The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-05
TAFT'S MANAGERS
 VERY OPTIMISTIC
Believe He Will Be RenOmi-
 mated on First Ballot
SITUATION IN HAND
Taft Lieutenants Claim He Has Made Good President-Taft Wants the N0mination-He Will Be-
 gin Active Campaign
Fly RALPH NJ. wHITEsIDE

Washington, February 4.-(Special)- J. The managers of President Tafts cam
 paign feel certain now that they have the
 situation well in hand and that the Presi-
 dent will be renominated at Chicago on the first ballot without difficulty. Those | friends of former President Roosevelt who are most active in the campaign to nominate him have, say the Presidents presidential advisers made the capital
 mistake of coming to the game too
 soon. The one chance of nominating Colonel Roosevelt may be in stampeding the convention.
 President Taft's lieutenants claim,
 and in the opinion of shrewd politicians who have no personal interest in the matter the claim is well sustained, that
 to nominate any other man than the
 President. MT. Taft, they claim. has made a good President. He has striven
 to carry out as nearly as possible the policies of the republican platform adopted at Chicago four years ago.
 There have been no scandals attached to his administration and there is no poin- at which he can be successfully attacked except the republican plat form itself must also be attacked. This being the case the claim is made fail ure to renominate him would be a re-
 urciation by the republican party of
 it's own platform and it's own admlnis-
 tration. Tho only opposition within the
 republican party to the renomnation of President Taft is the so-called Roose-
 velt opposition. The LaFollette move
 ment has never been taken seriously but since the activity of the friends of
 Roosevelt and the strength which has
 been developed for the former Presi-
 dent, the Taft men have realized that
 in order to make the renomination of
 the President certain an aggressive
 policy must be taken. The President
 has himself at last been reused to the
 fact that it will be necessary for him
 to come out and show fight. He has hesitated to believe MT. Roosevelt would
 eountenance an organized movement for
 his nomination, but the developments of
 the last few weeks have convinced him
 that al Chicago could be a test of the
 strength between him and his prede- cessor.
 Taft Wants denomination
 MT. Taft makes no secret of the fact
 that he wants a renomination and ex- poets, if renominated, to be re-elected He realizes that to make his renomina- ton certain it is necessary that he make an active fight.
 That Taft people within a few days will. | open formal headquarters in Washington, | The understanding is that former Gov | Myron T. Herrick of Ohio will be in | Chicago in charge of headquarters Mr Herrick is a politician of wide experi- ence and can be depended upon to look fi should be looked after. He will not
 only have the active assistance of Sec
 retary Hlles, butt Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock, who is one of the best politicians in the United States to- day, will give his active co-oporeation to the Taft campaign. From now on, it is proposed by the political friends of the President to play the political game as it should be played without fear or fla vor. Delegates will be instructed wher- ever it is possible to have them in- structed. Where it is found that for mai instructions are not advisable. care will be taken to have the delegates to the national convention chosen from men who are for Taft first, last and all the time.
 l talked today with one of the men who will have much to do with the man. agement of the Taft campaign from now until June IS, the day of the republican convention. He said: "The great diff culty with President Taft has been that he could not conceive that men who professed profound friendship for him to his face could work against him
 for the nomination. We have succeeded
 now in convincing him that this is a
 matter of politics pure and simple From
 now until the nomination is made he
 will devote himself to his duties as Pres
 ident and will permit his friends to run his campaign for renomination as 1t should be run. There can be but one re- suit He will be renominated on the first
 ballot by so great majority 1t will practically be a unanimous renomina-