Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-25
CAPITAL CHAT.
CONTINUED from Page One.)

the heavy booming of the Presidential
boomers.
However, no Republican can be a
candidate for the Vice Presidency.
Gov Guild made that very sage remark
very early in the game and in essen
tials it is very true. The party will
chose running mate" from the Sec
ton Of the country opposite to that
from which the Presidential candi-
date Is picked. The Presidential cam
didate is not yet picked by any manner
Of means and II will probably be sew
eral months before any certain infor-
nation can be given about 1t. No one
can say that it will not be Taft or
Cannon or Fairbanks or even LaFol-
lette from the West, in which event
some one from the East, or from the
South possibly. would be sought for
the tail OF the ticket. No one can say
that it will not be Hughes or Knox. in
which event the tail Of the ticket would
come from out West.
The Vice Presidential nomination is
almost invariably Il round table nomi-
nation. After the head of the ticket
Is nominated, his friends and a few
Of the party leaders generally get to-
Eether and decide upon who would
help out and make an acceptable can
dlda,e. The selection Of a vice presi-
dent probably Is not SO much a matter
Of strength to the ticket as many
politicians think. The great mass OF
the voters vote for the head Of the
ticket without giving thought to who
or what his running mate may be.
Just recently. however. there has
been some little politics in talking
about vice presidential timber and the
value Of the talk has been
chiefly In that it shows how anxious
the various presidential boomers are
for delegates. Take New Jersey for
instance. It remains about the best
of the virgin territory in the East.
outside of New England. The state
will have "a delegates in the Chicago
conyention--a nice little block OF
votes for Taft if he could get them. or
n nice accession for the allied forces
of anti-Tafters if they could persuade
New Jersey to send them uninstructed
and with leanings to Hughes or some
other anti-Taft candidate.
The Taft workers, who arc now
spread all over the land. were trying
to coax Jersey somewhat. Therefore
they Girted With Gov. Fort. President
Roosevelt or someone expressing the
Presidents idea. put it up to the
Governor Of Jersey that he ought to
be . very fleet running mate If ne
could turn Jersey over to Taft. Nat
:, t.rally this pleased the governor and 1t
pleased the people of Jersey. But the
shrewder politicians also pointed out
that Gov Fort would be in 4 much
better position to demand the plum,
should Jersey go uninstructed to Chi
cago Then, with the promise of the
plum right new and fresh. the Jersey
delegates would much more likely he
atle to bring the plum to the Cover
nor than II the delegation went bound
hand and foot as an asset of the Taft
bqom.
And the outcome Of the weeks run
ninrs to and fro over the matter have
been that one governor has his vice
presidential lightning rod up but his
delegation will go without Taft i'll
structions and freeto vote for Taft or
against him as party welfare seems to
warrant.
Gov. Fort and Gov. Guild have now
departed Washington and are back in
executive offices. struggling with their
respective legislatures and doing other
gubernatorial business. Massachu-
sets is showing no haste about climb
ing aboard anybody's presidential
wagon and the Republicans up that
way are too wary to be trapped by
any vice presidential bait They know
that Massachusetts, Is a stronghold
state and that the next. Republican
convention is not going to give any
thing to Commonwealth which can
be put down in advance for the ticket,
whoever may be on that ticket. The
Governor and Secretary Taft did talk
about such a combination as Taft and
Guild. when they were Grating" to-
gether In Michigan but neither Of
them regarded it as anything more
than little persihage.
Vice presidential nominees have
often been selected in a somewhat
careless way by National conventions,
but most of them have turned out
pretty well. OF course vice presi-
dent may at any moment, during his
four years term, become the greatest
official in the world Only one life
stands between him and the Presi-
dency. Arthur made an excellent
President and so has Theodore Roose-
Welt, who became President through
the vice Presidency. Probably as
!. much can not be said of the earlier
4. vice presidents. but times were differ
ont e0e0A