The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-07-02
THE REPUBLICAN
".s-~s CHAIRMAN.
Bitter Fight Between Hitchcock and
vcrys-Many Competitors for the
Honor-A troublesome Question for
Taft.

been occupying the big chair at the
War Department head desk for few
hoars.@He- has also been occupying the
big chair around the political councii
table But in two or three days he VIII
move the chair and the council taDle
into the Virginia mountains, where he
is to play golf and rusticate generally
and get up muscle for the big campaign
fray.
The politicians followed him hithcr.
He had hardly pulled into town from
New Haven, where he spent several
days at the Yale commencement, and
from Oyster Bay, where he conferred
with the President, before the politi-
clans were also alighting from the
trains. They were chiefly men he want
ed to see and talk with, however, and
so his days here this week have been
filled with parleys.
While the skies certainly are bright
for big Bill" the nominee, one thing
is greatly distressing him. That is the
choice of q Chairman of the Republican
National Committee. Several men want
il whom the Secretary does not want.
Butthe men the Secretary wants do not
want it. Involved in the situation is a
bitter quarrel between some of the Sec
retary's best friends and lieutenantS.
He has literally been sitting up o nights
trying to find some way out of the trou-
blesome situation.
A Big Ohio Quarrel.
A big Ohio quarrel is the most i'm
portant complication in that connec-
ton. Arthur I. Vorys, who has been
the Secretarys Ohio manager, and ex-
Assistant Postmaster-GeneralF Frank IA.
Hitchcock, the Secretarys Washington
manager, do not speak as they pass by.
Furthermore, they say the most unklnd
things about one another. There was
an idea that the Secretary had 1t in
mind to chose Mr.. Hitchcock for his
manager, altho that was never fully
demonstrated. Anyhow, Mr.. Vorys and
his Ohio friends, who are hungry for
Federal patronage, and want the upper
hand in dispensing it, once Big Bill,
the nominee, is elected President, start
ed the bitterest kind of fight on Hitch
cock. 1t seems that they have enlisted
the sympathy TO some extent of the
Secretary's half-brother, eX-Representa-
live Charles P. Taft. He may not have
wanted vorys for Chairman exactly, but
he joined in the Ohio chorus against
Hitchcock There have been many
filings at the expense of Ohio and Ohio
ans in this connectinn. There is said TO
be the widest sort of a scramble among
the new directors of the Republican
machine in Ohio to maintain themselves
against the Forakerites.
l.
Col. Harry New, the present Chairman
of the committee. has no love for the
man whom many enthusiastic news
paper writer's have been describing as
the young political Napoleon. OF course.
Col. New would like to continue as
Chairman and manage the campaign
He is credited with having some expert
ence in practical politics, but does not
seem to be the man that Secretary Taft
wants He hates Mr.. Hitchcock, how
ever, quite as cordially as Mr.. Vorys
hates him. Then there is Secretary Ell
mer Dover, of the National Committee,
an old Ohio boy. and the right bower OF
the late Senator Mark Hanna. The
National Committee at Chicago elected
Mr.. Dover as Secretary of the commit
tee for another term. Mr.. Dover is an
amiable as well as a capable man at
politics, and never had any particular
uurrel before with anybody who doomed
into prominence in the conduct OF Re-
publican campaigns. But MIR. Dover,
too. dislikes Mr.. Hitchcock most in
tensely and threatens to resign from his
Secretaryship if Mr.. Hitchcock is named
as Chairman.
Therefore, 1t looks as tho Mr.. Hitch
cock has too many enemies to pull OF
the Craftsmanship, which would be a
very big plum for man who four years
ago was only a first-class Department
clerk. III COURSE, MI IlJlNhNpNGA 'ao'
been taking orders directly from Presi-
dent Roosevelt and doing his best to
execute them, which means naturally
that he would incur the enmity of 9TH
ers, en- abe National Committee and OF
the Taft managerial force, whom nc
might be supplanting. He is tactfui,
quiet young man, makes thoro prepare
ton for his tasks and then goes ahead.
no matter who is run over. A very big
and very prominent Republican might
succeed by such methods, but II is
dangerous process for a young man who
is trying to make a career. Everyone
familiar with the inside history OF the
Chicago Convention knew that Mr..
Hitchcock was in constant telephone
and telegraphic communication with
President Roosevelt, who directed the
movements of the steam roller. which
ran over 0O-odd Southern delegates and
rolled them out fiat. The responsibility
for that rests with the President and
Secretary Taft, but Mr.. Hitchcock was
the man whom the multitudes saw. He
had the seat on the steam roller, and
accordingly those who resent the steam
roller methods blame Mr.. Hitchcock
therefor And now the designation of
the steam-roller man" has been hitch
ed to him, and he will find difficulty
shaking it off. The Republican enemies
mentioned have been doing their utmost
10 associate the oppIoDIlou5 tpbtitl WIN
his activities, and they seem 10 be sue
ceeding.
Secretary Loeb.
There has been another little side
play in the politics of the selection of
the Republican National Chairman
William Loeb, Jr., Secretary to the
President, has been one of Nominee
Taft's stanchest friends all thru the
campaign for the nomination. In the
cling" for all he was worth to bring
about Mr.. Tafts nomination. Mr. Loeb
rather plHmes himself on his political
proves and he has had IL in mind that
he would like tremendously TO be Chair
man of the Republican National Com
mittee. He has communicated his
wishes to a few trusted newspaper
friends, who were willing TO exploit his
ambition to that end. The climax of
this came last Saturday at oyster Bay,
when detailed stories went out. telling
how Secretary Taft had not only Of
fered Mr.. Loeb the National Chairman
ship, but had thrown into the bargain
promise that if Mr.. Loeb would take il
he could have any appointment within
the new Presidents gift, once the cleo
ton was decided that way. The con-
versation was all placed in quotation
marks, as between Secretary Taft and
Mr. Loeb, and il went out by SO many
different lines that il was very plain
Mr.. Loeb had inspired ii, together with
the assertion that Mr.. Loeb had fatty
declined the preferred honors. because
of his intention 10 retire from public