The Washington times., 1908-11-23
Convinced That Cannon Vic
tory Foredooms Admins
TatiGn TO Failure.
REASONS GIVEN
FOR THIS BELIEF
Despite Assurances of Uncle
Joe's" Backers, President-Elect
Is Confident.
By ]. c. WELLIVER.

y
President-elect Taft has been told
that unless he makes and wins night
to prevent the reelection OF Joseph G.
Cannon as Speaker. the Taft admins
tration will be foredoomed TO failure.
The Prssident-eleet has been con-
WINGED that this Is true.
Much as1inst his will. he has given
mis- voice for war. He has been plunged
into the contest three months before he
viii be President. 1t Is a contest in
which he viii need every ounce of pa
tronage power. yet another man con-
trolls that power
Mr.. Taft IS. of course. assured the
earnest cooperation OF Mr.. Roosevelt If
such a night be made. The Presidents
hslp viii be invaluable; but none the
~ q Is primarily Mr. Tafts night
Back OF the announcement by Repre-
sentative Burton, in which Taft's op-
position 10 Cannon was foreshadowed,
was the decision Of Mr.. Taft mat
night was inevitable The reasoning
which had convinced him that he must
night was in substance as follows:
Tafts' Reasons.
If Cannon is Speaker during the
tarin revision session, revision Will not
satisfy the country. The succeeding long
session win accomplish little: then will
come a Congressional election, and the
Disguised country will give the Demo
Gratis the House. With a Democratic
House, progressive achievement VIII be
impossible during the latter ha,f Of the
Taft administration: the administration
viii be written down a failure. and Taft
viii be a one-term President"
There is only one way 20 avoid this
series Of calamities, as the advisers OF
Mr.. Taft view &c. That Is 10 defeat Can-
non. Mr.. TAFT must get about it inn
mediately il he hopes 20 win. He is not
President yet; lie must conduct his
night from his temporary residence,
wHie Mr.. Cannon viii be on the ground
IN Washington.
IL is reported on high authority that
the Speaker already has pledges of
enough votes to renominate him.
No matter; Mr.. TAFT has been con-
WINGED that the fight must be made, and
the statement through Representative /
Burton Is the declaration of war.
Burton Necessary.
The truth is that Mr.. Burton is pecu-
uarly necessary TO Mr.. Tart at this
time With Burton positively out OF |
consideration. il would be almost use
less TO even look into the possibility OF !
beating Cannon, No other man In the
House would be able to muster so many
votes, by a score or more, as would 40 |
TO Burton If he we're recognized as the
Administration candidate. Esch, Smith, |
Townsend and Fowler have been dis
Cussed seriously. Hepburn might have
been a winner. but he has been defeated. /
After ALI II is the general opinion Of |
House members that Burton is much /
stronger than any other man, and the !
only man with whom there Will be any
chance at all to defeat Cannon Even
with him. the chance is looked upon as |
small.
Is in Tight Place.
But President-eIact Taft is in a most
difficult situation. Here is the situation, !
as it looks to a man whose name can
not be given, but who has been men |
toned for weeks past as a probable |
member. of the new Cabinet. and who is !
close 10 both the President and the |
PresidenU-elect.
Mr.. Taft is earnestly for real tariff |
revision. He cannot but know that If !
he fails to get it, he will fail because
the controlling powers In the House will |
prevent It,
ne huOho AlitL TX nc AS uNtcdLeQ al
the special session in the matter Of tar |
in. he will be defeated at the regular /
session, beginning a year hence, IN an |
the other progressive measures he will |
advocate. Let the House organization |
once get firmly in control, and il will !
make no concessions whatever TO Mr. !
Taft.
IF that proves the outcome, you can be |
as certain as you like that the next !
House will be Democratic. Where does
that leave Mr.. Taft2
with nothing accomplished by the I
first Congress of his administration be- /
cause it was controlled by the opposing
faction in mis- own party. he would accom- /
pIish nothing through the second Con- /
gress of his administration because IL /
would be controlled by the opposite po- /
itcal party
.'The Taft administration, in short. |
would be a failure. The progress prom
ised the country would not be forth !
coming; 1912 would see the party forced /
ia turn elsewhere for a candidate, and /
would see the Democrats in better shape
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