The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-23
Is Much Fractional Jealousy in Ranks of the In-
 surgents
SOUTHERN DELEGATES
 HARD TO CONTROL
Taft Is in a Good Way To Become More Unpopular With the Stand patters By Revision of the
 Wool Schedule
BY WALTER HARPER

l BY WALTER HARPER
 Washington, October 22.-tSpeciall l It has been generally conceded that President Taft will be the nominee of the republican party for President in 1912.
 But this is by no means certainty The feeling is growing day by day that the party will have to select some other man if it hopes to win in the next campaign. But that other man will not be Senator LaFollette of Wiscon- l sin.
 1 There is about as much and maybe more factlonal jealousy in the ranks of insurgency as there is uncertainty of loyalty in the ranks of the stand | patters or regulars.
 l Under normal conditions MT. Taft 1 would be renominated without ques- 1 ton. There is a sort of general un- derstanding or a habit of giving a faithful executive a second term. Mir Taft has been faithful enough to that wing of the party he represents but the conditions are unusual. There are
 
 lar wing of the party that will admit that MT. Taft might be defeated if ne l Is the nominee.
 LaFollette Not Wanted l But these people do not want MT. LaFollette. They would probably not support the nomination of any outright progressive. A strong compromise candidate upon whom the two fac | tions could center is the only hope Of the party and that party leaders will 1 seek for such man is now considered | as a certainty. ------- l Some of the avowed leaders of the progressive faction of the republican party were conspicuous for their ab- senceviror tIe recent confereace st l Chicago. Senator Cummins of Iowa and Senator Borah of Idaho are notable | instances. They made some sort of I explanations, but did these eXplana- tions explain?
 But they are insurgents neverthe less and will continue to insurge. They and their following will give trouble in the national convention and 1t IS generally believed that they will con- tinue to give trouble if MT Taft is the nominee.
 Progressiveism Growing There is no mistaking the fact that progressiveism IS formidable and that l it Is growing every day. It has infest- ed the departments here at Washington like the spirit. of rebellion in revo- lutionary monarchy. Of course the in- surgents in the departments here keep very quiet but they are insurgent just the same There are thousands of them under the shadow of the capitol dome
 Since they are so numerous here on the x-oy1. ,f tl,a info ctrQt to understand that the sentiment is equal ly strong out over the country where there is no political pressure. The southern republicans are ready to insurge the moment they see the first sign of impending danger to the ruling dynasty. Mr. Taft will get the support of the southern delegates so long as the southern republicans feel that MT. Taft is the strongest man in the party and can win. If they grow doubtful of this they gre ready to be instructed for the strong est man. It has been charged that they are in politics flor revenue only" and there is probably something to sustain the charge. Southern Delegates In the convention 1t will be an easy matter to turn the southern delegates over to the support of the man who seems most likely to win. They will
  wagon.
 If william H. Taft fails of the nonina- ton on the first ballot in the convention 1t would be well enough to drop his name entirely.
 And since it would be just as difficult to secure unanimous support of Senator LaFollette If he should be nominated, the republicans would be wise in dropping his name also. The republicans must get to- gether if they hope to win in the next campaign, and as things appear now they will never be able to do this with either of these men as the candidate for Pres ident
 Owing to conditions as they now stand President Taft is In good way to become more and more unpopular with that fac ton of the party that is expected to sup port him. lie stands pledged to a re- vision of at least one schedule of the tariff at the next session of Congress. Of course, he is resourceful and can find 0 way to sidestep that reiterated pledge.
 Tariff Revision
 The report of his tariff board on wool, which has been promised by December 1, will be forthcoming. The President has promised to recommend a revision of that schedule and probably others on the fig ures and information furnished in that report No one knows what that report will show. It may be made to show any, thing that the President desires that it should show. and it will be easy for him to find in 1t some excuse for further de- Iay But whether he can do it in the face of popular impatience is a question. The standpatters will demand that there be no '.tinkering'' with the tariff unless the entire list of schedules are taken up and disposed of together. Here is where the rub will come, and the Presi- dent will have to handle the matter with marvellous care to save his position and his face.
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