Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-20
FORAKER AFTER TAFT

| FOkhkEk All Eh All
The great thorn in the flesh of Presi-
dent Roosevelt right now is the Hon.
Joseph Benson Foraker, senator from
Ohia, yclept in the olden days Fire
Alarm" Foraker. And Mr.. Foraker is
considerably more of q thorn than
would be supposed at casual glance.
The immediate cause of Mr.. For
aker's pricking of the Roosevelt hide
is the summary discharge of bat
talon of the Twenty-fifth infantry
negroes-because some of them would
not tell on their comrades in arms as
| to the Brownsville (Tex.) shooting.
Mr.. Foraker insists upon penetrating
the flesh of the president with the as
sertion that his act was one of rank
injustice, and the barb doesn't sting
the less because Mr.. Foraker always
couples his shafts with the announce
ment of the Rooseveltian fondness for
the man Of color, as exemplified by his
patronage of Booker Washington and
others. All of which is nuts to For
aker but is an incessant worry to the
president, who knows in his heart that
he made a fool Of himself in his action
regarding the negro soldiers, and that
he has put himself into a hole out of
which he cannot wiggle with any de-
gree of grace and credit whatever.
But this Brownsville affair is really
only means to an end in the Foraker
onslaught on. Roosevelt. The actual
animus lies deeper.
1t is pretty we'll understood by this
time that Roosevelt has been grooming
Secretary Taft as the successor to the
Roosevelt mantle in the White House.
Taft represents Roosevelt's ideas, has
! figured largely in his plans and can be
depended upon to carry out the Roose-
veltian schemes which have so fire.
quently set the country in buzz.
Also, Taft has a measure of political
independence, which is gall and worm
wood to so hide-bound a party factor
as Foraker.
! Now, Foraker doesn't want Taft in
the White House. 1t is hardly proba-
! BILE that Foraker will go there himself
possibly he may want to, but he can
scarcely see any chance for his desires
to mature. But he especially doesn't
want Taft there. Taft committed
party treachery, right in Ohio, the ma
tive state of both Foraker and himself;
he went in there and made speeches
against Boss Cox of Cincinnati, very
important cogwheel of the Republican
which is the Foraker-machine And
Mr.. Cox was thrown so badly out OF
gear that he dropped to the bottom OF
the engine pit, useless, and the conse-
quent breakdown badly smashed the
Foraker running apparatus, Therefore
Taft is persona non grata to JOSEPH
Benson, very particularly non grata
and it would be like rubbing salt in
fresh wounds to have Taft nominated
when Taft comes from Foraker's owr
state.
Therefore does Foraker worry Roose-
velt he is Taft's sponsor. He will con-
tinue to worry Roosevelt for days tc
come He will never let a chance es-
!
palaver, but Foraker will sulk in his
tent, and tomahawk at every oppor-
tunity.
All of which doesn't look very au.
spicious for Mr.. Taft-for Foraker, as
head of the machine, will undoubtedly
be able to deliver the Ohio delegation
in the national Republican convention
and it will not be for Taft, one may
be sure.
The negro discharge affair is merel!
on excuse, therefore, for Foraker to jal
Roosevelt beneath the fifth rib. For
aker is no lover of the negro-excep
as a political chattel. He isn't cham
pioning the black man as friend anC
brother. He is merely using hin
again, as every Republican always hai
used him, as the monkey to pull politi
cal chestnuts from the fire. And ii
this case Taft is playing the part o
the chestnut.