The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-06-12
TAFT BOOM
IS GROWING
0hiO's Flop Encourages Friends
of the Secretary of
War.
(Mail Special to the Advertiser

his man virtually named within tn
next few months. Has the Republican
party an absolute dictator and is it go
ing to happen that the President of tnt
United States can easily name his sue
| cessor?
The flop in Ohio has stirred this, the
great political city of ali the world
profoundly. The President heard day
| or two in advance that Boss Cox OF
Cincinnati was coming out in a strong
Taft declaration. Only short time
ago Cox declared against any primaries
in connection with the municipal elec.
tions, which was interpreted as a pro
Foraker statement But they play
politics cleverly in Ohio and it seems
that the whole activity behind the
scenes in Ohio for quite time has
been to bring out Taft for President,
Foraker for reelection to the Senate,
and Harris for reelection as Governor.
President Roosevelt and Secretary
Taft have been very stoutly opposed to
any Foraker alliance, but Ohio's Re-
publican politicians seem to have over
ruled them. There have been two or
three reasons for this opposition atti-
tude. One is that President Roosevelt
bitterly hates Senator Foraker, for hav-
ing dared to vigorously disagree with
hon no thox
risen to eminence, President Roosevelt
does not brook interference with his
plans. The President has been very
anxious to crush Foraker and in his
anxiety to crush him came near to
making an open breach in his party, for
there are numerous influential Repub-
icans outside of Ohio who have re-
sented the President s program in that
regard. Influential Senators who have
voice in the selection of National
Convention delegates decided that they
would fight unless Senator Foraker
could have square deal.
But there has been still another po
tent reason with President Roosevelt
and Secretary Taft for opposing a For
aker alliance. They think an alliance
with the Republican machine will not
be entirely popular in Ohio and they
also believe that Senator Foraker has
powerful enemies within the Republican
party who will try to defeat him by
electing a Democratic legislature next
year Secretary Taft himself as on the
whole rather doubtful of the ability of
the Republicans to carry Ohio. next
year, because of hostile attitude
among large number of the city vot-
ers. They are at outs with the Repub-
lican machine and also dislike Senator
Foraker for one cause or another.
Whether Secretary Taft likes it or
not his friends and ieutenants have
gone ahead and arranged the deal in
Ohio which now seems to assure him
the fortysix delegates from that State
to the next National Convention. They
are not worrying much about what
Ohio will do when it comes to voting
in November, 1908, because they be-
lieve Republicans viii eventually all
get together and support the regular
candidates. They are much more con
cerned about giving his boom good
start in other States and the endorse
ment of Ohio, which is apparently as
sured by the movement made in Gin
cinnati, will undoubtedly encourage
other States to get into line. Repre-
sentative Theodore E. Burton, of Cleve-
land, Ohio, who was here a few days
ago, dwelt upon the Importance of an
early endorsement in Buckeyedom to
further the crystallization of Taft sem
timent elsewhere.
With Ohio all harmony, the Taft
boomers will take up the fight in many
States and try to pile up formidable
column of delegates. This easily
makes Secretary Taft the most prom
inent Republican Presidential candidate
to date, but the Knox boom, the Fair
banks boom and the Cannon boom will
all be ready to try titles with the
Ohioan. 1t may be months before there
are decisive developments, and yet the
Taft supporters now have some tangi-
BILE argument to advance and they will
naturally do their best at vote dicker-
ing. A few States will readily come
into the Taft fold-States that can be
bossed from the White House. Kansas.
Minnesota and the Dakotas can proba-
bly, be put in that class without doing
any of them an injustice, and probably
there are even more, possibly Iowa,
Wisconsin and Michigan.
THE WORK IN THE SOUTH.
For the present the big fight will
likely be in the South, for the Fair
banks boom has made considerable
headway in that section. AS has been
told, the President is moving heaven
and earth to get the South into line
for his enthusiastically Taft-but has
not made appreciate headway vet. A
hard tight is likely soon for Kentucky.
as the Taft men will want an andorSa