The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-21
TAFT IS CHOICE
 IN DIXIE LAND Southern Republicans Are
 Clearly for Him VOTE TAKEN BY TRIBUNE Hughes, Cannon, Fairbanks and Knox Get Small Votes In Testing the Strength O x n. 'ldates for
 Presider Q 2 .S animation.
VOTE TAKEN BY TRIBUNE

Cnlcago, v Der D.-(Special. Al though the = ,o'lans have been guessing good de c ut it, the actual fact as to the b sSI among the southern re- publican 9 between the whites and the blacks, lot fully understood until The Tribune's ,oll was taken.
 The answers were extremely significant, ballot by ballot. They showed a disposi- tion on the part of the negroes to break away from Roosevelt and to turn to For aker and other conservatives on account of the Presidents action in the Browns vile affair. At the same time there IS shown by the tabulated returns an extra ordinary spirit of conservatism in the | south
 It is not alone the negroes who are demanding a more conservative candidate Many of tine prosperous whites, with money in the bank and with large inter- | ests at stake, are ready to call a halt on radical policies, and they are demand l ing a. return to the republcanism of the | Mckinley period.
 | It will surprise a good many people who | are not acquainted with the situation to find such a large percentage of the voters ! in The Tribune poll declaring for a more conservative candidate as compared with | President Roosevelt himself. As shown | by the table the southern states of Arkan- sas, Alabama, Florida Georgia, Ken lucky, Louisiana Mississippi, North Car olina. South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, cast total of GOT ballots in ! The Tribune test. It is significant that out of this total there were 5S or nearly 10 per cent of the whole, which were dis tinctly recorded in opposition to the pro- 1 gressive policy of President Roosevelt It is probably true that a great many of these were negroes. The vote for For aker shows that Nevertheless, the per centage of those opposed to the President is larger than would be expected in a | section where republicanism is profes- | sion not to be lightly cast aside. | This is not personal pique against the | President himself merely, because the 1 ballots go on to record in favor of q more conservative candidate in the fu- ] ture. In this regard the situation in the ] south is even more unexpected. Out of l the total of 607 ballots there were only 472 which were distinctly in favor of progressive candidates, while 94 de- manded q more conservative man to lead the party and fl were discreetly silent.
 Brownsville Affair Factor It is through no accident that in Ala bama, for instance one out of every five of the voters repudates the Presidents policy outright, and one out of every his nrafarpnpa for conservative republican nominee next year. What was shown by a study of the returns themselves is amply demonstrated by the tabulated figures The negroes in the south have gone off in droves as result of the Brownsville affair. Some or the least desirable of the white repub- licans who were ignored by the Presi- dent in the distribution of offices have followed their dusky brethren into the outer darkness of irregularity.
 1t is bad enough in the south to be a republican, but to be a republican who is not recognized at headquarters is simply to put ones self beyond the picket fence of practical politics.
 According to the tabulated returns, Taft leads as a presidential choice, as he does in every other section of the United States The returns show that he is the first choice of 35S of the voters, Fairbanks following with 51, Foraker with 42, Hughes with 4s, and Cannon with 27 It is worth remembering at the same time that, while Taft was chosen by 70 as their second choice, Hughes rolled up 19s, Fairbanks S6, Can non 7s, and Knox 36 For third place Hughes was mentioned by 107, Fair banks by S2 Cannon by 112, and Knox by Il.
 Taft and Hughes Run Ahead.
 It will be seen that while Taft and Hughes run ahead as they do in other sections, the so-called conservative can didstes, Fairbanks, Cannon and Knox, make a much better showing when the first, second, and third choices are grouped together in the south than they do in any of the northern sections out side of the "favorite son. states. For instance. Fairbanks is mentioned on 2l9 ballots in the south and on only 104 in New England, which section he stumped industriously last fall.
 So, too, Uncle Joe Cannon Is mentioned for first, second, or third choice by PIT southern republicans, whereas he received only 1N votes for the six New England states, although he, too, swung around the circle and made speeches in Maine and Vermont during the height of the campaign last year.
 Putting these two things together, it SteIllS lHdI lDe SO-Cdlltu NdllNt tlt- ment in the south, which is made up par tially of disgruntled negroes, partially of disappointed white officeseekers, and par italy of the property owning class which is looking for stability of investment is feeling around for a candidate to head off the Roosevelt sentiment in that sec tion. The office holders as a class are naturally Roosevelt men. They want to see the President renominated without much regard for the interest of the coun- try but according to the traditions Of their class.
 Southern Office Holder Loyal.
 The southern officeholder always stands by the administration. He does not have to consult any constituency. He is not called upon to carry cleo tions, and thereby to demonstrate his personal popularity. As he looks at 1t, the official oath requires him to shout for the President and the head of his particular department whenever occasion requires it. This accounts for most, if not all, the Roosevelt senti- ment in the south, because, as a mat ter oi fact, the President alienated good many of the white republicans by appointing democrats to office.
 Then he lost the negro republicans by discharging the battalion of colored troops at Brownsville. The President is more without a party. in fact, in the south than in any other section of the