The Washington times., 1907-12-12
Resolution Hopeless.

I De passed.
Resolution Hopeless.
Representative Overstreet. who is one
/ OF Speaker Cannon's most trusted lieu
tenants, said a day or two ago the reso-
luton stood no show whatever of pass
/ Ing. and Speaker Cannon. when he let
/ the White House after a long confer
ence yesterday. asserted that he at
tached no Importance to the Clayton
resolution and had no reason to suppose
the President did. Close analysis OF the
situation on the whole leads 10 the be-
/ lief that the causes for the President S
action lie deeper than the Clayton reso-
/ luton.
one factor that led the President TO HIS
conclusion undoubtedly was that he had
grown weary OF the constant hammer
! ing he was given in Connection with the
financial situation He felt this criti-
clsm keenly. and also felt deeply the
gibes 10 the effect that all that was
needed to have the financial skies
brighten was a tnird-term renuneiatiOn
finally and formally by himself
Holds Conference.
The President did not act last night
without consulting others. He talked
over the third-term question with
| Speaker Cannon. Postmaster General
Meyer, Frank Hitchcock, and others.
| John Sharp Williams, minority leader.
saw the President. and told him there
was strong demand for action on the
| Clayton resolutions. and that the minor
| ity would finS a way 10 get Il voted on.
| II is this fact that is cited by the be-
| lieveIs in the idea that the President
| feared the Clayton resolution as the
4 basis for the idea that il brought forth
/ last nights statement.
! The st.ergth Of Governor Hughes. 10
/ whom the President seemed unaltccably
! opposed. and the weakn ess OF Secretary
/ Taft, to whom the President was COM
mitJed. are two additional factors
| largely credited with forcing the hand
/ Of the Chief Executive.
/ The Presidents feud with Governor
| Hughes has been recognized for months
as the greatest political weakness of
/ mis- situation. It has been increasingly
| evident that the effort TO take the Eni-
/ pire State delegation from Hughes must
/ fail. Without that delegation. TAFT
must be opposed by a man who has
/ been growing strong all Over the COun-
1 try at an astonishing rate.
| With New York. Hughes has been ex-
| peCted to get New England. New Jer-
| sey. Delaware, and ultimately. after tho
proper compliment TO Knox. Pennsyl-
vania. All this would not necessarily
] have assured Hughes nomination, II
| the President could have held the South
and West
Hughes Gains in West.
HCghes has developed more strength
in the west than Taft. while in the
| South 1t has ben for weeks increasing
| ly apparent that he Presidents name
was being used by Cortelyou in order
/ to get delegates for Cortelyou himself.
| 10 tie disadvantage Of Taft ami also
OF tbs Presidents general design OF
] contrc ling the convention.
There is no doubt in the minds OF
/ people most intimate with the
White House attitude Of mind in the
/ last week, that the announcement OF
/ last night represented a remarkable
/ and sudden Cnange Of purpose The
/ President mas said that there would
| of course. be in the neXt month or two,
| constant repetiticns CT the perform
| ance of casual callers ieaving the White
! House to say that the President had
! finally ard conclusively assured them
| he would under no circumstances run
! again.
The President made very clear that
| nc attention need be paid to Eny such
! statements, and left his visitors with
the impression that for a month, ard
probably two, no statement about third
| term would come from him.
| The affect on the general situation Is
| not clear in many minds as yet. Polfti-
J cal Washington was stunned when It
]
| pressions made today, a few things are
| pretty clear.
! One is that the Hughes strength was
breaking down the Roosevelt hold on
/ the progressive element OF the party.
! Another is that the Taft weakness and
| the uncertainty about the President S
own intentions were chiefly responsible
1 for the anti-Adn1inistlation forces get
| ting control of lhe national committed
at the meeting lasS week This last de-
velopment was a serious blow to efforts
at Roosevelt control Of the national con-
vention. IL was minimized IN the COM
ment which was indulged by followers
OF the Administration, but efforts to be-
little ii had little convincing effect.
Administration Deserted.
The truth is that politicians-the mer
who want TO be on the bandwagon, and
whose greatest concern is to--land with
the winner-have been deserting the Ad-
| ministration standard from the hour
It became certain that the President
had lost control CT the national commit
tee. Apparently the President stood to
lose if he made fight for control The
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