The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-01-17

Hughes is supposed to be sometf1jn
of favorite up in that corner of IN
Union, but the Hughes boom seem
to be getting thump between Tn
eyes every little while. He has bee
a powerful weapon with which to 'sus
up" Secretary Taft, and perhaps hi
| utility in that direction has contrib
| uted something to the emphasis pu
I upon his popularity in some sections
| The fact that he will do nothing t
| further his own cause is in one way {
| source of strength and in another {
| source of weakness. The people like &
candidate who is independent of the
politicians. They think he must be Z
tremendously strong fellow. At the
same time, Presidential booms have to
be lifted along. Popular enthusiasm
can not be depended upon solely. The
politicians and political workers are
the ones who carry them. The poll
ticians are not at all enthusiastic
about Governor Hughes. They say he
is practically an unknown man, which
is true. There has been quite as much
difficulty getting cordial endorsements
for him in New York political organ
izations as there has been in elm
mating Senator Foraker from public
life in Ohio. The President and his
friends have probably been RESPONSE
BILE for the lack of cordial endorsement
for Hughes in New York, just as they
ator Foraker. They have. been a lit
tie more successful in the first role
than in the second. But the idea that
President Roosevelt has been fighting
and will fight Governor Hughes is per-
colating deeper and deeper into the
heads of the masses and will make it
increasingly difficult for Governor
Hughes to get delegates, and, should
he be nominated, increasingly difficult
for him to get votes as against Billy
Bryan.
The progress of the Hughes boom
means much to the Taft boom, and
vice versa. If the Hughes boom grows
and practically fills New York state,
there will be no room for the Taft
boom to grow over the Empire State
boundaries. If the Hughes boom grows
in New England, the Taft boom is
likely to be very stunted up that way.
One may be able to get a line on the
New England, after the Secretary has
returned from his present trip. and it
is possible to learn something about
the impression that he made. A State
or a section at this critical juncture of
a preliminary campaign is apt to be
very like a girl who is trying to make
up her mind which man she loves.
Some very trif1ing thing may shape
her decision. New England does not
care very much whom she supports for
the Presidency. as between three or
four of the candidates, but the ma
chinery is already in motion in sew
eral New England States for the choice
of convention delegates, and, of course,
it is recognized that the delegates
must support somebody.
So in New England the thing of
primary Importance may be whether
Secretary Taft can effect a merger
with Senator w. Murray Crane. If he
does he will have great prospects up
that way and he will have moved up
a peg in his effort to get some help
in the South For the presidential
sentiment in the South is of a charac-
ter than can be reached by Senator
Crane and his political friends. Just
so, in the South, it may be of primary
for the secretary to effect
a merger with the Cortelyou boom.
a lot of the Southern
delegates will be very friendly to the
Secretary of the Treasury, the most
silent and secretive of all the candi-
dates except Gov. Charles E. Hughes.
A Taft merger with Senator Crane
would dishearten the Senator Knox
boom in Pennsylvania. Senator Crane
is not tied UP with the Knox boom
except by the chummy personal rela-
tons that exist between him and Sem
ator Knox. But in the popular mind
Of Pennsylvania, at least, much is ex-
pected of Senator Crane in steering
the Knox boom clear of snags. Other
Southern mergers would be indispensa-
bic, however, for the Fairbanks boom
has strength in many Southern States.
Lately 1t has been surprisingly spry
for a dead boom, that absorbed cock
tails to its own extinction. The other
lay the Indiana Republicans had an
gathering at which it was
decided the Hoosfer state should be
one of the very first in the field with
for the election of dele
gates, thus indicating that they were
up and coming and proposed to do
business.
However, as already indicated, it is
not safe to do too much prophesying
about mergers in the interest of the
Taft boom just at present. The secre-
tary is going some in this particular
trial heat but he has to go around the
track several times yet
There is that Foraker boom out in
his own precincts of Ohio. The Sen
ator continues to be the greatest and
most astute political fighter on earth
The Forakerites and the Taftites are
simply talking their heads off in Ohio,
asserting that the state is going with
a bang for Taft or Foraker. according
to the preference of the speaker. But
no one knows yet what Ohio is going
to do or how generally she will cling
TO the Senator who has long been a
popular favorite. Every political eye
in Washington has been following the
Senator on his recent trip out to Ohio
and reading every line the newspapers
have to offer about it. He is fighting
with his back to the wall. neither ask
ing nor giving quarter. The Ohio
Republican voters like that kind of a
man and it is difficult TO see how the