Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-04-17
CAPITAL CHAT.
Continued from Page One.)

uS1lce II. me workers begin to talk
about bill Taft" which, if he is NOM
mated, will be his campaign name with
the masses. The Democrats are begin
nlng to level their guns at him, which
is not without significance. Mr. Bryan
has begun paying his respects to him,
the While he ignores the other Repub-
llcan aspirants. The other day it is
worth noting, Mr.. Taft went to Chica-
go, where the convention is to be held,
and fraternized with the citizens for
season. Look out for bowling
reiterating, insistent Taft galleries at
the convention. For the secretary is
popular In The Windy City and more
popular there since his recent visit
Then he pushed on into Nebraska,
where the probable Democratic
nominee resides and very prob
ably he did not take that pilgrimage
without Eliminating on the helpful Ell
fetcS 1t might have with the people Il
few months later on when he could
not visit the state without it being
very apparent that he was OH a vote
getting tour. And as soon as the sec
rotary got out into the Western coun-S
try he took long distance shot at the
Peerless One and the Peerless One re
turned the compliment
Frankly the Washington observers,
who are generally pretty keen about
such things, think it will be about all
over by the end of April. The Taft
boom is unquestionably growing, grow
ing daily il different sections OF the
| country. This growth presages very
| tame convention at Chicago although
.lo an
pected that il would be the livel;est,
.scrappie"t, most interesting conven-
ton in Is years. The telegraph COM
panies are curtailing their prepara-
tions for handling hundreds Of thous-
aildS OF words OF newspaper copy
every "a hours that the convention last.
The newspaper men are curt;.iling their
plans for sending large forces OF CORE
SpondentS, who would he necessary to
follow every d@t3ll and development,
if The contest was 20 be uncertain
right up To the moment Of the ballot
ting. There VIII DC spectators enough
anyway. Chicago Will have plenty to
do to care for their comfort, whether
the convention means IL love feast and
a cut and dried program, on Il fight
to the finish. None he less according
10 ItlOItS Oi recent udlt from the
Windy City, the hotels are no longer
expecting the tremendous crush that
was for a time promised. From the
popular spectacular standpoint the
Chicago convention may be quite as
lacking in dramatic performances ana
in the shrewd maneuvering of tactci-
ans, as the Denver convention has
promised to be.
And vet, with April half gone and the |
Chicago convention quite two months |
away, there are still opportunities for |
important convention developments |
From ali appearances Secretary Taft |
will go into the convention, far in the |
lead of all his rivals in instructed dele |
gates. It can not be concealed how |
ever, that it is almost a certainty half |
of the delegates, which would ne at |
least 491, will not be instructed for him. |
great many delegates friendly to him |
will be uninstructed and free to vote
for some other candidate, could it be
shown that some other nomination |
would be better and safer for the party !
Somebody is still doing a tremendous |
amount of torceful work against Secre-
tary Taft's nomination. 1t may be a |
group OF men, for the object is not al |
together clear, or it may be group OF |
opposition forces-organized labor, ne
grOes, prohiDitiOniSts, and others who |
do rot welcome the secretary's eleva-
ton to the Presidency. Unquestion-
ably certain Of the rival candidates are
back of some of this work 1t may be
Knox. Fairbanks, or Cannon, all Of
whom are known to be hopeful still.
Anyone who goes out into the states
where conventions are being held OF
late soon becomes aware of a big press
propaganda for combating the roseate
reports which the Taft boomers began
sending ont early. Two months ago it
seemed Impossible to hold state or a
Congressional district convention with
out the hand of some Taft press repre-
sentative being seen. No matter whar
the convention did he twisted a nice
Taft story out of it and away il went
to hundreds of newspapers. 1t is aXio-
matte that denial never catches I'D
a story, which fact no one knows bet
ter than practical politician. For a
while the Taft reporters, travelling
hither and thither, with ample funds
for expenses, got away with about
everything. They bamboozled the
country correspondents ard even fooled |
the big press associations by their
Wiles.
Nowadays, some of the most reliable
correspondents, Of long Washington |
training are out on the convention trail |
seeing to it that other reports are
available. They are not in the employ |
of newspapers but in the employ OF |
some persons who are interested in |
other candidates than Taft. Probably |
these writer's would be quite as ready |
to help their own favorites along as
the Taft writer's have been to help |
their favorite. But the presence of the
rivals on the ground acts as a check |
and the reading public is getting fewer
flake" reports about who carried con-
ventions.
The other candidates are likely max
ing very determined warfare in Other
quarters. convinced that it is by no
means all over and that the chance Of |