The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-05-26


senator Crane. Of massachusetts one of Tho
three aeknoR lodged leaders OF The sena-a IIl,.
richesi member Of that body and the one iu-
senator who mover made spe. ia his tta.
announced tonight that n the cud OF his pres
eut term he viii retire from public fc s3r I'll
time
Cranes defeat for deoga. c-at-larse balquse
he stood for Taft in the Massachusetts, ar as-
ries burt him deeply. No one doubts be- j., con-
tuced that he would not survive the cofuug
senatorial primaries. Powerful rs he Is IN pdg-
ty he has always curled UP under criticism
And the fueliade OF it that has been directed
at him since lie took personal charge uf the
TAFT campaign for reelection has really driven
him out OF politics before he ever had real
personal fight
Crane became = power in the senre ,'.rne
his ftrst term. At the retirement OF senator
AIdrch, he. with Paprose, of Penusrkania and
Smoot. or TITAN, took active command Of tGe
senate.
His methods were utterly unlike those Of
Aldrich. lie never made a speech. ite mover
!saucd orders. lie never buliied. Silently he
! fitted in and out of chamber ana eommtttce
rooms. whispering suggestions aud pointing GU
easy ways 10 get things done It's stiii small
voice was always for compromises inside the
party, never with the enemy.
From the beginning the Progsessives fn1t
the force of his keen intellect A4ays from
cover he fought them stubbocalt and often
successfully. They could seldom ttaCe the OPP
position he organized. but they usually sus-
pected from whence it came. tna Il s due
to his strategems and schemes tiat the reac-
tiouary forces did not crumbe win the retire
ment Of Aldrich
Crane was dragged into the fight for Taft
largely because of his dislike of Roosevelt. The
colonel once called him pussy footed busy
body And Crane never forgot H.
He did not approve of many things that Taft
ana his ttular manaSer, Mckinley. haA, plan
stopped hat
shipwTeck to him.
Days and nights and SUNDAYS he kept on
the job through the campaign at the white
house, IN the senate cloakroom, everywhere but
at the front He never for ANYBODY exposed
himself face to face to personal attack
Crane was bitterly opposed to giving Mas
saehuIntts direct primaries When the Roose-
welt people started the agitation he sent out
orders to head tt off Bat The colonel and
Senator Dixon kept on bowling that Taft was
afraid OF an out-and-out fight. and the pres-
dent finally persuaded Crane to yield His en-
issaries who had the Legislature in hand were
called off and the bill passed
I @Grane was thus made yhse Npaf 500 lfts Waa
beaten for delggate-at- large Since that time
he has been pessimistic about Taft's chances.
and month ago he decided on the stem he
has now taken.
Cranes retirement means Taft viii lose his
best general in the coming fight for the sena-
tor intends to quit mixing in general politics
right
The senator will take no part ia the cam
palgn. His Wife sister OF Miss Mabel board
man, an intimate friend of the TAFT family is,
1t is understood, willing he shah retire. al
though she has not urged it,
Crane came TO the senate first by appoint
ment 10 succeed George +. Hoar in 1909 He
was elected in 1895 to fill out the term and re-
elected In 1907 Before that he had been lieu
ttenant-governor and governor Of Massachusetts
He and his colleague, Senator Lodge have al
ways been close personal friends-New York
American.