New-York tribune., 1907-07-31

There can be no dispute among reasonable
men over the significance and propriety Of the
Endorsement by the Ohio Republican State Com
mittee of Secretary William II. Taft's candidacy
for the Republican Presidential nomination.
The committee had perfect right to put on
record its approval Of Mr.. TaftS aspirations
and TO ask to have that approval accepted at its
face value both inside and outside the state.
No one pretendS that the committees action is
more than suggestive and advisory in effect.
1t does not and can not bind the Republican vot-
erS or the delegates to the next Republican
national convention. Those delegates cannot be
elected until after the call for the convention
has been issued and the call if ii follows prece-
dent, will prescribe that Of Ohio's fOrty-six del
eGateS four shall be selected by state conven-
tion and fOrty-two shall be elected from the
twenty-One Congress districts In the same man
ner in which nominees for Congress are chosen.
Senator Foraker is right in saying that the state
committee cannot dispose in advance of OhO'S
vote in the national convention. No Repub-
lican's rights Will. therefore, he impaired by
Yesterdays Endorsement, since the way is still
open to Mr.. Foraker or any one else to ask and
secure state primary or to make 4 contest for
delegates in the various conventions which have
the power To elect.
The vote at Columbus is. however. politically
significant in that it indicates the unmistakable
VI
state committee was elected year ago by dele
gates 10 state convention which by a large ma
iority sustained the leadership of Senator's For
aker and Dick and refused to rcbuke them. even
by indirecton. for their attempts 10 defeat Ger
tain policies of the Roosevelt administration.
The committee was a ForakerDcb committee,
and when the TWO Senators announced last
spring their joint opposition 10 Mr.. Tafts cand-
dacy their control OF that body was supposed TO
give them a marked advantage Of position The
Tribune has repeatedly expressed the opinion
that Senator Foraker in warning on the railroad
rate hill and Senator Dick in helping to Stran-
gle the Philippine tariff bill gravely misrepre-
sented Republican sentiment in Ohio We We're
confident that on a direct issue between them
and thoroughgong advocate of the admins
tration'S policies like Secretary Taft they would
be decisively beaten This conviction has been
sustained by the course of events since the an
nouncement Of Mr. Tafts candidacy and their
accompanying declaration Of hostlities. Pub
lie sentiment i'll Mr.. Tafts favor has proved so
strong that nearly every county committee has
declared for him and against the Senator's and
the state committee has also thought it
wise to show its accord with the wishes of the
voters and at the same time has expressed
its depreciation Of any further talk Of elm
mating the two Senators from public life.
This latter action, however, is not regarded
as friendly by the Senators. The state or
ganization has given Mr. Taft, SO far as lies
in its power the assurance Of its assistance
and support, and his friends can now extend
their activities in his behalf to other states, Sc
cure from any serious threat Of domestic perils
or annoyance
Senator Foraker in recent letter has indi-
Gated that he Will continue his fight against Mr..
Taft At the same time he has sought TO put
that fight on a new basis. 1t is rather aston
ishing to find him saying:
To-day there is a wide difference Of opinion
among Republicans on question of the most
vital character. The question refer TO is not
the regulation Of trusts. railroads and interstate
commerce. GbOWt tChich ire are all united, but
the tariff question.
1t is certainly news that Mr.. Foraker is in
complete harmony with Republican sentiment
on the question of railroad regulation, since only
the other day he was telling Chautauqua audi
ence that the Hepburn bill a fraud and a
failure and declaring his belief that govern
ments should interfere as little as possible with
either public service corporations or individ-
ualS As TO the tariff he says that some of Mr..
Taft's supporters want Immediate revision
meaning possibly revision in 1909, since no one
wants revision before that. Mr.. Foraker himself
thinks that revision may be desirable, but he
does aot want 10 have it come too soon-nOt,
perhaps before 1910 or 1911. This is the most
vital difference which he VIII press nome on
the Ohio voters and which he expects to use to
check and discredt the Taft canvass. There
are differences which seem vital, but are not
vital and the Ohio Republicans will hardly let
their blood curdle over the issue whether a
friendly revision Of the tariff Shall be under
taken in 1909 or, by preference, u 1910, 1911 or
1872 On this, the more generally recog-
nized differences between the Senator's and
the Secretary, have no doubt where the
great majority of the Republican voters in Ohio
will be found
NOODLLMLSi ~ PARKS.