The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-01-30


conscientious In his attitude on great
public questions that he could not
believe he had so largely excited
popular hostility. Therefore, whe n
threatened with elimination, he very
grandly said, Let us leave 1t to the
people We do not know that defeat
could have been avoided, but that
declaration should have stood. When
the senator asked for primaries, there
was little excuse to oppose the exces-
sive grant of his request. To be sure,
the state call lie a cumbersome, illegal
thing, a striking specimen of political
irony, but 1t was for primary, all
right, at which all the people might
vote. The senator was out-primaried,
IL we may use that term. But when
politicians play the game of politics,
they must play gamely, regardless OF
the EN- pire. In this case the state
committee was the umpire. 1t was
all right to kick on the decision, there
we're grounds for that, but Is was poor
business to quit the game. It weak
ened his fighting forces who were
willing to battle to the last ditch.
'It is an admission that Ohio has a
ma iority for Taft, and having that, 1t
will be un justifable politics to persue
the fight In the congressional districts.
We are for Senator Foraker to win.
We are not for him simply to impair
Mr.. Taft's chances. 1t is a JOY to
boost, 1t is no comfort to knock.
Senator Foraker's resentment toward
the politicians who have conspired TO
retire him is justified, but they are
not to be classed as half so AFFECTION
able as those of his pretended friends,
who encouraged him to make the de-
cisive battle, and then scurred to the
tall timber to await the commissary
wagons of the Taft armies. Aside
from these-the bargainers of poll.
tics-and aside from the senator's
friends and enemies, there is mani
festly a great, earnest, enthusiastic
lot of Taft boosters, because they are
for Taft. This is their right and no
one can complain. Taft is strong In
devotees of his own, he Is strong In
the followers of the president, he Is
materially aided by Foraker's enc.
mics and Foraker deserters, and the
allies are overpowering. Senator
Foraker is politically out In the state
at large, and will only ask his follow
ers to do the unreasonable and strive
for the impossible to pursue the dis
trict fights. We cannot speak for
all his Marion county friends, whom
we have believed and still believe
numerous enough to carry Marion
county, but we do not believe they will
join in any campaign which has no
inspiration other than opposition to
the manifest choice of the majority.
"Within reciting the iojustice of 1t
all, without pursuing regrets or writ
ing complaints, because this Is polit.
ical war and the ethics of war do not
make public bulletins of personal sor-
row, it may be wr tten that the politi-
Cal atmosphere in Ohio Is clearing.
Senator Foraker is not entirely "elim-
mated" because men of his stripe are
never "eliminated," but his political
leadership is at an end. There will
be no Foraker faction In the future.
There will never be time when there
are no factions. For 25 years there
has been Foraker following In Ohio;
a long. g.time victorious In late years
still a devoted band, but seldom In
triumph. We had the Sherman and
Foraker factions until Sherman
yielded to advancing years and Hanna
took the reins, then we had the Fora
ker and Hanna factions until Hanna
was stricken down by the grim de-
stroyer There was momentarv
Herman.Dick and Foraser alignment,
then the Foraker-Dick and Burton
Daugherty forces with swords drawn.
This year it has been the Taft Roose-
velt allies against Senator Foraker,
and he is defeated without battle.
His political leadership Is necessarily
done. Licked IL the ldconic way to
put It, and in political honor his
followers are prisoners of war, and
will have to be so.
San this is said in undiminished
admiration for Senator Foraker's
statesmanship, and without abating
one word of CONNIE ndation, 30 freely
expressed of the Republican princi-
pies for which he stands. Men rise
and fall. Principles, If right. endure
for all time. Temporarily they get
crossed with popular sentiment. 1t
is so today. We think the time will
come when Senator Foraker will stand
triumphant in public estimate. To-
day the trend of popular opinion Is
against him, and the political fates