The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-11
THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

It is a curious fact that the inter- est excited by the political situation is i confined to what is occurring within 1 the ranks of the Republican party | It appears conceded that the Demo- cratic nomination for President will go to Mir. Bryan if he cares to again make the run Here and there frantic efforts are being made to bring other well known Democrats into the lime light, but there is no reason to be- lieve that the movement meets with encouragement from either the rank and file of that polilica! organization or from the men themselves who find with the high office under consider ation This of necessity restricts politi- cal gossip and speculation to the Re- publican candidates, Secretary Taft against q field made up of Senator Foraker of Ohio, Senator Knox of Pennsylvania. Senator LdFollcte of Wisconsin, President Fairbanks of Indiana, Governor Hughes of New York and possibly others at present parading in the raiment of dark horse.
 Tho dominating personality of Pres .dent Roosevelt adds the dramatic element to the situation, first because he is the avowed advocate of Secre- tary Taft's candidacy and second be- cause he is the active manager of it so far as appeals to the imagination of the public are concerned. He fas in no way modified the position he took on the evening of election four years ago and which he reiterated few months ago, not to permit the use of his name in connection with the nom- inftion this year, and yet his recent message has revived the discussion as to the likelihood of his clearly ex- pressed wish being overruled at the last moment. It has certainly driven the other candidates in the fsld to combine as against Mr. Taft It is because of this situation, which Is largely of his own making, for it is well known that originally MT Taft lad no aspirations for the presidency, that makes the latest utte-ance of the President politically significant Ac- cused by certain newspapers of prom thence and by politicians who have Tot succeeded in gaining his support or provoking his neutrality as between sll candidates, of using the patronage of his great office to obtain delega- tions for lis Secretary of Var, he takes up the discussion of the charge in characteristic manner. in a long letter to a convenient friend he dis poses of the insinuati,,n in a cate SOilNri ilif1ititl ilt tlHDlDNS d lFM u his characteristic adjectives, bu. as q whole 1t Is the best tempered of all his recent public docu,hents As a proposition in political morals Presi- dent Roosevelt finds the charges false and malicious"
 One cannot help but wish, if one is in particular convinced that cf all the candidates mentioned, or likely to be mentioned, Secretary Taft is the best prepared for the great office of Presi- dent. thbt President Roosevelt had acted upon his first impulse and de- clined to discuss the question in an, of it's phases. He very truly says to his correspondent that if the charge to be met was not that of office brok- ing for the benefit of Secretary Taft it would be offico broking for his own benefit; that the game of politics as played by too many lends itself easil, to misrepresentation, and that once the task of explanation is undertaken last and final word becomes iinpos. sible. This is perfectly true Very few will read the long letter the President has written and caused to he pub- l:shed, and even those who do will re- ceive no fresh impression from if Q, the probable truth of the statement that the distribution of patronage has had nothing to do with the organiz. of movement to nominate MT Taf- for the presidency Ii would have beer just as well to deny 1t offhand, fo, the moment one enters upon an ex. tensive and categorical discussion of s charge of that character one leave. the offensive and aggressive phase o ppolitics and assumes the defensiv. and persuasive phase The Journal Courier never for a moment believed that Mir. Taft would permit the us, of government patronage to advance his political interests. He is made af ter pattern which in the flesh woul
 decline even so great an office fl i did not come 10 him as consequence of popular confidence in his ability E, the same token we could rest assured