Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-01
TAMMANY PREFERS GRAY
Strong Sentiment for Taft in Wall
Street.
FEELING TOWARD PRESIDENT
Moderation Of the Strong Resent
ment Formerly Observation-Disclosures
Executive to Succeed Platt.
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald


NEW YORK, April %, 1908.
The political situation in New York is
considerably mixed in both parties The
democrats, as you have read in the daily
news dispatches, have held their conven-
ton and have refused to indorse Bryan
or any one else. Their delegates are go
ing to Denver uninstructed, but strongly
opposed to the Nebraskan and willing to
support any candidate that can beat him.
They don't care much who it is. john
son has some advocates in this section and
is generally regarded as a clean, capable
and growing man. but the Tammany lead
ers who will control the vote of New
York have very little knowledge of him.
They would prefer Gray. and are likely to
vote for him at the start. although that
is a mere guess, for they do not know
themselves what will happen when they
get to Denver
Judge Gray does not care for the nomi-
nation. He tells his friends that if he
were eight or even four years younger
the duties of the presidential Office would
| not seem so arduous to him. but at his
present age he shrinks from the anxieties
and turmoil of campaign. and from the
| responsibilities of the Office If he should
| be elected. He would not decline the NOM
ination, but does not seek it, and does not
want it. An objection to Judge Gray has
been raised upon the fact that he bolted
Bryan and refused to vote the regular
| ticket in 1895 and again in 1900 and also
that he accepted his present Office at the
hands of a republican President But
those objections will not have much
weight The party which nominated and
at a gnat when it has already swallowed
the camel, and if every one who bolted
Bryan is to be put on the blacklist that
gentleman will not have much chance of
election.
| A movement of serious character has
been started to bring together the demo-
| cratic leaders of the different states who
are not favorable to Bryan, both those
who are opposed to him and those who are
supporting him reluctantly for the purpose
of agreeing on some acceptable candi-
date. 1t may be that the man can be
| found but at present everything is in the
| air.
Queer Stories About Hearst.
1 hear funny stories about Mr.. Hearst.
He is very likely to take more i'm
portant part in the next campaign than
| he has ever done in the past. His or
ganization, which controls about one
| third of the democratic votes in New
York state, is ready to act under orders,
| and will hold convention shortly after
| the democrats have held theirs to deter
mine whether they shall indorse the
| or enter into a combination with tom"
| Watson of Georgia. A gentleman who is
| among the first five leaders Of the demo-
| cratic party in New York state asserts
| that Hearst has very close relations with
| Mr. Rogers of the Standard Oil Company
and with Mr.. E. H. Hartman. and that
| he will be guided very largely by the ad-
| vice and the wishes OF those gentlemen.
There was report here two years ago
that Rogers was putting UP the money
| for Hearst's campaign for governor and
| that the latter was already very heavily
his debtor. But their connections. ii they
have any, are so far under ground that
nobody has been able to trace them.
MY friend tells me. however, that II Taft
or any rational republican is nominated
Hearst will sput an independent ticket in
the field. in order to divide the opposition.
But If Roosevelt is nominated he will In
dorse the Denver nominee, and crafty
Mr.. Rogers and Mr.. Hartman by exert
ing all his power and influence against
the republican ticket.
For Taft in Wall Street.
There is a strong Taft movement in
Wall street You would be surprised to
hear the enthusiastic Endorsements that
are given to the Secretary of War by the
men who are supposed to be violently
| opposed to the policies of the President.
| In a brokers' office the other day I was
asked to sign blank slip reading as
| follows:
TAFT ORGANIZATION
OF the State of New York.
I favor the nomination of William H.
Taft for President Of the United States
and desire my name enrolled.
Residence Getty or town. ..............
| Street No..
Sign and return to Secretary Taft Or
ganization. 40 Broadway New York city.
Write for additional forms and distribute
them"
You would be even more surprised to
| hear the third-term talk that is going on
over here Judge Gary, chairman of the
| United States Steel Corporation, tells me
that some of the biggest men on Wall
street are in favor of the denomination
| of Roosevelt. Notwithstanding his anti
corporation policies, and Mr.. Wilcox,
chairman of the public board service
commission, whose duties bring him in
continual contact with the managers of
corporations, agrees with that opinion.
Feeling Toward President.
"The feeling about the President has
moderated very much,' said Mr.. Wilcox
He isn't crazy any longer: his horns
have fallen off; he has meant all right,
| even though he did hurt good many
people. Now that the dust has settled.
| and financial men are able to take their
NIT that the housekeeping that has been
going on since November has been a good
| thing for everybody concerned. I believe
the policy of the President and that of
Gov. Hughes has been very influential in
bringing people to their senses; in bring
ing the managers of great corporations
and industrial organizations to a really
ing sense of their obligations to the pub
lie and to their stockholders. The pass
ing of the public service law in this state
and the cordial manner in which the cor
porations have accepted it; the cheerful
cooperation they are giving us in trying
to bring about better conditions, are
largely due to the same cause. I am
| confident that when the political cam
paign is over and the future policy Of
the federal administration has been prac-
tically determined by the nomination of
| candidates, business activity and prosper
| ity will be resumed to the same degree
| that we were enjoying year ago"
The republican state convention in New
| York determined with certainty that Pres
| ident Roosevelt is the master of the sit
| uation in this state and that he controls
| the machine as completely as Conkling
| or Plat ever did. Whatever he SAYS
goes, and he wilF control the action OF
the New York delegation at the Chicago
convention. The four delegates at large
have been instructed for Gov. Hughes in
a mild way and are expected to do all
they can to bring about his nomination.
About one-third of the district delegates
are earnest in his support. The other two
thirds will do whatever the President
wishes, so that it is practically certain