New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-02-04
from The Tribune BJreau.l

washington, FEBRUARY %
Mr.. ROOSEVELTs POSITION.-One of
the most sincere of President Taft's sup
porters declared to-day his conviction that
people generally had failed to take a suf-
fcienty lofty view of the position Of an
eX-President Of the United States, and that
1t was due to that failure that some people
were demanding that ex-President Roose-
welt take himself wholly out Of the Presi-
dental equation by some form Of public
statement This statesman. who Is prob
ably quite as intimate with the ex-President
as he is with President Taft. asserted en-
phatically that Mr.. Roosevelt was not a
candidate for the nomination and did not
wish TO be nominated. He said that no one
need fear hurting Mr.. Roosevelts feelings
by opposing his nomination or promoting
that of President Taft. but that apparently
few people had stopped to reflect that it
would be an undignihed thing for the
former President TO make a public state
ment declaring that he would not accept
nomination which had not been offered
TO him. especially as he has said on more
than one occasion in the past that he was
not candidate and would not accept q
nomination under any circumstances. This
same statesman further declared that no
man could absolutely and finally refuse to
accept a nomination for the Presidency If
his party demanded that he accept it, but
there was not the slightest danger that Mr..
Roosevelt would be confronted by this sit
uation because he would not raise hand
to promote his own candidacy, whereas
President Taft was growing daily stronger
H. the public estimation and was as GER
tain TO be renominated as anything can be
certain in mundane affairs. This Same
statesman expressed the conviction that
William Barnes jr.. would not oppose the
denomination OF President Taft, and that
while he might for time seek to prevent
an instructed delegation. he said It was
quite probable Mr.. Barnes would withdraw
his opposition in due time.
THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES.
| The Democratic candidates for the Presi-
dental nomination are finding it more and
more difficult TO maintain friendly relations.
Their friends, and even they themselves,
are indulging in reflections on one an
other and are saying things hard to recon-
cile with respect, to say nothing of friend
ship. The most discreet man in the Demo-
| cratic arena is Speaker Clark. but ne has
become so cautious that he has fallen into
a position of innocuous desuetude in the
House and is even less valuable TO that
body than was Asher Kinds when he was
| House parliamentartan. Representative
Underwood has so completely eclipsed the
Pike County statesman that the friends Of
the latter are saying some very unkind
things about Mr.. Underwood and charge
that committee has been extremely active
| in Wall and Broad streets and lower
Broadway collecting funds to promote the
candidacy of the Albanian. Then. too
there are reports TO the same effect re-
garding the candidacy OF Governor Wilson,
and the friends of both Clark and Under
wood do not hesitate TO assert that what
they call Wilson's mendacity has been
far too we'll established to permit of his
ever being nominated. 1t is. therefore
no exaggeration to say that there is every
promise of as lively a crop Of feuds in the
Democratic ranks as has been witnessed in
that party in many a long day.
LINDBERGH'S CONTRIBUTION.-Re
resentative Endbergh. Republican insur-
gent and author of the resolution provid-
ing for an investigation OF the money
trust" which scheme has been so enthusi-
astically adopted by Representative Henry,
OF Texas, threw a bomb into the Demo-
cratic camp to-day, when he issued state
ment declaring that Il was the fear OF the