The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-10-18
THE PREsID ENrs Arr11UD z.

said he would not again permit the use of his name in connection with the presidency, President Roosevelt may be confronted with the necessity, when he breaks camp and returns to Washington, of again stating his posi- tion in that connection. There is now a well defined belief on the part of many people that he will not refuse renomination should it be offered him by exclamation.
 Attributing to him the sincerity of purpose which led him three years ago, to announce voluntarily to the correspondents assembled at the White House his determination not to run again, it cannot fail to be both embarrassing and annoying to man of his mettle to be possibly obliged to again repeat his decision. Theodore Roosevelt is very sensitive when 1t comes to the spoken word. He has se- verely criticised several men who have shown light estimate of it. Tn many of his public speeches he has dwelt at length upon the obligation which rests upon every man to reach his con- clusions slowly and nlethodically and then to stick to them. As he would say, NY, fhof mo ch ef,, ffii of which he Is made. It should not lie in the mouth of any man to question his sincerity and he may we'll demand that he be taken at his word. The friends of Secretary Taft, whom he is credited as desiring to have succeed him in the presidential office, are manifestly proceeding on the theory or the confident belief that he is not only not candidate but that he would spurn the nomination should it be offered him. A story has been going the rounds of the press recently to the effect that Mrs. Roosevelt has made him promise that he will retire from the office at the expiration of his term of office in order that she may bring her young children up in the quiet of a private station. It is also stated that even the robust and ath- letic young President himself has found the strain more than he could bear and that if he would live to a ripe old age he must at once begin to husband his strength
 All these stories are conf1rmatory of his decision to retire from the presi- dency and yet, to be accurate and truthful, they are unsuccessful in SUD- pressing the gossip that he is less in- clined to let go as the time approaches for him to do so. For some unacount- able reason the awful doubt remains. When his son-in-law, Congressman Longworth, returned from the Ha- waiian islands he emphatically de- clared that MT. Roosevelt would not accept renomination tunless" it was made apparent that his reelection was essential to the welfare of the country and the preservation of his original policies of government This in itself was surprise coming from the source it did, because it had been taken for granted that under no con cetvabIe circumstances could the President be made to change his mind The preservation of his policies ie subject to the will of the Republican national convention. There is no mar nearer the President presumably than United States Senator Lodge oi Massachusetts. He ought to know, i anybody does, the inf1exihiHty of hi friends resolution. It is also to be ex pected that Senator Lodges son-in law is more or less in the confidence of his father-in And yet at recen gathering of Massachusetts Republi cans, Congressman Gardner, the son irl-law referred to, expressed it as hi opinion that "the Republican part, ought to nominate the same man il 1908 that was nominated in 1904. Members of the United States Senat and members of the House of Repre- sentatives who have called on tn President before he left Washington and since at his summer home hay invariably stated in public their judg ment that MT. Roosevelt should be tn nominee to succeed himself. At a re cent banquet in this city of the Youn Mems Republican Club, Congressma, N. D. Sperry of the Second Connect cut district predicted the renominatio of MT. Roosevelt and the prediction met with applause. So practically fror every room in the house of the Presi dents friends comes the uniform tes timony that he is wanted again to lea the Republican hosts. Not one word forthcoming to the contrary.
 This is obviously an embarrassin and annoying situation for the Pres dent unless he has changed his min and now feels that it is his duty { connecrate himself to the full fruito