The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17
Remember the Story of the
 Mouse Eating Through a l Great Cheese
QUESTIONS MAY
 BE EMBARRASSIM.
Thirteen" Republican Governors Are Equally" Divided-Taft May Re- turn to Washington Much
 "Leaner" Man
By EDWARD MARSHALL

By EDWARD MARSHALL
 New York September 16.-(speciaD.-I is frightful task which William Howard Taft has set himself There is tragic story in the ehildren's book about the mouse that started valiantly to eat his way through a great cheese. Mr.. Taft i has started to eat his way across the continent and back again. statistician at the Union club, last night. began to figure up the number of half shelled bi< valves which would be put before the | President before he sees the White House | at the end of the return trip but aban- l doned count in a quite hopeless maze Of l clammy figures. Pools are beinge made in New York city upon his weight when he returns-a problem which, to some, | would seem far simpler If the element or | worry did not count so much in such matters. It would be comparatively easy to figure out the fat 8 man might .ake | upon himself given as b-sis for the | calculation, his disposition and the char acter of the banqucts which he must con sume, if there were nothing to offset the food But. in this case, there Is some Ithing. There is LaFollette!
 Out at the Spring Lake meeting there
 were 13 republican governors. Ominons figures for the party. by the way, and, moreover President Taft began his .our on Friday, and it is to cover 13.0oo miles,
 A newspaper mans study of the 1s gov
 ernors resulted in the calm announcement
 that they were evenly divided between
 Taft and LaFollette and this report was
 telegraphed throughout the country. 1s
 would take King Herod to divide 1s gov
 ernors equally between two presidential aspirants and the process would complete ly spoil one governor. but no enthusiastic
 straw vote artist minds little thing Ike
 that.
 It seems to be the fact, however. that more than one political expert was astonished by lthe strength which the 9 Wisconsin man developed there among the governors. Ills most outspoksn ad- vocates were McGovern of Wisconsin.
 who, of course. would wish to boom , home industry; Carey of Wyoming, vessey of South Dakota. Stubbs of Kan
 sas and Aldrich of Nebraska. More Hoodoo
 It is reported by the insurgent sym
 pathizers that there Is black cat on
 the presidential special car New York opinion is divided to
 the real importance of the insurgent
 movement. which, at the present mo
 rnent, seems to have crystalized it's !, hopes in a list of questions which the
 President is to be asked to answer in ! the strongholds of insurgency. These questions are:
 Why did you hurry reduction Of
 the duties on agricultural products through a special session of Congress } land still compel the people to wait for | a revision of the WOOL schedule!
 Do you favor the central bank plan? What Is your policy toward Alaska? | What new trust legislation shall you | advocate?
 What will be your policy toward the , progressives in the party If you are nominated and elected?
 The progressive bureau in Washing } ton believes these questions will tremendously confuse the President It 1, also Issues a prediction that if he Is : nominated, MT. Taft will get but 2os electoral votes, while his democratic opponent (unnamed) Is credited with
 certainty of 325. In this statement New
 York, Massachusetts, Indiana. connecti.
 cut. Ohio, Maine, New Jersey and Vir- | Rlnla are dl COuIlSu de diti- hAt.
 Others than himself discredit this po-
 litical forecast. refusing to be worried over his ability to answer to the gen.
 eral satisfaction of the country tine in- surgent list of questions
 And that MT. Taft himself does not
 follow the insurgent line of reason
 ing as to which states are doubtful is Indicated by the fact that his great tour gives scant attention to New York
 state and New England and does not go at all to either Indiana or Ohio.
 But tho progressives are very hope
 full, having just been assured of what they consider very strong support by , Rudolph Spreckles, the sugar million aire reformer of San Francisco. He , and Mehill Mccormick. Chicago's fla
 nous editor, who is so definitely , member of the progressive movement , that he took charge of the Washington headquarters for a time recently. spent , much time together during the week.
 Mir Spreckles predicts freely that tke
 California delegation to tho republican
 convention will be solidly for LaFol-
 lctte.
 Progressives Fighting
 And the progressives are now fight , ing in the open. MT. Taft has pre-
 pared copiously to meet their oppo-
 sition. It Is definitely stated by those
 in a position really to know that the 200 odd speeches he has prepared
 wholly or in part give almost as much
 attention to the progressive movement , as they do to the democracy. He has, , however, kept pretty carefully under his own hat the line of talk which ne ] will follow. It is only known that he will answer the insurgent questions very fully and with emphasis. and he } will dub those insurgents who sup ported the democrats in Congress on
 the tariff measures open traitors to the republican party: that he will dis } cuss reciprocity at length, arguing that it will help. not hurt. the farmer, and that he will urge conservation and
 currency reform continually. [ have given more attention to the President than to the governors, late } Ily gathered at Spring Lake, because he
 is starting outward bound upon his Journey. while they are turning home- :, ward. He is live issue they have shot their bolts
 3 Worliingnen' compensation. state con- trol of interstate commerce. national di- Ivorce law, woman suffrage and the initia- tive, referendum and recall-these were l the principal provocatives of guberna- , torial mental activity at the conference. {, IT any very bitter. and in the least justi- 
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