The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-03-06
Sentiment Fast Drifting to the
Big Secretary of War.
Victory for Heavy Man From
Ohio Is Assured Now.
There Will Be No Opportunity
For Trading of Votes.
by Edward B. Clark

Evening Post says: While the third
term fanatics are doing their best to
discredit the honesty of Theodore Roose-
welt and his loyalty to William III. Taft
the telling grows in Washington that
the nomination of the secretary of war
is certain, and that it is extremely
likely to come on the first ballot, thus
to bear out the prophecy credited to
the president several weeks ago.
OF course, it is to be said that the
states in which lies the main strength
of other candidates have yet to be
heard from directly, but Indirectly
comes news from many of these states
that the reversion from the favorite
sons strength will go to the secre-
tary.
There are men in congress from the
states in which Taft has won victo-
ries whu, opposed personally to his
candidacy, say that they know all
along what the feeling was among
tie people, and that they knew the
day was come when they must get into
the secretary's line. The friends and
out-and-out advocates of candidates
other than Taft are not at all hope
full that anyone can beat the secre-
tary in the convention. The spirit
is not nearly as bold as it was three
weeks. in the past. ,r..,rs
Change in the Northwest.
81 A few days ago the leading republi-
can paper at Butte, Mont, came out
warming heartedly for the secretary
of war, prior to its pronouncement. the
paper had been. lukewarm,} if7lnot cold
It's course was that of the, times in
the northwest. There are senators
from the northwestern, country and
from the directly western country who
look with niinore than idisfavor on the
Taft ambition. ftWhy the pronounce
lnent of one paper in Montana a lead
ing republican organ though it be
should have brought things to a crisis
is hard for one not absolutely familiar
with the circumstances to- tell; but the
fact remains on the, heels ofothis news
papers pronomcement the admission
was made aby the officials whose heart
was not Taft's that California, Wash
ington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and
Wyoming would be found as one in the
column following the lead of the secre
tary of war.
High hopes had existed among op'
ponents of Mr.. Taft that Missouri
would be theirs in part. Missouri
is for Taft. There is no longer any
doubt about Iowa, in Nebraska and
Kansas. Precious little doubt exists
about Minnesota and none about Mich
igan, save in one district, where there
arc signs that the representative IL
congress who hoped to hold the two
delegates for Mr. Cannon is weakening
and that he may not only be Obliged
to surrender but obliged to give ur
all hope of going to the Chicago con
vention himself as delegate.
Props Gone or Weakened.
Recent developments west of the Mis-
sissippi knocked the first prop from
under the platform of the hopes OF
Washington leaders who prefer another
to Taft. The other props have beer
sadly weakened by news from Indi
ana. Illinois, New York and Pennsyl
vania.
The secretary of war requested that
nothing be done for him in these
favorite sons states and no one doub
ted his sincerity when he did so re
quest.
The answer came in the form of vol
untary revolt against the favorite sor
idea-that is, if the favorite son idea
was to embody the promise that the
favorite be allowed to dispose of the
delegates according to his own sweet
will after he had found that the moor
of his own cause was waning. III
one district in Indiana the delegates
in convention assembled said: "We are
for Fairbanks for first choice, but the
second choice of Mr.. Fairbanks is moi
orr second choice" When it was foun6
that the two men whom it was pro
posed to elect as delegates were the
one favorable to Hughes as secont
choice and the other favorable to Can
non. the convention members sait
. "You won't do" and selected two mel
i whose second choice was Taft.
| Duplicated In Other Places.
This proceeding has been duplicated
in other places where the favorite sol
is the favorite for complimentary
purposes only and where the real fav
orite is a man who lives in Ohio. I'm
movement, absolutely voluntary
Illinois against giving the delegates o
the state to Cannon as present, Will
permission to turn them over to whom
soever he would, is a movement whicl
has counterpart in Pennsylvania am
in New York. All this is known am
realized in its full force by the. mel
who sit in Congress and who IN tn
main are antagonists to the admins
tration and to the secretary OF wa
1t is not at all unlikely that TN
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