The Irish standard., 1908-01-11

At one time and another more pres.
idency seekers have been members OF
Mr. Roosevelt's cabinet than ever be-
fore sat down at the council table of
any of the country's chief magistrates,
says Charles NJ. Harvey in the st. Lou
is Globe Democrat of January S.
These have included Secretary Root,
Secretary Taft, Attorney General Knox.
Secretary Shaw and Secretary Cortel-
you. Mr.. Taft has had his name men,
toned oftener and more conspicuously
in connection with the nomination than
any other member of President Roose-
velts official family, and is still the
most promising of all the possibilities
for 1908. MIR. Root, however, is still
occasionally mentioned in connection
with the candidacy, and Mr.. Cortelyou's
name has come up in that relation in
the past month or two, and particularly
since the financial stringency began
When Mr.. Shaw left the cabinet q
few months ago he Immediately drop
ped out of the public view, but he has
come into notice recently in addresses
and interviews on the monetary situa-
tion, and, though he is now a resident
Of New York City and banker, he is
likely to be mentioned at least, in the
convention. Mr.. Knox, as senator from
Pennsylvania, has received the in
dorsement Of his own state for the
candidacy and, at the outset in the
convention at least, he is sure to have
some votes. While parties seldom go
for their presidential candidates to
states which are SO sure for any par
ticular side as Pennsylvania is for the
Republicans, conventions have done
some unexpected things in deadlocks.
If there should be a large list of aspir-
ants in 1908 there would be a chance
that many ballots might have to be
taken before choice would be made,
and in that case the man who would
be far down in the voting on the first
ballot might go to the front later on.
Sherman, Gresham, Depew and Alger
led Harrison on the opening ballots in
the convention of 1888, and Sherman
led all of them for so long time that
his success seemed assured, but Harri-
son carried off the prize ultimately.
No one thought of Garfield i'll con-
nection with the nomination in 1880.
but the convention went to him in the
end, just as ii did to Pierce in 1852,
and to Polk in 1914, neither Of whom
was considered at all as presidential
: possibilities at the time the balloting
began.
At the outset in the government s
history the cabinet was the favorite
recruiting ground for presidential can
didates. Jefferson was secretary Of
state under Washington, and although
Vice President Adams succeeded WASH
ington in the higher Office, Jefferson
went to the presidency after Adams
served one term, and Jefferson remain
ed there for eight years. When the
close Of his second term came, near
the country began to look for his sue
cessor, and, though Jefferson himself
expressed no choice openly, he was un-
derstood to favor his secretary of state
for the succession. This was Madison,
and before the time for the selection Of
the candidates arrived the country
felt that Madison would be chosen.
Many of Monroe's friends, indeed, tried
to put their own favorite forward, but
the congressional caucus selected Mad
ison, and as Madison's party controlled
the country the caucus choice was rat
flied by the people, Charles c. Pinck-
ney, the Federalist candidate, being
far behind at the polls. Madison, two
years after he entered Office, made
Monroe secretary of state, and thus
placed him III the line of succession,
and he, like Jefferson and Madison, re-
ceived two terms as president.
The cabinet was represented numer-