The National tribune., 1907-11-14
THE POLITICAL HORIZON
Continued from page one.)

year. The State has been growing more
Democratic every year. because of the
increasing Democratic vote in New
York City.
Some of the Roosevelt politicians
from New York were coming down here
for conference. but the matter was so
widely advertised and SO generally COM
mented upon that it was abandoned. 1t
IS claimed with apparent reason that
the President cannot long defer action
in New York. for a determination there
as to whom the delegates shall support
is likely to be very decisive. If he can
prevent instructions for Gov Hughes
he will gain a big point.
1t is far from probable that the Pres
ident will desert the Taft boom till he
is very certain that the case is hopeless
He could not. in good faith, desert IL
TIL Secretary Taft has returned, for it
is well understood that the Secretary
put on the harness reluctantly. and only
after there had been very specific un-
derstanding between him and the Pres
ident. The Secretary will be back in
Washington late in December. Soon
after he lands he will have an extended
talk at the White House, when the sit
uation will be thoroly canyassed. If
the President decides that it is going
to be impossible to nominate his Secre-
tary Of War. he might eventually take
W
tary of the Treasury Cortelyou, or pos
sibly Senator Knox. But if he does this
1t Will be after Secretary Taft gets back.
looks over his struggling columns and
agrees with the President that the time
has come when the campaign in his be-
half should be abandoned
The Movement to CorteIyou.
1t is thought In some quarters that
the President will try to use Secretary
Cortelyou to defeat Hughes's instruc-
tons In New York. Secretary Root is
regarded as out Of the question. AS a
matter of fact, while strenuous denials
continue In official circles, there is good
reason for believing that before many
months, probably some time next
Spring, Secretary Root will retire from
the Cabinet and Assistant Secretary
Robert Bacon will De named in his
stead. He would be of no avail as an
Administration candidate in New York
II the President should take Secretary
Cortelyou up he would be joining with
a coterie of influential Republicans who
are booming Mr.. Cortelyou in the hope
of thereby embarrassing the Presidents
efforts to nominate Secretary Taft A
move to Cortelyou might therefore en-
barrass the President greatly, and be
interpreted as sign that he was throw
ing up his hands.
No Fafucuiar meaning In the Elections.
The elections last week gave little en-
couragement to either party. because it
was difficult to perceive any particular
drift of sentiment one way or another
The President issued statement that
the results were very gratifying to him.
because the Republicans carried New
Jersey by as big a majority as they did
in the middle of President McKinley's
Administration, that they won in Ken
tucky and in Brooklyn and scored tre-
mendously in Massachusetts,. Never
theless, Republican politicians in Wash
ington got very little comfort out of
the New Jersey result, as it is evident
the Democrats would have elected their
State ticket but for trade that a
Democratic boss made in Jersey City for
the purpose of defeating a popular Re-
publican Mayor. In Massachusetts, the
Republicans polled comparatively
small vote, but the ticket had a tremen-
dous plurality. because the Democratic
vote was split.
In that State the Democratic Party
has been wiped out as one of the two
big parties, the Independence League,
backed by w. r. Hearst. having polled