The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1911-05-20

adopted.
Watching Carter Harrison.
The announcement from Illinois Of
the Inauguration of Carter HI. Harri-
son as mayor of Chicago. and the Gre
alton of the local branch Of the Pro
gressive Republican league pledged to
La Toilette, has national significance.
Illinois is always a storm center. In
Aitgeld's days lit was more of a bat
Etleground than now, but the younger
Harrison is likely to revive the tactics
of that time. Politicians in Washing
ton, especially those from Illinois and
bordering states, are watching closely
his early acts in office.
Among the Illinois delegation here
in Washington there are men who have
begun already talking about him for
either the first or the second place on
uncounted times say that the position
of mayor Of Chicago is one of vastly
more power and of quite equal pres
tige to the yice-presidency, in which
he is right. 1t does not seem prob
able that he can get the first place
on the national ticket, even II the
tstory that the Illinois delegation Is to
be turned over to some one named by
Hearst is untrue, as think it Is. For
these reasons / do not believe, and
New Of the congressman from the mid
die west believe, that the Harrison
ambitions will extend for the present
| beyond the boundaries Of the city OF
| Chicago.
Still there is going to be free for
all convention of the Democratic par
| ty with more candidates than have
been presented in the last sixteen
| years. His name may be one of those
which six months ago we would not
have thought would have even hear
ing. The opinion is hazarded by po-
| litical observers here that Harrison
will stand well in the running, with
Folk Of Missouri, who has already the
! Endorsement of his own state, and
with Governor Marshall of Indiana,
but that none of the three will get
| farther than complimentary vote.
The outbreak of the La Toilette
movement in Illinois is regarded here
as the beginning Of a savage fight
which will probably not prevent the
denomination of President Taft, but
which may result in second Repub-
lican ticket.
/ Harmon Boom Launched.
The Judson Harmon presidential
boom was formally launched in
Washington recently at meeting
Eof the entire congressional dele
1 cation from Ohio, headed by Sen
ator Alice Pomerene. Senator Pom
lerene Is OF course somewhat of bene7
\ ficiary OF Gov. Harmon, who first
secured his nomination and election
Il as ieutenant-governo and then
itched him to the United States
torship While the latter action
some hostility ID The governor
ligaas ls II gsa ass
representative in Washington, hold.
Ting the distinguished position Of a
United States senator and under de-
cided obligations to the Ohio candi-
date for the presidency
When refer to the boom being
launched | do not overlook the fact
that Gov. Harmon's candidacy has
been matter of common knowledge
ever since his reelection as governor.
But less than any other man holding
the entirely iustifiable ambition to be-
come president of the United States
he has pressed his cause. He has sat
back with the proposition that his
business was to be governor first and
presidential candidate afterwards
This position was magnificent but it
was not war, and his friends at the
capital have been little bit dis
Quieted by the lack of any systematic
effort authorized by him to urge his
candidacy. He has to meet the scarce
ly yelled antagonism of Mr.. Bryan. He
has to encounter the very powerful
strategical position of Champ Clark,
who not merely has the ear of the
press, the Washington representatives
Of which call Of course at the speak
er's office, but is in a position to dis
cuss his hopes and ambitions daily,
almost hourly, with men of political
influence in various states who come
to seek favors from the speaker. Fur
thermore Gov. Wilson of New Jersey
has been making strides to the front
in the last few weeks. He has press
bureau and lecture bureau. He Is
radical enough to keep himself in the
public eye very successfully, and suffi-
GENTLY conservative not to estrange
the financial forces which originally
put him into politics.
With this active work in progress
BY his chief rivals, Gov. Harmon has
neither in person nor by authorize
ton to his friends, permitted any ac-
tive campaign to be made for him. The
result is that there has been some
what nervous feeling on the part of
Harmon men In Washington of late
But although he was slow to enter
the field with a systematic propagan-
da, 1t is fair to say that his entrance
is made under the most dignified cir
cumstances. No other state delega-
tion thus has met and without dis
senting voice prepared to press the
cause of favorite son. Doubtless
there will be imitation later Rut tn