Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-03-13

plans; he has in general set high
standard of merit for filling vacant
offices and has offended many influ-
entail politicians by his determine
tion not to make unfit appointments
for political purposes. His views of
patronage and the civil service, his
differences with the senate, his fail
ure to treat senators with the differ
ence and tenderness to which they
have been accustomed, and his free
use of picturesque and cutting Ian
guage have all combined to build up
in congress a phalanx of bitter per-
sonal opposition. It has never dared
express itself very openly. The mem
bers of it when they go home claim
the Endorsement of their constituents
on the ground they are earnest sup
ports of the popular president, but
in the clOak-rooms of the capitol
they talk and criticise and conspire,
and form a small but influential ca
bal eager to do anything they safe
ly can to annoy the executive.
$50 these two forces, the represen-
tatives of the financial interests and
the men with personal grievance,
| those who hate the presidents poll
cies and those who hate the presi-
dent, form coterie of opposition to
the Taft candidacy which is formid-
| able.
81, of course, am not in their coun-
| sells and do not know their plans, but
current opinion is very definite as to
| their program. 1t is to fight Taft,
the administration candidate, in each
state with the weapons most effective
for the locality, and to study public
opinion and local conditions, and sup
port whoever has the best chance of
winning, taking particular pains
everywhere that the delegates are
men who can be controld and turned
at the proper time to whoever the
leaders may select That, of course,
is tn system on which boss-ridden
states like New York and Pennsyl-
vania have often acted, to send dele
gates whom Platt and Quay could
manipulate like pawns, and hand ov-
er when wanted to consummate a
trade. If they can accomplish this
and prevent Taft from having clear
majority over all at the outset, and
thus create deadlock, they hope
when the other candidates are dis
couraged to concentrate their vote
on whoever they shall select and
nominate him.
''Who he would be, I do not know,
and will not even guess. It would
Of course be a man as reactionary as
they dared to present. 1t is clever
scheme and handled by men of long
experience in directing the republi-
can machine, has chances of success.
It has, however, several dangers.
First, if Taft has not a clear majority
on the first ballot, I think he will be
second choice of enough uncontrolled
delegates to win at once. Then there
| always is the question of the election
to consider. L think any republican
nominated will win against Bryan,
with one exception, IF the people
should believe that the nominee was
selected as protest against the
Roosevelt administration, he would
go down in overwhelming defeat. So
they must avoid the appearance of
that.
! $50, altogether, their outlook can.
not be cheerful. But they are long
practiced, astute politicians, with
boundless funds at their disposal
which are useful particularly in the
south, and they present a formidable
front.
Sin New England I suppose they
will try to get delegates elected who
EXPRESSING preference, but whom
they can control, and if they can.
. not win on that line and must de
clare for someone, 1 have no doubt
it will be for Hughes, for they are
clear-sighted enough to see that they
would have no chance with any othe,
and after a complimentary vote fol
Hughes they could swing to theil
true choice.
Il do not mean, of course, thai
every one who in Washington op-
poses Taft belongs to one of these
classes. There are many who from
local or personal reasons have othel
, favorites, but their support is 81
scattered and feeble that unless con
centrated into some organized bod,
1t would be helpless against the Tai
forces. To give it that organization
and concentration is what this un
committed coterie of politicians |.
anxious to effect, and though it look!
as if their efforts would be futile, i