The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-08-12

POSSIBILITIES
Republicans May Have but TAFT
and Knex to Choose Be-
tween at the Last.
calan Special to the Advertiser.>

WASHINGTON, D. c., July 29.-Wh
is going to be nominated? Question
like that continue to pour in upol
Washington, as though washington
ought TO know. The interest of tn
country has been tremendously slim
ulated. The beginning of the prest
Dental campaign so early has grad
ually aroused the attention of tht
country. The fact that Mr.. Roosevelt
} thought it of enough Importance tc
engage his attention helped rivet tbs
attention OF the people on the strug-
gle among the Republican chieftains
And the campaign has begun in
earnest. No matter that the politician
| class, the state, town, and county
committees, and the managers OF as
pirants are about the only ones who
have thus far been active. The peo-
pie watch the politician class, the
| state, town and county committees,
ETC., much more than they did when
the last free for all race for a presi-
dental nomination was run. 1t used
| to be that the politicians and managers
| could burrow under the ground for
months at a time without interesting
| the dear public. The newspapers
would print something of their opera
tons but the public showed little con-
Germ in political operations till the
grand, spectacular battle for votes in
the open began.
Now every stage in the campaigns
of candidates is followed. Observers
4Lo
interest among nearly all classes of
people. The latter want to know who
they will have to vote for next year,
who is to be pitted against Bryan,
how far he will represent the policies
of the present administration, what
his antecedents have been, what fac
tions in the world of politics he has
trained with, what corporations. If
any, he has shown sympathy with.
PARTY LINES DIM.
Party ties rest lightly upon voters
nowadays and it is no rare thing to
hear prophets prophesy that if this
man or that man is nominated, strong
Republican states might go Democratic
and Bryan might be elected, for it is
taken for granted, in spite of all the
talk to the contrary, that Bryan will
have the Democratic nomination. Much
of this independent talk comes out OF
the West. There the people are scru-
tinizing the candidates more closely
than ever before. There is a general
determination not to be buncoed. The
feeling OF opposition to the politicians
is very strong. 1t has been growing
ever since Theodore Roosevelt in the
White House began to disregard the
politicians.
Washington does not know who will
be nominated, by which is meant
Washington does not know whom the
Republicans will nominate. No man
lives who can tell. There are thou
sands of men who can guess. Such
guessers predominant in every cam
paign and when they guess correctly
they puff up with Importance and feel
big over their political judgment. The
Republican nomination will certainly
go to one Of five or six men, probably
to one of three or four men. Any
guesser who guesses stands a chance
of at least one to six of guessing
right. Certainly at this stage of the
campaign there is no political wisdom
in having picked the nominee early.
It is simply matter of chance.
FAIRBANKS BOOM WAIVED.
Six months ago it seemed very prob |
able that Vice President Fairbanks
might carry of the nomination. He
was in high favor with the Republicans |
who were giving the affairs of the
next national convention their consid- |
Grafton. But the situation has been
rapidly changing, especially since Con-
gress adjourned. The President picked |
Secretary Taft as his favorite That |
was a big factor in causing the sit |
uation to change. 1t was not supposed /
at first that the President would take /
af hand in electing his successor; it is
an unusual thing for President to do.
The enemies of Vice President Fair
banks gradually became busy and they
have been assailing him with some effect.
Other candidates-Gov. Hughes of New
York, Senator Knox of Pennsylvania
and Speaker Cannon of Illinois-have
come forward ana each has a strong
following. The more candidates come
into the field the poorer are the
chances Of any candidate who has pre-
coded them. And so Vice President
Fairbanks candidacy has apparently
been on the wane for weeks. He has
L lot of strength--how much no one
knows exactly. But the good judges
doubt whether he is any longer can
1idate of the first order. 1t is likely
that his name will go before the con-
ventiOn. 1t is not beyond the posi-
oilities that he will develop unexpect-
I'd strength and that six months from
now his name will be among the fore
most of the candidates.
THE LEADING TRIO. X
Taft, Knox and Hughes are now
most in the public mind. If one were
.rying to name them in the order of
heir prospects, the arrangement would
De difficult. 1t seems that Taft is |
growing in strength, but appearances
nay be deceptive. No states have de- 4
,lared for him and there is no lively
prospect of any such declarations from ]
states east of the Allegheny noun /
aims. Knox has preempted Pennsyl- |
'ania and probably will have New {
Jersey and West Virginia. Maryland
will probably be for Taft, through the ,
of Attorney General Bona !
1arte. 1t is a problem whether Pres =
dent Roosevelt is going to be able TO ,
ieliver any votes from his home state