Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-03
TAFT'S FIGHT IN OHIO
Cabinet Campaigning State
for Administration.
PARTY APATHY DISSIPATED
Big Crowd Greets Knox, Who Sounds
Keynote in Speech.
DEMOCRATS STILL CONFIDENT
Political Future Involved in Result.
I. C. N. Reviews Situation in
Buckeye State.
DEMOCRATS STILL CONFIDENT
Special From a Staff Correspondent.

! dent Taft is out in the open now, fight
| ing desperately to elect a Republican
| governor of his native state, to save the
| party ticket and to preserve his own
threatened political future.
From now until the end of the cam
paign the heaviest artillery in the Pres
| ldent's cabinet will be on the firing line
| In the Buckeye state Secretary of State
| Knox spoke here last night, while Sec
/ retary of the Treasury MacVeagh held
| forth in Toledo
Attorney General Wickersham and Sec
retary of Agriculture Wilson are rush.
| ing to the front and will open up on
| the enemy tomorrow night For the rest
| OF the week these four cabinet members
| will practically cover the state, SO far as
important points are concerned.
And Saturday, in Cleveland, Theodore
| Roosevelt, the greatest gun Of them all,
will fire a broadside at Gov. Harmon
and plead for republican success.
Big Guns Turned Loose.
Four cabinet members and the only Iiv-
ing ex-President turned loose in a single
state at the very windup of a mighty
spirited campaign ought to be able to
make some sort of an impression. That 8
what the republican leaders are hoping.
Certainly the fur will fly from now on.
If the other cabinet members. in their
speeches follow the lead of Knox last
n1ght-and there seems to be no doubt
that they will-their appearance IN
Ohio is for the purpose of making q per-
sonal appeal on behalf Of william H.
Taft, rather than for Warren G. Harding
the republican candidate for governor.
Knox talked more about Taft than he
did about Harding. He put it up to the
republican voters to support the President
of the United States in his home state.
or take the consequences He left it
somewhat to the Imagination of his audi
tors what the consequences to Taft
would be.
Political Future Involved.
Students of the political situation in
general seem to consider the condition IN
this state as more interesting and inn
portant. with reference to the possible
effect Of the result upon tine political
future, than In New York. Now that Taft
has put half of his cabinet into the state
to appeal to voters to support the hand
Of the President. q defeat OF the republic
an ticket viii amount to decided snub
to the republican President, and, likely
enough. might be one of the important
factors when it comes time to select
republican standard bearer in 1912.
There are some other questions the re-
publicans In the state are asking them
selves. On paper they look something like
this:
Suppose Roosevelt succeeds In electing
Stimson in New York. and Taft fails to
drag Harding through in Ohio? That's
question number one.
Suppose Rooseveltism beats Stinson in
New York and the republican ticket Is
successful in this state? That is Ques-
ton number two.
And for question number three: What
will be the effect on the future il both
Harmon and Dix win out?
Revival Of Interest Shown.
The republican leaders here are tickled
to death today at the success of the big
rally last night When Gov. Harmon spoke
here last Saturday Memorial Hall. which
seats $500 people. was about half full.
Last night every seat was taken before
| the aisles and behind the back rows of
! chairs, and other hundreds couldn't get
i into the building.
When it is considered that only couple
OF weeks ago the republicans all over
the state were absolutely apathetic and
/ hopeless and would not turn out in force
to hear their party favorites. the re-
versal of political form and display of
/ INTEREST OH the part OF the rank
and file are taken as decidedly encourag-
| ing.
| / don't find any really violent enthu-
siasm for William ii. Taft. although the
mention of his name is pleasantly receiv-
| ed everywhere. At the rallies in Cincin-
natl and here. any reference to the Presi-
dent was received with kindly round of
| applause of the complimentary kind that
invariably follows mention of Abraham
Lincoln or George Washington or Will
liam Mckinley.
Enthusiasm for Roosevelt.
But let a speaker, no matter who he
may be. start to mention the only living
ex-President! He gets. no farther than
Theodore Roo" before his voice is
drowned by sharp. open-throated yell
that apparently jumps spontaneously
from thousand throats
And so Col. Roosevelt's appearance in
Cleveland Saturday, when he is expected
to fay Gov. Harmon in vigorous English
and give bunch of excellent reasons
why ne should not be reelected governor
of this commonwealth, is expected by re.
publicans to do world of good
i If We could only have had Roosevelt
out here for solid week at the wind-uI
of the campaign" said a big republican
today, we could have dispensed with al
other outside help and have elected Hard
Al
Il Incidentally, Harding, who has de
veloped into an effective campaigner
is getting all he can out of Theodore
Roosevelts popularity. He mention.
his name in every speech, always In tn,
most complimentary, even eulogistit
manner, and is undoubtedly makinf
friends that way
This Is interesting and q bit anus
ing, too. because of the generally &C
cepted idea among Ohio republican.
that IL there is one man whom Hard
ing doesn't care for it's Roosevelt
However, Harding has sense enough
to realize that the ex-President Is a
excellent campaign asset just abou
now. He isn't letting a little thing lik,
his personal feelings stand in his light
i Harmon Harps on Graft.
Meanwhile Gov. Harmon, realixing /,
the full that II he defeats the presi
!. dentially-supported Harding in the Presi
dents own state he will be the ad
mittedly logical democratic standar,
bearer in 1912. is not letting the gras
5 grow under his feet. Believing that tn
graft charges, which he has made tn
J principal issue in the campaign, consti
tute his best card. In that they tend L
keep Harding and the other republican
speakers on the defensive. he is reiterat
ing them with renewed force.
And the democratic campaign commit
tee in the state, while 1t has no cabine