The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-01-21

W AAA' i'shh'is
A Blow for Hughes, a Boost for Taft.
The stormiest session in the his
tory of the New York county com
mittee." The most hotly contested
and turbulent fight In the annals OF
New York politics" Three hours of
bitter invectiyes, Kisses, cheers and
cat calls for Roosevelt. Hughes, Taft
and Foraker" are the expressions
used in the press to characterize the
recent meeting of the New York Re
publican county committee The pro.
Hughes papers picture this meeting as
one controlled by gayel rule, and
run In an unfair and high-handed
manner by Herbert Parsons and fed
eral job holders under instructions
from Washington. They are making
the most of the adverse results by
declaring that they show an actual
gain of Hughes strength since the
tie a similar resolution endorsing
him for the presidency was tabled
over month ago. On the contrary,
the administration organs backing the
Roosevelt insistence on Taft do not
disguise their jubilation. They point
out that what was intended as a
Hughes coup, resulted Unexpectedly
In stampede for Taft, and they
note with evident pleasure that the
cheers that followed mention of Gov.
| Hughes name were mingled with lib
eral Kissing. while the vocal and
other support for him was weak in
deed as compared with the outburst
OF madulteqated enthusiasm that
followed the naming of Secretary
Taft
There Is some truth, and some fic
tion, in each of these conflicting re-
ports. The unvarnished facts are these
about a month ago the Hughes
boomers tried TO obtain an endorse
ment from the New York republi-
can county committee of the presden-
tial aspirations Of Gov. Hughes. which
was tabled for a month by the ad'
ministration forces in the commit
tee. The Roosevelt-Taft adherents
however were afraid to meet this
question, and at the recent meeting
did all they could to escape the
issue. The executive committee. by
a vote of twenty-five to thirteen, de-
cided not TO consider the Hughes
resolution in the committee of the
whole But after long parliamentary
| wrangle, this very issue was pre-
sented In an indirect, but In nowise
disguised form, and the Hughes
forces were defeated by a vote OF
three hundred and two to two hun
dred and twenty-five. This result was
as much n surprise to the admins
tration as TO the Hughes crowd, and
belied both the confidence of the lat
ter and the fears O. the former. i
was n battle between the fedora
office holders for Roosevelt and Taft
rs against the New York state OF
flee holders behind Gov. Hughes
The early chapters of this quarre
are now political history. The tragic
sequel for republicans will be writ
ten early In November, 1908.
The democracy is dlsnterested a
between the candidacy of Secretar,
Taft or Governor Hughes. The for
mer is equiyocal on national ques
tions and is not even an exponen
OF the principles OF his party a
generally understood by its rank an
file. But Governor hughes Is eve
less commendable than Secretar
: Taft. lie is absolutely colorless. |
there man who can say where h
stands on any great national question
The New York republican count
committee in choosing between thes
men merely had to decide betwee
an equiyocal and unrepresentative n
publican and colorless one. II wa
choice OF evils, and to the dish
terested It looks as II the committe
: chose the lesser one For after al
is II not far better to bear thos
} Ill We have than fly TO other
, We know not of?"