The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-26
t. ]. p. |S NOT
 HORS DE COMBAT Party Is Recovering From
 the November Shock TAFT A FAVORITE
President Will Surely Get the 1912 Nomination If He Wants 1t, Ac- cording to the Prevalent
 Information
By SIDNEY EsPEY

Dy SlD MI ESIGi
 Washington. February 1s.-tSpecial. Are the republicans of the House down cast and hopeless regarding the out come of the 1912 campaign?
 If one could mingle on the floor ant rub elbows with the leaders. the mar who manages the organization, i would soon manifst itself that the G o. F. is not hors de combat. but is re covering from the November shock O defeat. and before the shadows of 191. appear upon the political horizon th' battle-scarred veterans of the part. will be found standing shoulder tt shoulder ready for the fray
 It must be admitted that Presiden Taft is the favorite for the 1912 pres idential nomination. To use a sporting term, he is at present one to ten ia vorite. But the unexpected sometimes has happened and an outsider has cap tured the prize. However, if a vot, were taken today President Taft would be nominated for another term.
 Whip Dwight of New York says th' republicans were defeated by the dem ocrats, not the insurgents, for some o the insurgents were defeated in dis tricts where they were supposed to b. sinvincible, and a number of standpat ters also bit the dust. It was not in dividuals. says the "whp," but the re publican party that was whipped. How ever, whip" Dwight is not discour aged. He says the responsibility Is now on the shoulders of the democrats, wht are charged with legislation in the nexi Congress and the republicans will set to it that the majority in the House next December hew to the line. Presi- dent Taft, he says. Is today the choice of the rank and file. he has been faith full to the platform and his admlnistra tion has been huccessful.
 Representative Thomas s. Butler, oi Pennsylvania, one of the leaders of the House. who is considered a good for caster, says that the only thing thai will prevent President Taft's renomi- nation is the President himself. If the President wants another term, says MT Butler. he can have it. In the opinion of the Keystone state statesman the revision of the tariff by a democratic ltOuSe WILL uHScltlt tDuSiIeSS, CduSt manufa cturers to limit production, ant thus make hard times for labor witt the result that the people will look once more to the republican sparty fol relief.
 But this enthusiastic Taft sentiment Is not shared by all republicans. There are many who regard Senator Robert M. LaFollette of Wisconsin as the mar for the nomination. Lighting Bob.' as i. f..s- 1. |. longs to the progressives. He does moi approve of much that the Taft ad has done. for on man, vital issues he differs with the Pres. ident- Some of the most severe crit icisms against the adninfstra tion have been printed in LaFollette's paper anf they were freely used by the demo. crats in the campaign of last year. Il is common talk that the Wisconsin senator has a following in the west banded together to bring about, ii possible. his nomination for the pres idency. There is no questioning Flight. ing Bobs' independence of party ties He believes the time has come for q reorganization of the c. O. P; for the infusion of new blood and ideas, an6 his followers say he is the one man tc rally that independent element thai played such an important part in tho November election. The statement has been made that the Wisconsin delega tion to the next republican nationa convention will be instructed for La. Toilette.
 While LaFollette may be regarded oi presidential size. the fact should not bt overlooked that in Iowa there is mar of national prominence who looms higi upon the horizon as a presidential pos sibility. Senator Cummins occupies an in- fuential and commanding position in sflt Senate. He ranks as progressive o progressives and for years he has beer boss" of Iowa. He has been free ir his comment on the recommendations o President Taft, and has never hestatet to speak his convictions. He is ambitious and does not attempt to conceal it. Ht has progressive ideas, believing tha times and conditions have changed ma terially since the republican party wa. born. Those who talk Cummins for 19i say it Is necessary for some such mar to head the ticket if the republican party is to hold its own, otherwise the party will follow in the footsteps of the olt whig party. The Iowa senator believes that the time has come for a stronger government; that Legislation is needed tt better protect the interests of the peo pie from the greed of the trusts, ant a modification of the tariff laws Is neces sary so that the burdens of taxatior may be more evenly divided. The Cum mins boom has appeared and 1t mus be admitted that it possesses tIdrawins qualities. arF
 In the Hoosier state former Vice Pres ident Charles Warren Fairbanks Is look ing wistfully toward 1912. He has beer called the Iceberg of Indiana" but thi Is rank calumny, for those who know him say there never was a man in pub lie life who was more genial. He Is { good presiding officer, as the senator, who served under him can testify H, is broad and liberal, and has an earn est following of influential friends wh, are now quietly at work laying the wirc for Fairbanks delegates. Those who ar; grooming him say that when the nex national convention meets the bosses wil have to reckon with the gentleman iron Indiana.
 What about Roosevelt. the strenuous There Is much talk about him under thu surface. He has many stanch friends il the House who would jump to his candi dacy and beat the political tomtoms |; he but said he would run again, bu there is a general feeling here that be fore long he will come out in a charac terlstic declaration that Taft must b renominated This is already an accept ed fact by many of the Presidents clos est friends in the House.
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