The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-05-12
FAVORITE SONS
TO Be OPPOSED
BY ROOSEVELT
Fairbanks and La Toilette
May Be Permitted an
Endorsement.
Taft Managers Watching
Big States With Great
Zeal.

The big States" are being looked az /
ter with especial zeal by the Admins |
tration in Its conduct of the Taft Pres /
idential movement. BY big States" Is |
meant particularly New York. Pennsyl- |
vania. Massachusetts, Ohio. and Illinois |
Massachusetts, as the leader of New ]
England rs considered 10 possess a 1
significance quite out OF proportion to /
its bunch Of votes In a nominating con-
vention.
Secretary Taft-s coming trip TO Iowa /
is also significant of a considerable N !
terest in Jbat State. The President sets |
great store by Iowa. He knows IL is !
devoted to him. and he considers it n |
remarkably accurate index of Western !
opinion. lie hopes that il may get In |
line early for Taft, and encourage such !
movement in other States of the big !
Northwest
Massachusetts presents an undeniably !
difficult problem is management. be-
cause of the attitude of Senator Crane. !
who is regarded as one of the chief |
'ConspiratCrs' against the program of
perpetuatirg Roosevelt policies. Crane
is a power in Massachusetts. AS gov
crnor there ne was distinctively of the
progressive type. As Senator he has
been regarded as Of the opposite sort.
But his people have confidence in him,
and the state win go as he wants Il
10 20. unless special and determined e.
forts are made to change its direction.
"Favorite Son" Program.
The President sees most danger in the
'-favOrite son" program that has for
many years been used by the machine
politicians as the basis of their manip-
ulation OF conventions. Around the
banner Of favorite son the politicians
Of each State have been able TO gather
their supporters; the right men" could
he put on the delegations; and then
when all .he favorlte son movements
we're shaken up in the bag by the as
sembIed politicians IN national convent
ton. they could agree on the man
most serviceable to the largest number
and nominate him.
The President fears that move at this
time more than anything else. He recog-
nizes that The favoritc son in each par
ticular case is quite likely 10 be innO-
cent OF any part further than an honest
desire to try out his own chances. But
because he realizes that the local can
didate is the politicians refuge. she
President proposes to keep the local
candidates out Of il. He is going 70 de-
mand Taft Endorsements from just as
many States as possible. Apparently
no ravorite sons except Fairbanks and
La Toilette are TO be permitted an IN
opposed home Endorsement.
For Vice Presidency.
There is. Of course. the possibility OF
using SECOND place on the ticket TO bring
some one If the favorite-son States into
camp Massachusetts might get the
Mace for Guild, New York could have
II for Hughes or Iowa could get it 'or
Cumnins. There has been talk, too.
Of La Toilette in this connection. But
nobody imagines that Is Toilette would
take secord place on the ticket
Pennsylvania is being watched by the
Taft managers with great care. There
has been a serious suggestion of put
ting forward Justice John =. Elkin a.
a candidate for Penrose's seat in the
Senate. and making him the new State
boss. That would put Pennsylvania
where it could be controlled. There
would be no danger of Knox move
ment taking it away from the Roose-
veIt-Taft column and voting il at the
end for some representative Of an anti
Roosevelt combination. Senator PenrOso
is watching the White House just as
sharply as the Administration people
are watching MIN, and he proposes to
make no costly mistakes il he can avoid
it. But like all the anti-Roosevelt poll
ticians. he is in terror because Of the
fearful uncertainty as TO where the
President may break out next"
Cannon and Hughes.
Governor Hughes and Uncle Joe Can
non are two men whom to discipline is
not easy. Neither shows a disposition
to come back to the reservation and
give UP his weapons. Each presents the
possibility Of a big State going against
the Administrations plans. The Speaker
may be Jared by the intlmation that
has gone forth that. unless he is good.
he will be deprived Of his scepter and
Czardom.
Hughes looks today like the one real
reliance and hope of the opposition TO
the RoCseyelt-Taft program. He is IN
dependent enough 90 sJiit the most indie
pendent He is the same sort of pro-
Eressive as Roosevelt And he is with
out certain weaknesses which the poll
ticians regard as menacing Republican
success in case Taft is nominated.
Baltimore city went Democratic by a
big majority the other day, and all
analyses OF the result agree that it was
because the colOred Republicans either
remained away from the polls or voted
for the Democrat why? Brownsville.
That's all.
Then there is the union labor vote.
From many States come reports which
insist that Taft's anti-labOr injunctions,
together with the Debs-Moyer-H Haywood
Hartman letters. have so far aroused
suspicion among the labor unions that
Taft would be certain to suffer severe
losses. one OF the plans under consid-
Grafton indeed. BY the anti-Taft forces
is TO exploit these issues before the del
egates are chosen and brighten the
country away from nominating him
Perhaps IL can be done. but it doesn't
look very probable at present
WAGON nPJvEP uIIPT