The Washington herald., 1907-09-22
TAFT NOT TOO FAT
Peculiar Replies to Straw
Ballot on Candidates.
CALL FAIRBANKS TOO COLD"
Voters Find objection 20 the Vice
President and some Say Gov.
Hughes Is "TOO New"-Many Want
Roosevelt or Conservative to
Carry out Ills Policies.

Special 10 The Washington Herald
Chicago. Ill. Sept 4.-Discussing the
results Of the test bailoting on Repub-
ucau Presidential candidates, conducted
by the Chicago Tribune in every State in
the Union Raymond, the Tribune's Wash
ington correspondent in this mornings
issue, says:
quite the most interesting thing in the
result of the ballot is the attitude Of the
people toward President Roosevelt That
he is a popular idol can scarcely be de
MED. The figures show that an over
wheIming percentage Of those who were
asked for their opinion indorsed the pol
icy of the President without hesitation.
TT is a noticeable thing that the people
who vote for Taft. and they number more
than half Of all those who have cast
their ballot, record their preference for
the Secretary of War with but little OF
no comment They are free to say that
Fairbanks IS too cold which is a favor
ite notation. OF that Hughes is too new,
but so far as I can remember the ballots,
there is only one which assails the Secre-
tary Of War on the ground that ne is
too fat although that is the most nat
ural criticism one could make against
him.
Hughes an Enigma.
Hughes curlously enough Is supported
by certain voters on the ground that he
4 is conservative, while others adopt him
as the best type Of a progressive candi-
date for the Presidency For that mat
ter. Fairbanks and Knox frequently are
labeled progressive, although perhaps in
the next ballot they are denounced be
cause they are supposed TO be out Of
touch with the Presidents policy.
1t seems evident from the papers sub
mitted TO the Tribune that while the peo-
pie at large study the acts of public men,
they are none the less liable 10 be affected
by catch words, by jokes, and by the re
peated innuendoes of newspa pers and
comic weeklies. Many of the criticisms
Of the Vice President. for instance, come
from those who think he Is ICY, al
though those who enjoy a personal ac-
quaintance with Mr.. Fairbanks know that
he is one OF the most genial of men.
Taft "CarbOn Copy"
so. also certain people speak OF Taft
as an 1mitator, and in one case as a
carbon copy OF the President. whereas
the distinctive characteristic of the Sec
retary Of War is his constitutional in
ability to allow any other man to do his
thinking for him.
Finally, it may be said that there is a
distiIrt feeling of resentment among GER
tain Republicans against any attempt on
the part of the President to dictate the
personality Of his successor. Several Of
those who declare themselves for a third
term insist that if Roosevelt is not can
didate, his successor must be some one Of
a conservative type, so that the country
may rest assured of business peace and
prosperity in the future. There is a quite
general expression of fear that Roose-
yelt's policies are impossible OF execution
by any one except Roosevelt himself. and
this seems to be the foundation for the
third-term idea. rather than personal af-
fection for the President"