The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-02-21
War Secretary to Be Named at
Chicago; Sure Thing.
There Is Nothing Now That Can
Defeat Him;AlI's Well.
Manager Has All Plans in Fine
Order; the COgs Oiled.

Washington, Feb. l9.-Frank III.
Hitchcock, smooth and unruffled, has
entered upon his work as manager of
the campaign of Secretary Taft for
Headquarters were established in this
city and from the capital Mr.. Hitch
cock is to look over the field to see
what he can do before he ventures
upon errands of personal endeavor.
In day or two Mr.. Notebook ex-
poets to have force of clerks at
work. 1t is possible that offices will
be established also i'm New York city,
but that has not been decided.
Two candidates for the presidency
other than Mr.. Taft sought Mr.. Hitch
cocks services. Upon his ability to
serve the secretary with success no
doubt depends his appointment to the
place of chairman of the republican
national committee in the coming cam
paign.
1t probably will not be admitted by
Mr.. Hitchcock, who is an extremely
wise politician, but it is a fact that
his chief work now will be to deter
mine the attitudes of the tifty-four
members of the national committee
toward the candidates in the field. OF
these fifty-four committeeman the OPP
ponents of Mr.. Taft claim majority.
Mr.. Taft's friends dispute the claim
and declare that thirty of the fifty
four are either in the secretary's camp
or about to cross the sentry post to
get into it.
Make No Claims to Members.
1t is not considered the part of wis
dom by any of the candidates to name
the committeeman upon whose affec-
tions they believe they have hold.
1t is not at all likely that Mr.. Hitch
cock will mention names. He pro-
badly will be content, as will his
chief. if he knows that when the
convention opens there will be a safe
majority within the Taft lines. 1t
isn't dark closet secret that Il distin-
guished friend of the secretary of war
believes that when the great gathering
is OIL in Chicago the secretary of war
will have thirty eight followers in the
committee.
Mr. Hitchcock enters upon his work
as director in chief of the Taft forces
with an optimism that certainly is
good politics if it isn't altogether bed
rocked in its foundations. When lie
left his room i'm the postoffice depart
ment Saturday night and turned over
his duties and the job to Charles Z.
Grandfield of Missouri Mr.. Hitchcock
said: 'Mr. Taft will be nominated at
Chicago. The fight is as good as won
The so-called allied forces realize it,
Mr.. Taft will be nominated on the first
ballot"
Hitchcock Able Organizer.
Mr.. Hitchcock is one of the best
organizers in the country. He is a
man of splendid physique, "a fighter
and mixer" a man with "a marvellous
memory for names and faces. He
went through the trial of having 1T
charged that he was in conspiracy
with Mr. Cortelyou to labor appar-
emily i'm the interest of Mr.. Roosevelt,
but with the real object of securing
the nomination for his friend the secre-
tary of the treasury. Both Mr.. Roose-
welt and Mr.. Cortelyou cleared Mr..
Hitchcock of suspicion, and the an
swer of Mr.. Taft was to ask the ac-
cused one to become his political man
ager.
No one who knows Mr.. Hitchcock
doubts that he was sincere in his be-
lief that the people wished MIR. Roose-
welt for another term, and sincere
also in such things as he did to pre-
pare for another nomination for the
president The manager of Mr. Iaft's
candidacy is familiar with political
conditions all over the country. de
is the champion of the candidacy OF
the war secretary and though his chief
should be the loser. his opponents
will know that they have been on
the battlefield.