The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-08-07
NICK LONCWORTH
IS IN A "P|CKLE"
Must Choose Between Taft
and Roosevelt
"A DELICATE POSITION
Taft Is Very Close Friend and Roose-
welt Is His Father-in-Law-Long-
worth Would Really Like to
Abandon Both
A DELICATE POSITION
ny FREDERICK WERNER

washington. August 6.-(Special)-
Wanted; A happy medium. Suitable
reward will be cheerfully given to the
deliverer Of same to Nicholas Long
worth. sixth seat. fifth tier. hall of the
House of Representatives. Washington,
d. c. Home address, Cincinnati, Ham
ilton County. Ohio.
The Ohio Representative Is in a po-
litical position probably more delicate
than that of any other man In public
life today. With the president, mis-
neighbor, his friend and party associate
calling to him on one hand, and the for
mer president. his father-in-law, and
teacher, reckoning on the other, Nicho-
las Longworth finds himself at the
parting of the ways, and perplexed as
to which to take.
1t is seldom, indeed that a man may
run for congress in a presidential year
independently of the big tickets in the
field. Longworth stands for con- ress
again this fall and he is the plaything
OF three fates. The one which would
be most complimentary to him. is she
who would permit him to win the votes
of his constituency on his own merits,
aside from all party considerations.
That is not likely. not because Long,
worth is lacking In ability, but be-
cause politics plays too important a
part in his district.
Another Fate is she who guides tho
destinies OF all the regular republican
candidates In November, the Taftia n
taf b. q
congressional candidate may be borne
to victory ON wave of Taft popularity,
or is 1t possible that Roosevelt SYM
pathiser, who Is candidate for the
lower house. may come in on the other
tide? The later happening would be In
accordance with the possible ordering
of the third Fate. The question which
most bothers the Ohioan Is to which
Fate he should offer sacrifices.
What he most desires Is to discharge
from their care of his destinies each
one of these Fates and to get enough
votes to return him to his seat. He
wishes to strike a happy medium, one
in which he will not be tied to Taft or
Roosevelt. Mr.. Longworth thinks that
perhaps this is impossible but he has
as yet conceived no plan of operation
That he is torn between loyalty TO
Longworths chief affliction. President
Taft has been close friend of Mr.
Longworth for many years 1t might
even be said they were struggling poll
ticians together, in the days when Taft
was on the bench in CINCINNATI and
Longworth sat In the Ohio state house
of representatives. Longworth has as
sisted Taft and Taft has assisted
Longworth.
On the other hand Longworth is
Rooseyelt's son-in-law and when
Roosevelt was president, Longworth
helped him as best he could. And now
when both presidential Damons are in
their sorest need of loyal Pythias, he
who is in the position of common
Pythias to both, knows not which to
follow.
1t is no friendly warfare between tho
presidential candidates. Should Long
worth espouse the cause of one he must
cut the other adrift and the issue Is one
so poignant that he can hardly hope to
assist the one and claim friendship or
even maintain friendly relations with
the other. Sufficient to bear in mind
that Longworths wife Is Roosevelts
daughter and always heretofore a very
loyal and intensely admiring daughter
There is eloquent testimony to Long
worth's confusion in the fact that he
has consistently held his peace since
before the Chicago convention. He
will talk glibly of sunshine and shad-
ow, of polo or croquet. He will not
talk, however of tennis or golf-Roose-
velt's and Taft's pastimes.
In short, he finds ii necessary to re-
ligiously eschew an opinion on any
thing which might prove leading top
ic. He finds such talk dangerous, He
will attend state functions at the White
House and will attend family reunions
at oyster Bay, What he says to the
master at each place is never for pub
lication
Charles P Taft, the presidents broth
er, has a newspaper, which influences
many thousands of votes in his home
district and Theodore Roosevelt has
friends there who can twist any action
into thing which is strikingly sfgni-
cant. politically. So Longworth stands
at the side of the road and watches the
traffic. After a while, certain band
wagons will traverse that road and will
pass by his waiting place. VIII he get
into one of them or will he tarry until
each has passed and trudge along in
their combined dust-clouds hoping to
win his goal by reason of the very con-
fusion of everything.