The Washington herald., 1908-02-03

VIII there be two Republican Presi- |
Dental tickets in the field in the forth
coming national campaign?
This is a contingency TO which party |
men are looking forward apprehenslvely. |
President Roosevelt's message Of Friday !
last, in the opinion OF many people. will
tend 10 bring about a situation quite sim |
liar TO that in the Democratic party in
1896 when the Palmer -Buckner ticket
was put in the field
A combination of conservative Repub- !
licans with conservative Democrats is !
considered to be easily within the range
Of possibility now. A large element of the |
Republican party, especially In the East
and in the great cities of the West, will /
never be reconcHed TO a platform repre-
senting Rooseyeltism or to a candidate
named by Roosevelt and standing on
platform of modified Rooseyeltism.
Foraker and Gray.
In considering this contingency. it Is 4
suggested that a ticket composed of For /
aker, Of Ohio. for President, and Gray, |
of Delaware, for Vice President, if put /
into the field by the conservatives, would /
be potent for mischief 10 both parties /
OF course. it could not win, and in popu-
lar support probably would cut as small /
a figure as the Palmer -Buckner ticket did /
in 1886. But 1t would be the medium for
a voicing Of the sentiments Of Republ- I
cans and Democrats who believe that /
the country's material interests are now /
seriously menaced by Rooseveltsm and
Organism.
Look for ROoScveIts Nomination.
Scores of Republicans in The past TWO I
days have Outspokonly predicted the re- 4
nomination OF Roosevelt They look upon
this as quite the natural and logical out /
come Of The remarkable party conditions /
pTecipitated by the message They realize /
perfectly that it is wholly out OF the 1
question for the Republican party to /
escape responsibility in fullest measure
for the Roosevelt administration and all /
The utterances ana policies attaching
thereto. II, then, there must be a cam
paign Of Tddicalism. from which the Re
publican party cannot escape. why not
Roosevelt as its leader? No one questions
that in such campaign he would be
infinitely stronger than any other Re
publican who could possibly be named.
Taft would be a clumsy misft IN such a
role. Fairbanks and Knox impossible;
Hughes ii doubtful quantity. who might
be strong or might prove weak. and
Uncle joe Cannon lacking in availa-
bility as a leader in such a campaign
for the double reason of his age and his
adherence OF radicalism Of the Roose-
yeltian stamp.
a Growing QuantIty-La Toilette.
Next 10 Roosevelt, and since Friday
last looming up more prominently
in the Republican party than any other /
Republican but Roosevelt, is la Toilette.
of Wisconsin. He is to-day a real factor
in the preliminary Presidential contest.
and he promises 10 become a still greater
factor as the days go on He would fit
into a radical campaign as logically as
Roosevelt himself. for he has stood for
just such reforms as Roosevelt advocates
and. better STILL he has accomplished just
such reforms as Roosevelt advocates. La
Toilette does not regard as radical poll
cies those policies which he has for years
expounded, and which are in perfect
keeping with the Roosevelt policies He
believes they represent the truest con
servatism because they stand for honesty
and a square deal
Not Radicaiism, but Conservatism.
They charge me with tearing down
and destroying" said Senator La Toilette
in a recent conversation, hut I have
torn down and destroyed nothing On the
contrary, have helped to build up. Ny
State to-day IS in a sounder and healthier
condition than ever before. No corpora
tion has been put out of business. The
policy which I have advocated has
simply demanded that corporations meet
their just share of taxation and con
tribute 10 the bearing OF the burdens Of
the State. There IS nothing radical in
this. 1t is conservatism"
1t Is the belief Of President Roosevelt.
as it is and has been the belief Of VIII
liam Jennings Bryan and Senator Ia
Toilette. that these corporate reforms
must inevitably come about In national
affairs, and that if they do not come
about under the leadership of men now
in political life, they will be brought
about ultimately through radicals and
radical legislation that the country might
well fear. Il
HurtfuI to Taft's Candidacy.
The effect of the Roosevelt message
upon the Taft campaign is problematicaI
His friends are hoping that it will prove
helpful to him. But a sober considera-
tiOn Of it, and glance into the future
seem to point to the contrary effect
No one viii fit so well Into the radical