The morning journal-courier., 1907-12-19
Thursday, December 10.
THE PRESIDENCY.

nouncement of all ambition, that Sec retary Cortelyou is not an avowed can didate, that Senator Knox assents, that Uncle Joe Cannon is still in the lime light and that Governor Hughes of New York declines to quit his job at Albany even long enough to say one thing or the other, In other words, Mir Taft will find pretty large field against him in his task of securing the necessary number of delegates to nominate.
 What will the Republicans of Con- necticut do in casting about for a fla vorite? The foremost Republican edi- tor of the State, Charles Hopkins Clark, has already declared himself unequivocally for MT, Taft, and in that he is unquestionably supported by ev- cry Yale man in the State who is eith- CT in politics or in position to aid those who are in charge of the party's affairs. Charles F. Brooker, the Connec- ticut member of the Republican national committee, is thought to be Taft man because of his friendship both for the genial secretary and the President, It is rumored that the two senators from Connecticut in the Senate of the Unit ed States will follow the example of Senators Platt and Hawley and hold themselves aloof from the contest, ex- pressing no preference. on the one hand, and, on the other, refusing u attend the convention as delegates. The five members of congress have been careful not to commit themselves, Dennst in public. The party organiza- <. alq IT @has made no effort to canvass the Yield or disclose a preference. There are many admirers in this State of Governor Hughes, whose patient, in- dustrious and effective way of doing things appeals to the Connecticut tenn perament, The mysterious CorteIyou is not man to conjure with, though there is no reason to believe that his nomination would be resented by the large corporate interests Uncle Joe Cannon has well-wishers everywhere he is so human, but we are not pre-. pared to believe that either he or Sen ator Knox would expect to find sup. porters among the delegates from this State.
 As a general proposition it would seem that the Connecticut preference would divide itself between MT. Taft and Governor Hughes very much al 1t divided itself in 1896 between MT Mckinley and Tom Reed. That is up, on the theory that Secretary Taft re mains in the Presidents cabinet, thu fearlessly and conscienuously letting the unfortunate construction now pu upon the connection between him ant the President take care of itself. Tn personal friends of MT Taft in thi State, like his personal friends every where, cannot understand the pro cess of reasoning by which the con clusion is reached that if nominate and elected it will be as MT, Roose velt's representative in office--a pres ident with delegated power only-bu the fact cannot be denied that the con nection is harmful to the Taft move ment here. Nor is it altogether opposi tion to the views and policies of tn President which accounts for thi! There is little doubt that Connect cut would cast it's electoral vote fo Roosevelt should he run again. Tn embarrassment which the Taft move ment in Connecticut is meeting to-da springs from the notion that he is nc as strong as his friends claim he is that if he were he would seize upon
 way to demonstrate his originally an power; that finally the people of Cor nectiout want to support a man wh stands on hi; own feet and uses h own head It is not clear to us ho Secretary Taft could have made
 much different speech than he di make in Ohio before he sailed for tt Orient. He was a member of tt Presidents cabinet and as such shoul have been expected to uphold tE Presidents policies; if he were oppose to them he would have resigne months ago. It is not clear to us no how he is to resign from the cabin without virtually admitting that eoes so to shake. off the depressing e feet of the connection. MT. Taft is Il
 he man to do that, if by doing so l had reason to believe the Presidel could interpret the act as one of unal preciatlon or unfriendliness. And y there remains the unfortunate and LII deserved feeling that he is hand capped by an association begun wi no presidential idea behind it and col tinllel tosthe everlasting credit of M