The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-10
THE CAUSE OF TAFT.

THE CAUSE OF TAFT.
 The organization of a militant Taft club in this city by men who under stand the currents of political action means of course an advance in the value of Taft stocks in these parts. It will probably be but q few days be- fore similar clubs will be formed in other sections of Connecticut, and then there will be in active service bodies of trained men who. will be able to make their power felt at the polls Had not the organizers of the New Haven Taft club had every con fidence In their ability to send Taft delegation to the convention which will select national delegates they would not have undertaken the task. So that so far as the vote of Connecti- cut is concerned in the Republican na- tional convention Secretary Taft may be said to have good grip on It
 In the meantime the prospects of MT Taft's nomination, while unques- tionahly improving, have not yet lost their elusive character There Is no doubt whatever that he is quietly rec ognized by most thinking men of his party as the best prepared man men toned In connection with the nomina- ton Nor is there any doubt whatever that many of these same thinking Re publicans are made increasingly ner- vous by his prolonged stay in the cab inet of President Roosevelt This Is not because they are anti Roosevelt in their feelings nor because they have suddenly decided that the Roosevelt policies are objectionable where they once thought them sound It is because it gives gossipy substance to the harmful story that Mir. Taft Is not his own master The Journal Courier, with some intimate knowledge of the man, has undertaken to explain how much at variance this understanding of the man is with the understanding which is based upon a knowledge of his character. and other newspapers have voluntarily undertaken the same task
 hut hoe ri,n
 The story goes its way and receives more or less credence: more anyway
 than is good for the Taft movement
 The newspaper friends of secretar,
 Taft, who are not dull in sensing pub
 lie opinion with regard to men anr
 measures, wish he were out of tn, cabinet. The frequency with whicf
 they refer to the embarrassing situ ation in which he finds himself is bu solicitous interest in his politica
 fortunes. Convinced not only of hi
 ability but of the valuable service h.
 can give the country as Presiden,
 they continue restless under a connec
 ton which they wish terminated with
 out seeing how 1t can be done I would not be surprising 10 learn tha they have about reached the conclu sion that he must make the race a
 President Roosevelt's choice and mak
 the most of it Silence on their par
 meets the inquiry how the transform stion is to be accomplished Resigna ton from the cabinet would not neces , sarily, nor in any likelihood. chang their mutual relationship. He woul
 still be avowedly and by long servic
 the representative of the more in pressive of the Roosevelt policies b There is only one way in which h can cease to be the representative those policies. and that way is one | will never take unless the warra, not yet in sight Is given. it is to don | HIS ldliH VI tHbSt btAli'tr4 nflN no reason under the sun why I ' should not retire from the cabinet he wishes to give his whole time > the management of his political 10 Il tunes, but there is every reason unjt n the sun why he should not retire fro 2 the cabinet for the purpose of tn - oretically proving his independence V cant be done that way The peop O must sense it by studying his publ O addresses and following him in his : votion to his various duties, uhch g Q ter all are as matter of fact his be n assets
 y As for MT Taft personally, the his VI esteem in which he is held by tho
 who know him is richly deserved II '- man doesn't live who could make hi
 do what he does not want to do N
 does the man i've who will not f, i, ty his side in fight for the innprov VI nent of things this same Mir Taft
 that task he would observe nsith
 the race. color or religion of his ass
 tiates If that Taft comes 10 he unde
 stood in the next few weeks his co n nection with the cabinet Of Preside se Roosevelt will be overcome
 "
 cIyuIzUNG ASSOCIATION.