Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-05
''FAV0RITE SONS" POWER
Combined Strength in Convention
Would Be 2S2 Votes.
WHAT IT WOULD REPRESENT
Bulwark of States Depended on to
Furnish Votes to Elect a Re-
publican President.

| The crucial stage in the republican
| presidential situation is expected to be
reached within the next three or four
weeks. The crisis will hinge upon one
vital question. namely, whether the
combined opposition to Secretary Taft
! will remain in opposition or become
| disintegrated
! 1t is admitted by politicians that the
| Taft boom is now in it's heyday. The
| present is the golden opportunity for
! the Taft boomers, it is said, and his
! campaign is to be made or marred
| within the next few weeks. If the idea
| gets abroad among the uncertain breth
| rem who are rooSting on the fence wait
| ing for the band wagon to roll into
| view that Secretary Taft is likely to be
winner, politicians say that undoubt-
| edly his forces will receive recruits If,
however, it appears that Secretary Taft
is not winner by foregone conclusion
these same hesitating brethren will
stick to the fence a little while longer.
The Favorite Sons.
The opposition to Secretary Taft is
| supposed to be vitalized in the strength
of the favorite sons. He is the common
enemy of all of them and the imminent
opponent of each of them. If they hang
together and make common cause
against him until such time as they
can fight out their own fortunes among
each other they will have a chance, it
is said. for themselves.
The combined strength of the favorite
sons in a national convention would be
2S2 votes. They would comprise Illi-
nois. with "a, controlled by Speaker
Cannon; Indiana. with 80 votes Tor Vice
President Fairbanks; Pennsylvania,
with 6S votes for Senator Knox: Wis
consin. with 26 votes for Senator La
Toilette; Iowa, with 90 votes for Gov
Cummins or Leslie NJ. Shaw, and New
York, with IS votes for Gov. hughes.
Secretary Cortelyou or uninstructed, as
the case might be.
Weight of the Combination.
Not only would this combination COM
prise 2S2 votes in the national Conven-
ton, but it is pointed out they would
represent the bulwark of states de-
pended upon to furnish votes at the
polls to elect a republican President.
In other words, if these dominating re-
publican states should protest against
a candidate the question is, would the
convention override the sentiment re-
f1ected by their delegates and name
candidate whose main strength might
come from the south, without one vote
n the electoral college, and from the
far west with only few votes to be
cast for republican ticket on election
day?
The question which politicians are ask
| ing now is, will these 'favorite son"
states stand out against Secretary Taft?
! President RooSevelt'S friends and the
Taft boomers are busy in Illinois and
| Indiana. They cannot make much head
way in Pennsylvania because !ne' re-
publican machine is well organized in
that state and is geared up for Senator
Knox In New York the miners and
of for a
and owing to the absence of any def
mite opposition there is no telling what
progress can be made.
Situation in New York.
The situation in New York is peculiar.
The rank and file of the republican
| politicians are opposed to Secretary
| Taft, because they are against Presi
dent Roosevelt and his administration.
But they cannot make anything out of
| Gov. Hughes. They are unable TO get
| showdown from him on the tariff ques-
| ton or any other live national issue.
| Secretary Cortelyou possesses strength
| in New York city, but is not SO well
| known through the state.
! In point of fact. the New York repub-
licans are somewhat at sea regarding
! a candidate, and it is not improba BILE
| that New York will send dn unin-
structed delegation to the national con-
| vention, leaving it to the managers at
| the last moment to make the best terms
! possible. This, of course, is contingent
/ upon the pending efforts now being
| vigorously prosecuted by the Taft
| boomers to tie up the state for Taft in
| advance.
Many politicians think that all these
| questions will he decided in the near
| future. and tha, it will soon be de-
| termined whether the big states are to
| be organized against Secretary Taft or
whether he will begin to pick them off,
| one by one.