Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-05-31
Joseph Benson Foraker.

son H0raker more IMAM year age
evolved out Of his inner consciousness
a plan of presidential campaign which
he is following without shadow Of
turning, and that is to gather under his
banner all of the anti Roosevelt Re-
publicans in the country a constantly
Increasing army. Like Major Joe Bag
stock, Senator Foraker is sly, sir,
devilish sly" / am not in his conf
dence, though on friendly terms with
him personally, / never heard him
mention the Republican presidential
nomination in my life and never heard
| it mentioned to him or in his presence,
but have by putting two and two to-
gether figured out the result as four.
It seems to me a safe guess that just
about this time last year the senator
took stock" to use a commercial ex-
preston, of the presidential equation
and came to two conclusions which
have ever since determined his course
OF action-Q that, inasmuch as there
are three presidential candidates in the
cabinet-Taft Shaw and Root; perhaps
a fourth in the person of Postmaster
General Cortelyou-he, Foraker, could
hope for no assistance from the White
House; (2) that there is an anti Roose-
welt contingent Of Republicans which
might be made available in presiden-
tial fight and that he proposed to util-
ize it for all it is worth.
This theory first came to me when in
his opening speech in the Ohio cam
paign last year Senator Foraker open
~ antagonized what was then sup
posed to be the presidents railroad
rate plan, though it would, in the light
of subsequent events, puzzle Phila
delphia lawyer to tell what is the pres
idents plan. Many persons, remem
bering how hot Senator Foraker was
for Roosevelt in 1903 and 1904 and
especially remembering how he helped
the president force from Senator Han
mas state convention in 1908 an in
dorsement of Colonel Roosevelt, were
amazed at the speech referred to of
Senator Foraker in opening the Ohio
campaign of 1905. They forgot that
circumstances change and that men
change with them. In 1903 and the
early part of 1904 the one thing dread
ed by Senator Foraker was the pres
idential nomination of Senator Mar
Gus A. Hanna, which was possible to
the hour of his death. Senator For
aker has cherished the ambition to be
president, and it is a most laudable
one, nearly as long as it was cherished
by Henry Clay, James Buchanan or
James G. Blaine He was a brilliant
national figure nearly twenty years
ago, long before Senator Hanna was
known outside of small circle of
business men, Senator Foraker had
seen circumstances entirely beyond
his control give the coveted presiden
tial plum to William Mckinley twice,
and he knew that Hanna's nomination
would in all human probability and
Hanna's election to the presidency
would certainly end his presidential
hopes for three reasons first, because
he and Hanna trained with different
factions, for let 1t not be forgotten
that there are always Republican fac
tons in Ohio; second, that If Hanna
got one term he would want two, which
would bring us to 1918, at which time
Senator Foraker will be sixfy-seyen,
rather old to expect a first presiden-
tial nomination; third, the people OF
the rest OF the country might demand
a slice of the presidential pie and over
throw any and all Buckeye candidates.
That was apparently the Foraker
process Of ratiocination in 1903 and in
the early part of 1904; hence Foraker's
activity for Roosevelt at that time.
That it was wise there can be no ques-
tion. But in 1905 Senator Hanna was
in his grave; there was no other Ohio
Republican except Secretary Taft big
enough to contest the prize with Sen
ator Foraker, and President Roosevelt
had openly declared and positively that
he would not be in the running IN 1908.
If Senator Joseph B. Foraker expects
ever to be president, he does not ex-
Dect or intend that William FL. Taft