The Washington herald., 1915-10-01
Primaries and Presidents.

Though the Presidential primaries are Still afaf
off-Indiana will lead off the ball on the first
Tuesday in March-the air is already thick with
Presidential booms, of them tentative; others
having the more pronounced earmarks of stability
All present indications point to a many-sided
"favorite-son" contest for the Republican nomi-
nation with two big men to dominate
the situation. The trouble, however, is not that
the Republican party has man of politically
heroic size, but that it has many all of whom are
willing as well as able to make good record in
the White House. Borah, Cummins Sherman
Weeks Root, Burton are all names to conjure
with, not only in their bailiwicks, but
throughout the country. In politics men some
times become giants overnight and other giants
emerge unexpectedly from the tall grass. and
something of the kind may we'll happen between
now and June, 1916. But the probability is that
the next President of the United States will be
chosen from the who already more or
less officially in the hands of their friends
The effect of "favorite-son" campaign upon
the Presidential primaries will be to generate an
atmosphere of exhilarating uncertainty which the
delegates will carry with them into the national
convention. Probably twenty States will hold such
primaries and will return some 5o7 Instructed"
delegates out of a total of close upon 900. 1t is
participate in the "free-for-al' Presidential cam
paign the more barren will be the instructions
pressed upon the delegates by enthusiastic
vcinage. The majority of the delegations will
readily discover that their avowed preference rep
resents an unattainable ambition and will then as
sumo an attitude OF care-free independence, strong
in the knowledge that if they throw their vote to
a candidate who would not under any circum-
have heen heSt
choice no responsibility attach to their action
This being the case it behooves the voters in
the different States to consider seriously not mere
1y whom they would most like to see nominated,
but who else in the event that their first choice
should prove to be candidate of only local popu-
arity 1t is in this second string that the pract-
cal interest of the politicians is centered. The
asprants already named together with two or
three others who will probably seek to develop
enough strength to substantiate claim to place
in the sun" of popular suffrage, such as Senator
Smith, of Michigan Fairbanks, of Indiana, and La
Toilette, of Wisconsin, will carry 344 instructed
delegates to the convention. And it may be as
sumed that the delegates of the other States hav-
ing Presidential primaries will be divided in some
proportion other among these nine candidates.
That proportion will depend upon the manner in
which they gather or lose strength in the next
five months.
A considerable amount of interest has been
aroused by the>taement which has all the par
ticuarity of truth. that Roosevelt is preparing to
have his placed upon the primary ballots
as a Republican candidate for the Presidency.
There is nothing to prevent his doing so since
none of the primary laws require that candidate
shall be recognized "horse of the right color"
by any official organization of the party. 1t is
reasonable guess however, that if the astute
Colonel takes this step it will not be much for
the purpose OF seeking the nomination of COM
pelng the Republican party to readmt him into
the fortress with drums beating and banners fly
ing The Bull Moose party being thing of the
past, at the most "a brooding shadow Of revolt"
Col Roosevelt is quite ready to return to the Re-
publican fold il he can do so on his terms.
But he has intention of becoming small frog
in a large puddle He prefers to remain a large
frog even with no puddle at all. However, it is
not unsafe to suggest that the terms Of capitula-
ton he is willing to make will not be overheard
Ior the Republican party to stomach. There are
one two that anathema to him, but
the majority of the Republican aspirants will be
men whom Roosevelt will be willing to indorse.
His preference would no doubt be Mr.. Root, but
it is not to be supposed that he would go to great
lengths to force his candidacy the face of pro-
nounced opposition. This is not by any means
prophecy that Col. Roosevelt will be found domi
mating the Republican convention. His power to
cad another Bull Moose revolt is not what it was
1t is strong card, but not all the trumps-a
weapon more potent to bargain with than to fight
with. But that his influence will be strongly felt
IS equally sure. And this is it should be, for
he needs of the American people today and their
Il, A.
upon which Republicans have differed among
themselves in the past-cven to the point of re-
,olt--or differ today.