Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-07
WANT TO BE PRESIDENT

The fight Is already on for the com
ing Republican presidential nominal
tion, though the convention is more
than year away. Foraker, the Ohio
fire ALARM" has shied his castor into
the ring and has both dukes" up
ready to defend It against all comers
Championship Of the negro is his war
cry; that and opposition to Roosevelt
whom he hates with a deep and VEN
omous rancor.
Opposing him is cupid" Taft, the
rotund pacificator, supporter Of the big
stick and quasher Of wars and rumors
Of wars. Taft is looked upon as the
Roosevelt heir apparent, the official
mantle holder and as such is decidedly
persona non grata to Foraker and the
Ohio machine, which Foraker owns and
runs. Taft's platform is a good natured
'let well enough alone" sort; he be-
lieves in carrying out the Roosevelt
policies, being too fat and lazy to or
iginate his own. Between Taft and
Foraker exists a hatred to which that
felt by the devil for holy water is a
mild and gentle love.
Down east again bobs up Ellhu Root.
the especial pet Of the corporations in
the cabinet. Root is saying little; he
doesn't have to use his mouth; money
talks and speaks in no mistakable
tones. Flanking Root is Philander
Knox, another corporationist of tried
and true faith, Pennsylvania favorite
son since Matt Quay died. Knox would
like to swap the toga for the crown; he
is no Caesar to put it away even for
effect. Knox is utterly unknown to the
country at large, but to Pennsylvania
he Is at"
Looming up far above any in physi-
cal altitude is Fairbanks of Indiana,
the human icicle of the Wabash, now
so close to the white light that he has
to take but one step to be in its glare
yet that step has been taken by elec-
ton by no man in half a century. Fair
banks is so cold that ice melts in his
vicinity from very envy, and were he
to head an expedition to Panama the
canal zone would freeze soliG in day.
And then there is Cortelyou, the fat
fryer. There is little chance for Cortel-
you to head the ticket; he is too badly
needed to extract the sinews of war
from tariff-fed trusts. Cortelyou would
like the job of swaying a nations des-
TIMES, but he can't be spared.
AS for Bonaparte, Jimmy Garfield,
Penrose, Aldrich, La Toilette and a
score more, they are merelJ hangers on
the outskirts of the crowd. They bow
and scrape and truckle, but they are
only of the hoi-polloi.
There is still to be considered the
mighty T. R. himself. Will he run
again? Undoubtedly, if he sees victory
clear. But he has said he wouldn't!
All! What are pledges to president
whose favorite expression in defense of
his own duplicity is You're a liar!"
Roosevelt will run if he sees a chance
to win, and that may be accepted as
final.
In the midst of all this crush of can
didates and warfare of aspirants. how
calm and serene Democracy sits. She
has no internal strife, no fights and
quarrels, no chickering's and secret knit
ings. She keeps her own counsel and
smiles. Her leader is chosen her cam
didate is named; she will hold a con-
vention next year and nominate him
unanimously, and while the Republi-
can factionists are stabbing one an
other in the back she will quietly seat
William Jennings Bryan in the chair
of state.