The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-03-25
WIRE PULLING
FOR SECY. TAFT
Men Busy as Bees to Make a
Winner of the
Legatee.
(Mail Special to the Advertiser.)

Mail SpeclaI 10 the AuNefGlSef.
WASHINGTON, D. c., March IL
High up in new granite building
the greatest wire pulling contest seen
in Washington for many a day is on.
On the eighth floor of this structure,
which is Just around the corner from
full view of the White House, only
block away, are the Taft presidential
headquarters A political candidate
never was working harder for the nomi-
nation. Everybody around him is work
ing about twenty hours day. His
manager, ex-First Assistant Postmaster
General Frank H. Hitchcock, is up a
little while after the sun peeps over
the horizon and keeps awake till long
into the evening. A corps of type
writers are banging out communica-
tions by the hundreds. A corps of
clerks and assistants are working as
though their very lives depended up
on Secretary Taft S nomination.
The Secretary rarely visits the place
himself, but from his office in the War
Department, he is in frequent COM
munication and every little while some
thing of Importance is discussed by
telephone. The big people generally
go over to the Secretary's s office first
and wind up by visiting his campaign
manager. Sometimes the campaign
manager runs across a worker or adj
mirer whom he thinks the Secretary
ought to see. An appointment is made
forthwith and the visitor takes his
turn in the SecretaTy's crowded ante
room.
Never before since the campaign for
the nomination began has there been
so much throbbing, feverish effort. All
the candidates in Washington are
wrought up to high pitch. Every lit
tie advantage that any one of them
scores is looked upon as notable and |
is put into circulation in the hope of |
dislodging some of the voters in numer-
Gus states who are hanging on the top |
rails of the fences.
As an example, the other evening |
there was suddenly great commotion in
the Taft headquarters high up on the |
eighth floor. Every newspaper office
in Washington was notified that a tele-
gram of, moment had been received
from Guilford, n. c. A county dCwn
there had instructed its delegates for
Taft after a hard fight and by a
very close shave. It might have seem
ed as though bag of twenty delegates
had been secured for the Secretary
of War in the June convention at Chi
cago. Great stress was laid upon thej
fact that the county includes the
birthplace of Speaker Cannon, who, as
is not generally remembered, is a
Southerner by birth. 1t also includes
the scene of the famous revolutionary
battle of Guilford courthouse and the
ferceness of the strife for delegates
among the few Republicans who live
n the county had apparently been like
unto that between the Red Coats and
the Patriots q century and quarter
ago.
However interesting the Guilford vic
ory might be from a sentimental point
IF view the cold facts are that Gull
lord is only one of ten counties that
viii send delegates to the Fifth Con-
sressional district convention and said
fifth Congressional district convention
will elect two delegates to the Chicago
The Taft workers and managers are
~ no means the only ones who are
aking developments in the campaign
20 seriously. Up at the Capitol full
grown Congressman are working with 1
II the zeal of two-year-oIds trying
o get delegates for this or that presi-
entiaI candidate. Speaker Cannon
las a coterie of Congressional experts
n Southern states, where he hopes to
ret a few delegates. Senators and
Representatives have been on the 60 ]
or Vice President Fairbanks, hasten
ng into Kentucky, into Colorado, into
Jtah, into many other states trying to /
Continued on Page Two)