Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-03-03
If Secretary Does Not Win Nom
inalion, Republicans Will
Be at Sea
ROOT is A POSSIBILITY
Secretary of State Once the Roosevelt
Favorite and Would Be Acceptable to
Presidents Supporters-Taft Sup
porters Declare He Will Win in Early
BaIlotin0.

Washington, March 3.--lf not Taft
who?
That Is the favorite question these
days among politicians at the nation
al capital The question is not asked
of course. by supporters OF Secretary
Taft. They still insist that the big
war chief will be nominated on the
first ballot and that to speculate as TO
another would be a foolish waste Oh
time. 1t is equally matter of course
that the anti-Taft people do not con-
cede that the secretary Will be nom
mated on the first ballot, or on any
other ballot, but there is no one of the
contending candidates who is regarded
as having a lead over the rest Of the
field.
Returns from all over the country
Indicate that II Secretary Taft doesn't
go into the convention with enough
votes to nominate him he will have
enough pledged delegates to place
him in very commanding position
Should the other candidates be able TO
hold enough votes to prevent the NOM
ination of Taft, there would have to be
agreement of some sort in order TO
make possible the nomination OF one OF
their number. A good many people be-
lieve such an agreement Is imposslple
and that If Taft fails the nomination
will go to some man not now reckoneu
in the race. In support of this the
DRY they have precedents in the con-
vention of 1876, which nominated
Hayes; in the convention of 1880,
which nominated Garfield, and in the
convention of 1885, which nominated
Harrison. There was no thought or
nominating Hayes, Garfield or Harri-
son when the respective conventions
met.
1t also would be a waste of time to
speculate as to who in such a situa-
ton, the dark horse" would be, but
there are a good many republicans In
public life who are thoroughly con-
WINGED the available presidential timber
has not been exhausted in the men
now recognized as aspirants for the
nomination. Simply because a man has
not been put forward for the president,
argues nothing against the possibility
of his nomination.
Secretary Cortelyou is often re-
ferred to as likely dark-horse can
didate, but there is no apparent rea-
son why he should be regarded as
more likely than, for instance, Elihu
Root. also a member of the cabinet and
fellow New Yorker Suppose the
convention We're in a deadlock and the
New York delegation, deciding that
Hughes could not be nomin"t"d should
cast it's vote for Root. There isn't
any doubt that the secretary of STATE
would Immediately become a factor in
the situation. On the next ballot,
We're the Taft fight given up as hope
less and should the Taft delegates or q
considerable number of them vote for
Root, a stampede would be imminently
possible.
The use of Roots name here as an
illustration was merely a chance. but
come to think of 1t the secretary of
state was President Roosevelt's orig
inal choice for the succession and
there is no reason to believe that he
would not still like to see Root NOM
mated, should it develop that Taft
could not be.
There has been lot of specula-
ton as to what would become of the
Taft delegates should it develop that
the war secretary could not win. With
the Taft strength swung to him. there
would be a good chance that Root
could carry off the prize. He is popu-
lar with and would be acceptable to
a good many men and interests that
are antagonistic to Roosevelt and to
Taft because of Roosevelts support of
the Ohio man. Should Root be NOM
mated and We're the president to say it
was all right, placing the stamp of
administration approval upon him. the
pro-Roosevelt wing Of the party could
not do other than cheerfully accept the
nominee. You'd better keep an eye
on Root, therefore. should you hear
about serious deadlock in the con-
vention at Chicago
Among United States senator's what
woulg be the matter as Ozark horses"
with such men as Crane, Of Massa-
chusetts; Elkins, of West Virginia.
Hale, of Maine; or any one of several
others, all of presidential caliber so
far as regards ability. Among the re-
publican governors of states there is
no dearth of material. For example,
there is Fort, of New Jersey, whom
Roosevelt is said to want for second
place on the ticket. There is visible
this year just as much reason why
Fort should he nominated as there
was early in 1875 why the nomination
should go to Governor Hayes of Ohio.
Then there is the present governor OF
Ohio, Harris, who is said to be slated
for the senate as the successor of For
aker Harris would seem to have as
much call on the nomination as had
his nredacaSSnr in that office nearlv