The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-04-19
THE BIG FIGHT
COMES IN OHIO

There is perhaps peculiar ntncss tina
the great polit cal battle for the Pres
idcncy should open IN Onto. Fur obi,
Ia the most political OF states. And
the battle has opened in ohio II
earnest. IT opened sooner than tn,
wise men predicted and IN way none
OF them dreamed. Taft and Foraker
have buckled on their armor. Their,
Is to be n fight to the finish-unless the
olive branch should pass. which now
seems impossible. The test of strength
is to be at popular primary and APP
parently is To come next November.
These surprising developments came
with suddennes. Secretary Taft was
sailing complacently away TO Panama
Senator Foraker was graphing with
the Brownsville investigation, he be-
ing n member of the Senate Committee
on Military Affairs. There had been
some sharp work between the leaders
of their respective factions in Ohio. 1t
was supposed that the goose honked
high for Secretary Taft. The Presi-
dent was virtually, although not in
fact out In the open for him, but never
theless pulling as hard as he could to
control the next National Convention
and to nominate his Secretary of War
as his successor. q.
Then there came one OF those brill
liant Foraker moves. 1t startled
friends and opponents alike Wednes>
day evening the Senator sent around
to the newspaper offices a few sheets
of typewriting. 1t was a very infor-
NAL statement. 1t made no mention
OF Secretary Taft by name. The meat
Of it was all in one paragraph. which
said: 'In order that there may be
no doubt as to their preferences, 7 shall
at the proner time request the Re-
publican State Central Committee to
issue call for a Republican state
Convention to be composed of delegates
elected by the Republicans of the state
at duly authorized primary elections,
for the purpose not only of nominating
candidates for state offices, to be voted
for at our next State election. but also
to determine the preferences of Repub-
lcans of Ohio as to candidates for
United States Senator and President"
Only those familiar with the COM
plications of the presidential situation
IS pertaining to the next campaign and
familiar with the Ohio situation can
this very important statement. Sec,
re airy Taft now acquiescing in the
efforts to make him president, is not
strong on the stump. He would have
con more likely to secure the major
ity of Ohio's 46 delegates by some other
method than Senator Foraker proposes.
Senator Foraker, on the other hand, is
one of the strongest men in the coun-
t,s,, tl,.A 10 hne nrNNy
a fight in Ohio against overwhelmina
odds, simply by his brilliant oratory
and his shrewd generalsh,p With a
dash and daring, that can but com
mend admiration, the Senator has
staked everything on the issue, for If
he loses he knows he will not be re-
elected as United States Senator and
that his public career must end.
Friends We're arranging a peace pact
between the two factions. President
Roosevelt, however. interviewed and
said there should be no peace. He is
insistent on crushing Senator Foraker,
is determined that he shall be driven
from public life, deprived of his seat
in the Senate and utterly stripped of
Much as the Presidents friends
like to talk about his brookng criti- |
is very intolerant or men who ops
pose his plans and his policies. He will
fight any such men to the bitter end |
and will fight for their extinction. He
wishes to punish Senator Foraker for
with him on the rate bill
and for opposing his action in discharg- |
ing the entire battalion of the Twen-
ty-Gfth Infantry, concerned in the |
ARRAY at Brownsville.
With the announcement from Senator |
Foraker both sides began to prepare
for the struggle and the preparations
have been going on quite as much in
as in Ohio. Secretary |
Taft is absent but his friends have
rushed to his support. Every Roose>
welt organ has begun to pound Senator
The Taft organization in |
Ohio was in working order before the |
astounding declaration of Senator
Foraker appeared, Since then it has
been working as never before to hold
every possible advantage.
Just what Secretary Taft will do is
not known, He has planned long tour
to the Philippines this summer. Some |
think he will have TO cancel that trip |
and devote himself to the preliminary |
campaign. He mad planned speech |
or two in Ohio this summer at his
eieure, perhaps as he was gong back
ana forth between washington and the
Orient 1t was intended that he should
voice some of the Presidents opinions
and policies. 1t has been suggested
that the Secretary can well go on his
m s~i)n undisturbed, announcing that
It Is on business the President wanted
him TO look after and that he is willing
10 leave his fate in the hands of the
Rcnubllcans of Ohio.
1t is a matter of the control. of the
Ohio state convention. 1t is unlikely
that all of the forty-six delegates in
the state win be for any one candidate.
The state convention elects only the
four at large. Each Of the twenty-one
districts elects two dele
gates. but the candidate who has the
four delegates at large will very prob
ably have a majority of the forty-slx.
Republican National Conventions,
however, do not enforce the unit rule.
or course neither side IS going to
Yield any possible advantage The
may train his heavy guns
upon Senator Foraker. but Senator
Foraker viii train heavy guns upon
Taft, He will attack the