The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-31
TAFT'S STATEMENT
REAL CANDIDATES READ TT WITH
VARYING EMOTIONS.

Most Politicians Think That There u sfucn
Cause for Them 20 worry I'm rsts
Concluding words mat He would Not
Decline O Nomination n It Came % Him.
WARRINGTON, Dec. so.-The Hon. Charles
Warren Fairbanks, the Hon. Leslie Mortier
Shaw, the Hon. Joseph Benson Foraker
and several other honorables who rave
been suspected Of finding their chief amuse-
ment in listening to the siren buzs OF the
busy little Presidential bee have read
with various and varying emotions the
decision Of the Hon. William Howard Tart
that his ambition wa not political, that
he did not expect to be the Republican candi-
date, but. While thep process OF reasoning
employed by the above mentioned states
men In constituting Mr.. Taft's statement
has not been disclosed. il is the opinion
Of most politicians here that there is much
cause for worry in that modest concluding
qualification of Mr.. Taft's statement, hat
he is too honest to deny that he would not run
away II the opportunity to make the race Tor
President were TO come TO him.
There is a disposition on the part OF many
prominent people here to insist that MI.
Taft must on the basis Of his statement
be regarded as a fu~ll-hedged candidate for
the Presidential nomination. This, how
ever, In a case Of the wish being father
to the thought. By far the greater number
OF politicians in Washington are taking
Mr.. Taft's announcement at its face value.
They contend that it is a clear, explicit
statement that he will not stir a finger to
get the prize, hat he is not expecting to
get it o. even worrying about II, and hat he
would be the most surprised man In the
world if the Republican party selected him
as its standard bearer. According to very
prevalent opinion here he is not even a
receptive" candidate, except to the extent
thai he would not be 80 foolish as to refuse
to obey his party's call il il came unsolicited
and without conditions.
There is a strong suspicion in Washington
that the publication which drew out Mr..
Taft's formal declaration was intended to
place Mr.. Taft in the Presidential field as an
Offset to the Foraker boom. II this is cor
rect, and it certainly has many believers, it
has failed utterly. Mr.. Taft declines to be
placed in the attitude of seeming to an
taRonize Senator Foraker. In some quar-
ters the action Of Mr.. Foraker in attacking
the Administration for its dismissal OF the
negro troops is attributed to a desire to
sidetrack Mr.. Taft's chances for obtaining
the Republican nomination. Mr.. Foraker,
however, has shown on more than one
occasion recently that he was ever ready
to fight wrong whenever the chance offered,
and there are enough instances OF this KIND
to give ground for belief that something
higher than the mere desire to gain political
advantage has ctuated him.
So far Mr.. Foraker is the only Republican
Of prominence in the Senate who has openly
attacked the Presidents action in dismiss
ing without honor the three companies OF
the Twenty-fifth colored Infantry. That
he will strengthen his political hold in Ohio
thr ough this course is generally taken for
granted. When the test comes il will
probably be found that a good number OF
President Roosevelt's supporters among the
Republicans of the Senate will Join Mr..
Foraker in condemning what the Admins
tration has done. This, it is expected. will
be true of Senators from the Middle West,
where there is a large negro vote.