Arizona republican., 1911-01-27
Taft the Popular Choice.

It had been predicted, and was ex- pected. that the reelection of the
 Hon. Robert Marion. LaFollette to the
 United States senate from Wisconsin
 would be made the occasion for a
 formal launching of his boom for the presidency. but the legislature made
 it's choice on Wednesday without any
 fireworks except a speech from the senator.
 That LaFollette intends to be a candidate for the republican nomina- ton in opposition to Mir. Taft is fairly certain. however All the signs point that way. One of the signs is, that some of the other insurgent senators who think they are of presidential size and ought to be chosen instead of LaFollette. are showing decided coolness toward the Wisconsin sena- tor. It is reasonably certain that such opposition to MT. Taft's renomi- nation as may develop will concen- trate in support of LaFollette.
 It is very probable, also. that the LaFoIlette following will be of small proportions in the national conven- ton. He will have the Wisconsin delegation. of course. as he has had it in the last two national conven- tions. and he will have scattering support. possibly, from a few of the other states; but it is not at all probable that the total LaFollette strength in the convention of next year will be sufficient to make mo- ticeable headway against the Taft forces.
 For it is a certainty that William Howard Taft will be the choice of the republican party for president in next years campaign. Factionalists who for one reason or another have hoped to work up opposition to the renomination of the president-have met with no substantial encourage ment, nor is it likely that they will succeed any better in the future. For awhile they foOlishly counted upon the cooperation of Theodore Roose- welt. But it is we'll settled now that Colonel Roosevelt will at the proper time announce that he is anxious for the renomination and reelection of Mir. Taft. At no time in the past have Taft and Roosevelt been in closer touch than at present.
 The chairman of the national com mittee in next years campaign will in all probability be William Loeb, Jr.. secretary to President Roosevelt in the last administration, and now as then a favorite with both Roose- welt and Taft Postmaster General Hitchcock does not wish to be chair man again; he wishes to complete the difficult task of placing the post office department on a strictly busi- ness basis, and were he to contem- plate taking the chairmanship Of the national committee for the purposes of the ensuing campaign it would be necessary for him to resign from the cabinet before many months and be- fore completing the reforms he has undertaken. Mir Taft is frankly a candidate for reelection if his party wants him. but he will not permit his renomination to be brought about by federal officeholders, nor would he consent to the management of his campaign by a member of his cabinet
 If the nomination were to be made this year there would be so little op- position to the renominatiO of MT Taft that it would be worth little consideration, and all the probabilities favor the continued increase of his popularity with the masses of the republican party.
 And our democratic friends who are now so confident of heating MT. Taft at the polls will be revising their opinions before a year from this date.