The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-04-04
Foraker in Adroit Move.

Secretary Taft that Senator Foraker
has made an adroit political move.
He issued his statement when his
two principal opponents were upon
the high seas. At time when the
people of the country favor primaries,
he has secured an advantage conse-
quent upon an appeal to this method
for determining popular choice He
will arrange for primaries to be held
at the same time that the municipal
and township elections occur and
when delegates to the convention to
nominate candidates for state offices
will be chosen.
Controlling the state machine
through Senator Dick, Mr.. Foraker
will be able to exert a great deal of
influence upon the balloting for dele
gates who will decide the questions
of the presidential candidate and the
senatorship. 1t will be a great ad-
vantage to the senator that the di-
rect vote will not be registered upon
these questions and that ballots will
be cast for delegates to the conven-
ton which will nominate, and every
one now recognizes that there is no
shrewder manipulator of conventions
than Senator Foraker.
The senator anticipated this criti-
cism, and insists there is nothing in
it. In his judgment it is the only
course possible under the law as it
now stands. From his point of view
the method is just as good as if the
voters passed directly upon his name
or that of Taft and Burton at the
polls, because the delegates for whom
they will vote will represent either
his interest or that of Taft or that of
Burton
Senator Foraker understands full
well that anything he ma. do will
not be liked by Secretary Taft and
his supporters, and for this reason he
lis giving absolutely no consideration
whatever to anything but his own
plans. He feels he has been baited
for a long time, and that it is neces-
sary now for him to assert himself.
He attributed reports that he was 10
be candidate to his political enemies
who wanted to force his hand, and
he concluded that it would be wise
for him to come out into the open.
where everybody could see what he
was doing and invite his opponents %
do the same
He has no intention to withdraw,
but proposes to stick to every line
of his declaration and to fight to the
bitter end He is confident that his
constituents will stand by him, and
that they will resent what he con-
siders an attempt of the president to
dictate to the country his own sue
cessor in the White house and SEN
ator Foraker's successor in the sem
ate.
He has asserted that he has no ma
chine, no money, and no campaign
manager; and that he will go into the
fight with bare hands, ready to ex-
plain to his constituents the reasons
which have induced him to take the
course he has in railroad and corpor-
alton matters, and in the Browns.
vile affair He claims still to have
something UP his sleeve in connection
with the Brownsville incident which
will show that President Roosevelt
was absolutely wrong in dismissing
the three companies of the Twenty
fifth infantry from the military SER
vice. The president is not at all con-
cerned over the threatened exposure.
because he does not believe Senator
Foraker has been able to obtain a
scintilla of evidence which proves
that he was not justified in doing
|exactly what he did.