The Washington herald., 1907-04-02
10 Win OF Lose 1t All.


Candor, eiean-cut and bold, is so rare q
feature in our politics that when It Is In
:roduced in a contest of such Importance
as that now pending in Ohio we are In
clined to believe that new and better era
Of campaigns is dswning. Anticipating
the turn Of events in his State, Senator
Foraker coura geously challenged Secre-
tary Taft to conflict before the people for
control of the Ohio delegation to the Re
publican national convention next year.
Secretary Taft accepts not only this chal-
lenge. but also invites the Senator to
hazard the Senatorship in the contest
That Mr.. Foraker. always game fighter
gladly welcomes the opportunity thus af-
forded ia put TO the seveTest test his
strength In Ohio. there can be 40 sort Of
doubt To the controlling motives Of both
there can be attributed that inspiring sen
timent contained in the motto Of the lion
hearted Montrose Graham:
He either fears his fate too much.
Og his deserts small.
Who dares not Tut it 10 the torch.
To win or lose it air
The lines of battle are now so dis
tinctly drawn that the hosts Of neither
leader can so astray. Should Mr.. Foraker
win, he is TO control the delegation to the
national convention and be his party's
nominee for Senator. Should Judge Taft
win. the delegation viii be his. and also
the toga now worn by Mr. Foraker No
other candidates for either President or
Senator are TO figure I'm the contest. In
the vernacular Of the prize ring. IL IS
to be a finish fight between Foraker
and Taft, and when the battle is over
one or the other will be completely
knocked out and one or the other Will
be retired to private life. The stake is so
great that undoubtedly each contestant
will fight for his lfe-and woe hetide the
one who commits a FOUL The people are
to be the judge not only Of the result.
but also Of the fairness Of the methods OF
each.
The issues Of stirring quality are of so
purely a personal character that the
higher questions of government doubtless
will be lost sight of. though that they
are many and of vast importance is evil
denced by the genesis of the quarrel.
Whether justly or uniustly. Mr.. Foraker
| is represented as incaraating the spirit of
opposition within the Republican party
TO the national Administrations Roose-
veltism, if you please. He is supposed to
be the field marshal Of the reactionary
forces of Republicanism. Judge Taft. on
the other hand. is supposed to personify
whatever the varied features of Roose-
veltism may be. For one thing it is
known that he has adventured farther
afield from the Republican landmarks
than has the President himself in that
he has boldly and publicly espoused the
cause of tariff reform. At the same time
it is likewise known that Secretary Taft
was not in sympathy with the Presidents s
original Tailroad-rats programme. and
earnestly advised his chief against the
more rigid and radical feature of that
measure. 1t Is interesting to note. too
that he recommended to the President a
temporary suspension of the rigorous or
der of dismissal of the three companies
Of the Twenty-ffth Infantry involved in
the disgraoeful. but withal. tantailzingly
mysterious. Brownsville affair. to the end
that another careful investigation might
be instituted before the colored soldiers