1 MT. Taft. of course. will not dis
 cuss this question, but he has never before been known to require six months to make up his mind on any
 course of action.
 Friends of the president are in 1 cNned to d;screlit reports that he is training Secretary Taft as a presi- ] dential candidate in 1908. They
 point out that the American people l have never favored the prepetuation of political dynasty in the White 1 House, and that, in any event. the
 president would not be guilty of such juggling of a position on the supreme court of the United States as he | would be obliged to do if reports were true that the postponement Of Secre- 1 .ary Tafts nomination as an Asso- ,iate Justice depends on the result or he November election.