The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-02-13

POLITICIANS
HUNGRY HoHDEs, BUzZARO-LlkE
SCENT PIE FROM AFAR.
TAFT IS ATTRACTIVE CENTER
Absndons Office In War Department
(But That Makes no Differenee)
and Receives Political Multi.
tude at His Own Home.

Washington. y. c.. Feb. l3-Spe-
cial.--A new political sun is rising.
In this capital city its rays already
are beginning To- be felt The en-.
vironments OF political life in Wash
iuEtuu are becoming supcrheatci.
Politics IS fairly popping. The corr
| dCrs of the capitIl are ;hrungcd win
men who rarely are seen in Wash.
| iHg,on except in the midst Of cam
paigu which has It's center here. The
/ situation today recalls the days of
| the preliminary campaign FOR the
| presidential nomination in 1896 when
| william Mckinley and Thomas B
/ Reed were the leading candidates for
the Republican nomination.
In the early days Of that year.
when Nj Reed was the speaker of
the house of representatives, politi.
clans AID would-be statesmen hung
about him with buzzard-like pers.s
tence. They gave him no peace. His
room at the capital was besiegpd by
men who desired primarily to bask in
the light of lis presence. and. sec
ondar.ly. to Impress him with the
power Of their influence to their
evontful political profit.
$ ores. even hundreds of these
people, Speaker Reed appeared to be
forced to receive and treat with civ.
ility He was not a particularly i'm
pressionable character. however, and
most OF his callers experienced the
blight of a frost.
So 1t was. too. at Canton. Ohio.
There Mckinley received a veritable
host of republicans from all parts OF
the country. The callers nearly bad.
gered the life out of him. Being In
the publ ceye. he was unable u rid
himself Of the horde of inconsequen.
tial persons who desired everything
fiom him from a portfolio in the cab
met to Il recommendation of corn
dure. II was a remarkable and char
acteristically American situation.
In the respects noted, history is
row repeating itself in Washington
Secretary Taft, who, for the moment
at least, seems To be the most prom
ineut candidate for the republican
nomination for the presidency, is
passing through an experience sim
liar - that of Reed and Mckinley
Hundreds OF persons desire TO see
him every day. He is besieged by
callers. So great is the pressure
upon his time, that ne scarcely has
opportunity to sign his personal mail
In addition to the time consumed
in receiving people VINO have To b,
seen, he is obliged TO prepare speeci
after speech TO be delivered in var
ious parts of the country. AS q
weight-reducing process the presen
situation is dec .dod success. No
body but one endowed with immens,
physical and mental powers coulC
y withstand the strain which Taft =
now undergoing.
The secretary in seltdefense, prac
tically has abandoned his Office in tn,
war department. He appears there
D TO attend 10 some official business
but most of his time is spent al h.,
own home, where he has set apar
suite OF rooms in which he tran
sacts Official and political business
He has corps OF clerks and steno
graphers assisting him and one o
two confidential men who act as but
fers between him and the genera
run Of callers
II IS a fact, remarked upon by eN
pericnced observers, that Secretar
raft now is receiving more caller
than the president OF the Unite
States. The tide has turned toward
him and he finds himself almost sui
n merged The president Is not nel
II lected by any means but the polit
clans are look ng to the east 4 ne,
pOlitical sun is rising.