Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-02-19
TALK OF COCKTAILS
RUMORS THAT PANAMA CANAL
BUILDER WILL BE CANDIDATE
FOR PRESIDENT.
SAID TO BE A PROGRESSIVE
Wilson May Announce Adherence TO
One Term ncipIe-Senator Borah
Is In the Running for the Re-
publican Nomination.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
hington.-Some of the Demo
cratic members of congress, hard
headed politicians a good many OF
them, think it is not by any means
certain that President Wilson will not
announce at some later time that he
IS pledged to the principle" of one
term that was announced in the Demo
cratic platform. 1t will be remem-
bered that the Democrats at Mr..
Bryan's suggestion put into the plat
form the declaration "and we pledge
the candidate of this convention to
this principle" the principle being the
one-term principle.
Now the political rumor has it that
all the men, including, Of course, Mr..
Wilson, who think that he has show
Of being nominated by the Democrats
next time, are beginning to fear that
he may have George w. Goethals, the
chief engineer Of the Panama canal
and now the zones governor, as an
opponent in the next campaign. Re
publican leaders from time to time
have whispered the name GoethaIs in
their conferences. 1t is perfectly true
that even some of the members of
the standpat faction in the Republican
party still seem to have some kind Of
hope that means viii be found to
endorse Theodore Roosevelt for the
nomination, without compelling the
old party to give over the name Re-
publican.
The old party chieftains seem to
think that they will be obliged to
nominate somebody with a strong per-
sonal appeal if there is to be any
hope of success, because there has
been thus far no sharp evidences that
the Democrats are going to make a
mess of things and undo themselves.
Think GoethaIs Has Ambitions.
It has been intimated here and
there in Washington that men who
know the governor of the Panama
canal zone think he has shown some
signs of an awakening ambition to be
president. Colonel GoethaIs, judging
by what he has done, probably has
his share of wisdom and while army
and navy officers VIGOROUSLY have
been fiounderers when they have en-
tered the swamp of politics, Goethals
probably might prove to be an excep-
ton. Everybody remembers Admiral
Dewey's troubles as soon as he
showed a disposition of willingness to
think on high civil honors.
While the Republicans have been
whispering about Goethals and the
possibility of nominating him and
trusting to his supposed great per
sOnal popularity to pull through, it
has been told to them also in whis-
pers that the zones governor is a
Progressive. In the present frame of
mind of the Republican leaders the
fact that Goethals may be a Progress
sive perhaps makes little difference,
for all they will have to do will be
to knock the capital out, spell progress
sive with a small letter and add Re
publican with a capital after an in
serted hyphen.
Borah In the Running.
It seems as certain as things can
seem so far in advance that, unless
the Democrats make some awful blum
der, the Republican party next time
will nominate a man who has been
consistently progressive or who can
prove that he has become a progress
sive even if conversion came at a
late hour. 1t did not take Champ
Clark's word of prophecy to put VIII
liam E. Borah into the front rank of
runners for the Republican prize. The
Cocktails matter remains yet to be
sounded to its depths
Within a day or two Senator Borah
has declared that he does not consid-
er the third party as stable organiza-
ton. He says that as soon as Theo-
dore Roosevelt says the word the
third party will crumble. Mr.. Borah
believes the colonel will say the word
and while the senator will not go as
far as this, he probably believes that
If the colonel says the word that will
dissolve the Progressive party he will
also say the word that will make him
the candidate of the Republican party.
As for this, one only has to read
the colonels pledge. signed, sealed
and delivered just before he went to
South America. That pledge probably
viii stand against any prophesy which
the gentleman from Idaho chooses to
make, even if it be uttered in the
finest spirit of Idaho self-sacrifce.
Colonel Roosevelt will return from
his southern speaking, hunting and
exploring trip in about four weeks.
When he returns Progressives say
that he will repeat, if he shall deem
It necessary, the pledge which he
made before sailing.
Business Men Are Shy.
President Wilson has expressed him
self as very much surprised because
business men throughout the country
have not responded in great numbers
to the invitation extended by the ad-
ministration and by the committees
Of congress to come to Washington to
enter their pleas in abatement of the
legislation which is aimed against the
trusts.
It seems that Mr. Wilson and the
Democratic members of congress ex-
peeted that the business men would
come here in a rush to make them
selves heard in the committee rooms
Marvellous Makeup.
George RObey tells fbiS story in ~,