The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-16
ALL WANT ROOSEVELT General Movement On
 for Teddy. so SAYS POLITICAL GOSSIP Many Republicans Do Not Favor
 Taffs Candidacy. Senator Clapp Says if President Runs There would Not Be Ghosts
 Chance for Anyone
50 SAYS POLITICAL GOSSIP
nx ALrREn '. srorrn.

BY ALFRED !. sTOFER.
 Washington. Sept, 15--lSpeciaD-- Within the past ten days a number of well known Republicans have been in the city. Some. indeed. are among the prominent leaders in Congress. Others who have been here are not so promi- nent, but at the same time they are believed to have a pretty fair. general idea of what the people are saying in their respective States regarding their preferences as to the Republican Presidential nomination next year. In spite of the fact that MT Roosevelt on the night of the national election in 1904, issued such a positive state- ment that he would not again be a candidate for the highest office with in the gift of the American people, and on several occasions since, has taken special pains to retterate that he meant what he said. there seems to be a determined attempt on the part of most of the recent visitors to the capital city to literally force another nomination upon the present occupant of the White House,-make him run whether he wants to or not.
 Although far in advance of the meet ing of the nominating convention, much figuring has already been done with view of ascertafning if 1t Is possible to break up what some of the politicians call the administration combination. Secretary Taft Is commonly accepted as the choice of the President, and the situation at this writing, from what the political fore casters say. and his friends claim #, is the field against the Secretary or War. But with scarcely an exceptiCef recent visitors from what is known as the section beyond the Missouri river, are talking Roosevelt just 4aS if the President had not stated he was out of the reckoning and the impression spread abroad in the land that Taft is the favored one uf the administra- tion. All through the Northwest. also this strong Roosevelt sentiment is re- flected by the Senators and Raprasentav, lives who have recently been in Wash ington. and who are dropping into town nearly every day on their return from Europe or the Eastern summer resorts
 Sentiment in south.
 The sentiment in. the Southern states certainly in the far Southern ones-- is apparently along the same lines. It has been figured out by several of the politicians that if Judge Taft real ly is the administration candidate, and the President intends to stand rigtdly by his declaration on the night of. the last election, that the number of dele-, gates from the Southern States to- gether with those in the far West and those that can be picked up in the Northwest and in the Territories, much more than a majority of the conven- tion can be marshalled for Taft, and it would not be necessary to rely upon delegate from a single State North Of Mason and Dixon's line. Secretary Taft, it is admitted. must have the Ohio delegation behind him, or his goose will be cooked early in the action. Most of the Buckeye State Republicans who have been here this month, from Governor Harris down, claim beyond any doubt that Taft will have not the slightest difficulty in securing an earn est and practically solid indorsement in Ohio. The Buckeye, fellows don't talk Roosevelt in the background as do so many of the Republicans from the Northwest and the far West. Real ly most of the men from away out West laugh at the idea of Taft being serious ly considered. They insist that the States from Kansas City clear on to the Pacific ocean Is simply hilarious for Roosevelt that they will demand his nomination, he will yield when the proper pressure Is applied, and the balance of the candidates will not know they were in the running after the convention completes It's work next June.
 
 Roosevelt" is the way United States Senator Moses Edwin Clapp, of Minne- sota, sees the situation out in his neck of the woods Mir Clapp reluctantly ad- mits that If President Roosevelt will not stand again for the nomination that Secretary Taft has a number of friends in the Northwest who would like to have him brought out, but his enthusiasm for the Ohio statesman ev- idently is not bubbling over, and the knowing ones who have talked with the Senator understand him to mean that If MT. Roosevelt cannot be induced to have a nomination showed on him, the delegates out Minnesota way may bn divided up among Candidates Can non, Knox, Fairbanks Hughes or any dark horses liable to be trotted out be- tween now and the gathering of the delegates to fix up the ticket.
 'sWhat our Republicans want" Sena- tor Clapp emphasizes. ts Roosevelt, and if the President should give even the slightest hint that he would not be offended if his friends began actively to press this matter upon the country, there would not be the ghost of a chance for any other living American. No other name would be mentioned In the convention, and in the election the Republicans of the Northwest believe that the popular vote that would be east for MT Roosevelt would exceed anything in the history of the United States"
 The PresIdents candidate.
 Senator Curtis of Kansas comes out plainly and calls Secretary Taft "the Presidents candidate" Out in his state he declares that the Taft sentiment is so strong that the delegation to the next convention will be for him. It will be observed that Mir. Curtis has little or nothing to remark on the strength of Mir. Taft himself but is dis posed rather to dwell upon the fact that Kansans favors him because he Is supposed to be thoroughly committed to the policies and further aims of the Roosevelt administration.
 Tie foregoing are fair samples of the opinions of Republican Senators and Representatives Other people who are not in Congress, who have been in Washington this week, talk practically along the same lines For instance there is A. M Stevenson, member of the National Republican Committee