The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-11-16
PRESIDENTIAL B0OMS.

Although it is months before any national con-
ventlon to nominate the presidential candidates
a number of so-called booms have been worked I'D
Some of them doomed brilliantly for a moment on
the political horizon, and then waned into insight
icanee. There is no lesson in American politics
more forceful than that which history teaches that
presidential boom is a very uncertain quantity.
boom springs up somewhere, grand and lumi1-
ous 1t grows strong and then is suddenly lost in
obseurity. Sometimes it hobs up serenelv after it
has been lost for awhile, and captures the prize at
the conventions And again, the victor in the
convention may have been saved the distinction of
ever having enjoyed BOOM
In the Democratic ranks for a good while there
has been only one consistent and persistent boom.
although that has been the subject of many obit-
uary notices by the natural enemies of the De-
moeracy. Mr.. Bryan and his boom have suffered no
serious shrinkage the result of these ante-mortem
notices, and so far no political luninary has ap-
peared to bedim the luster of the candidate or his
boom. Mr.. Bryan seems to pursue the even tenor
OF his way, and the boom grows in aggressiveness
and conquering strength as the days and months
go on.
In the ranks of the Republicans there are now
some five or six high-cass booms on That of Mr.
Fairbanks, the genial Hoosier vice president seems
to have suffered an eclipse between few cups of
buttermilk and cocktails-or was it highbaIs2-
and from the rosy heights to which it attained
shortly after the gallant rescue of the drowning
girl In the Yellowstone park has dwindled to almost
nothlngness. Then came Mr.. Taft's boom. with the
presidential Endorsement This boom for a time
looked as big and formidable as the secretary of
war himself, but it suffered too, maybe because of
the uncertainty of the Ohio political situation.
maybe because of the open support of President
Roosevelt. AT any rate, the boom is undeniablv
less formidable in appearance since Mr. Tafts
speech saying he expected to return to the Philip
pines as private citizen two years hence. "UncIe
joe Cannon has an incipient boom on which has
net with more than local favor and Mr. Corteyou.
since ne saved the day in Wall street. has been
mentioned" Notwithstanding President Roose-
7elts repeated assertion that he is not candidate
% succeed himself, his boom is perennial and en-
'arrassing to others. Governor Hughes of New
ork is likewise suffering with boom. not very
peetacular, but calm and masterful. If he Is
eeking the presidency he is making strong bluff
hat the presidency is seeking him, and, by the
way, the presidency could find far less suitable
men than the governor of the Empire state
So the booms are on, and they are changing in
elative strength as the days go by Nobody seems
o know where they all originate. and casual OBJ
ervation of the outcome of booms in previous
'ears makes any prophecy as to the result mere
,uess work. 1t has frequently happened that the
dark horse" candidate who never had a boom at all
evelops an imposing array of strength at con7en-
ions, and not only wins the nomination but is
lected In these days of political cheanery. boom5
re of small value as presaging the action of ma
ional conventions. Unhappiy the best men some
ines lose out, and the machines secure figure
cad whose election guarantees to the members Of
ne machine that pliancy which they so surely need
} perpetuate themselves as a force in the affairs
the government and the people.