The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-06-06
President Taft's Friends Blame
bipartisan Appointments.
Sought Good Men Regardless
of Their Politics.
THEY CAN'T DEFEND HIM
Some Cabinet Members Are
Known as Democrats.
No Other Explanation to OPP
position to President.

New York, June 6.-Some of the mem
bers of President Taft's administration
have recently been confessing to their
friends in half-confidential way that
they have been astonishc at the
strength shown by those who favor the
nomination Of Colonel Roosevelt in
many of the state primaries. Some
who are within the administration cir
Gle have been trying to discover what
the chief reason is for this disposition
of so many thousand Republicans T.
oppose the denomination of President
Taft and to favor the nomination of
Colonel Roosevelt. They do not be-
lieve that the opposition caused by
President Taft's Canadian reciprocity
policies explains this feeling excepting
in limited part of the country. They
have been unable, they say, to find
that any real. antagonism to various.
policies advocated by President Taft
prevails in any large measure through
out the country. They are not inclined
to think that the oppos' 1 is really
due to anything which reflects personal
Indifference to or even dislike of the
presid mt, excepting, possibly, among
a small number of corr @tion mana
gers.
Within a few days one of the ablest
members of President Taft's admins
tration, one, too. who has been very
prominently before the public on ac-
count of the part which he has taken
in some of the more important judicial
proceedings, said to som of his friends
in this city that he believed that fl
was beginning to be recognized by
those who have been of PresluenL
| 'Faft's political family that what IS
really at issue is the unwillingness OF
| President Taft to make his administra-
tion absolutely and excl - a Re-
publican part. administ~
! In other words, it is beginning to be
suspected by President Taft's personal
and official counselors that fundamen-
tally the opposition which has been de
veloped is due to the cor ional be-
lief by all politicians and by a consld-
cradle number who are not politicians
! that government like ours, to be sue
cessful, must be party e eminent
A party may stand for certain WELL
defined and recognized principles, this
man said. and in fact mui do so, bu
after the issue on those principles has
/ been decided at the polls it has been
the expectation that the po.icies wilb
! be carried out exclusively by members
of the party which triui phed in the
| presidential election.
Whether there is a majority sentI-
ment which is overwhelming in favor
of exclusive party administration Presi-
dent Taft closest friends believe il
after all to be fundamentally the test
which is to be made at tho Onaca-
| convention.
| Whatever else Colonel Roosevelt may
have been he has never failed to believ,
! in, = at lea-t to adopt what he be-
lieves to be, the conventional view or
| the American people-that this is and
must be a party government Rooso-
welt never went outside of his party to
make an important appointment lie
| is as firm a believer in party organiza-
n m a @F I.gsa
predecessors in the White House
President Taft's Point of View.
President Taft. so his personal and
| official associates stated, either did not
understand that ours is a 0a~ty gov
ernment and to be successful must
continue to be party government OF
! else thought that the time haG come
when he became president, to demon
strate that it was not a mere pIatitude
| to say that the president is the presi-
dent of the whole people. He was an
4 idealist when he became president for
| he believed that if he caused his ad-
ministration to be directed by the best
men whom he could find, no matter
whether they were Republicans or Dem
ocrats, he would be sure to gain the
confidence of the people and 70 demon
strate that the great parties. having
| divided upon fundamental issues or
principles and having submitted the is
| sue to the polls, should be conteri
with the decision made upon election
| dav.
From that ideal view President Taf.'s
closest friends say that he has never
departed. And yet these friends ars
now inclined to the opinion that IL the
president be defeated at the Chicago
convention the triumph of his oppon-
ents can lie traced to the extent and
vigor of til feeling among Republicans
that the party should have been ex-
| clusively recognized by the adminis-
| tration at Washington.
Reference was made by this man to
the cabinet, and he was able to speak
upon this point directly. most of his
| information coming first hand and as
a result of his own observation. He said
| that President Taft had selected for
his cabinet officers as able a body Of
men. on the whole, as ever sat around
| a presidents cabinet table. And vet
| there is not one of them who could &c
| forth into the country, expound the
| administration policies and command
| anvthine more than a respectable hear
ing Into the cabinet the president
| brought one man of very fertile INTEL
| Loot keen, profound, a really great
| constructive legal mind. And yet he IS
| without the ability to persuade the peo-
nie bv public addresses or upon the
| et,,mn of the efficacy and justness OF
| some of the policies advocated by tho
president
The treasury department has been d.
I rected with unusual SKILL although the
dificulties which confronted the Sec
| retary of the treasury were less than
| some of his predecessors were compel
| ed to meet and overcome. But the Re
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