The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-01-24

aggression on the part of Gov. Hughes.
If ne would only come out into the
open. If he would only tell even Mrs.
Hughes that he wanted to be president,
these anti-Taft boomers would find
consolation. On the other hand the
Governor said the other day that he
had not even impaired such informa-
ton to his wife. Great blocks Of
Hughes delegates could be had in
numerous sections of the land. New
England, which is inoculated with the
Hughes idea, would come over to him.
But Hughes sits like sphinx, grinding
away at gubernatorial tasks and gives
never a sign. 1t is excruciating to
those who seek a strong and popular
candidate with which to defeat Taft.
And in the interim the Taft forces are
fighting their way into all such prom
ised lands as those in New England
and the South. They are battering
down local barbados, overturning or
threatening local organizations. They
realize that this is an important OPP
portunity and that it behooves them
to make the most of it.
The Secretary has shrunk from sum-
mary methods but the eminently prac-
teal man in the White House, who is
his chief adviser, favors that course
and the Secretary realizes that diet
tante methods do not win hard fought
political battles.
Some men say that Huges is losing
his chance If the Taft boom con-
tinues to forge ahead, the Hughes
workers who are trying to hold New
York and who probably will be able to
hold New York for him, will have la
bored to no purpose. But during the
present week there will also be de-
velopments with other candidates that
will check the progress of the secre-
tary of War. The shrewd old Senate
leaders, who love to thwart the Pres
ident are coming back from their
homes and will have their heads to-
gether. They are resourceful in OPP
position but their weakness is in hav-
ing no strong man to put forward.
They have still to rely upon the IA
vorite son movement in a few states,
on getting uninstructed delegations IN
other states, and on stirring up so
much factional discord in New York
and Ohio that Secretary Taft's chances
of carrying those two states viii be
very small. These opposition tactics
nave Deen 1nuCH SIiipidSlZSu III ICSSAie
DAYS Neither Ohio nor New York now
has an effective Republican organiZa-
ton. Party lines are sundered. The
negroes and organized labor are fight
ing Secretary Taft in both states and
probably are receiving some encour-
agement If these two classes of voters
should very generally determine not to
support him at the polls and it could
be demonstrated before the convention.
it would be little use to nominate him.
For New York and Ohio haYe sixty
two votes in the electoral college and
these with the 22S votes from the rea-
sonably certain Democratic states of
the solid South would come within
fourteen votes of electing Democratic
President.
Hence the character of the anti-Taft
demonstrations from the negroes and
from organized labor is being sought
eagerly these days by the managers
of other candidates. If the negro and
the labor voters will not support the
candidacy of the Secretary of War,
the Southern delegates, won over by
the Establishments of the administW-
ton, would be of no use. For the
Southern delegates, most of them Of
ficeholders, want to know about
candidates chances in the northern
strongholds that roll up the majorities
and elect Republican Presidents. A
Democratic President means a shut
ting off of Republican patronage in the
South.