Valdez daily prospector., 1915-03-24
WEDNESDAY, MARCH "A, 1915.
THE FAVoRlTE SONS.

The Republican party is about to enjoy the luxury of it's first favor ite son campaign in twenty-eight years. A favorite-son campaign comes whenever party finds itself without any figure of presidential size who stands out sufficiently to waken general enthusiasm and to make it obvious that he is the man of the hour. In such case it is every body's race; and every man who is thought to be of presidential size puts himself in the hands of his friends, who set about capturing his own state delegation for him as a necessary pre- liminary to subsequent dickers in the national convention. Thereupon sun- dry little men, not of presidential size at all, who in ordinary times would never dream of aspiring to the presidency, join the procession, figur- ing that in the press of candidates there may be a deadlock and a chance for the dark horse.
 The last time this happened to the Republicans was when the man Of that hour, Blaine, took himself out of the race in 1888, and a free-for- all immediately developed. There was a cloud of candidates that cov- cred the horizon; as far as the eye could reach there was nothing but welter of candidates. They were so many that Indiana had two, Harrison and Gresham, and as she only need ed one, Illinois took Gresham and made him her favorite adopted son. How far the rush extended may be gathered from the fact that Pennsyl- vania's favorite son was humble, respected, and totally unknown may or of Philadelphia, gifted with the name of Filler.
 The same situation now presents itself again. In a favoriteson cam paign it is necessary to begin the contest early-a year and half be- fore the convention meets is none too early-because it requires the hardest kind of work in such a mul- ttude for one man to get sufficient ly far above the crowd to be seen with the naked eye. Hence it is that the Republican campaign of 1916 is now on. Only few of the prob able entries have been made so far, but between now and next fall there will be many more.
 The list to date. however, is fairly ly March, 1915, and that the conven- ton will meet in une, 1916. Ohio has no less than four, Gov. Willis, ex- eSnator Burton, ex-Ambassador Her rick, and Senator-elect Harding. Hi nois has Representative Mann; Ida. ho, Senator Borah; o.. Iowa. Senator Cummins; Massachusetts, Senator Weeks; Pennsylvania, Gov. Brum- baugh; Missouri, ex-Gov. Hadley; In- diana, ex-Vice-president Fairbanks; New York, Gov. Whitman: Wiscon. sin, Senator La Toilette. Of course Ohio will not go into the conven- tion with four favorite sons; that matter will be threshed out between now and then, and she will have on ly one in 1916.
 Back of this medley are two fig. ures of really dominating size-Jus. tice Hughes and ex-President Taft But Justice Hughes will hardly con. sent to make the race-if he did the favorite sons would take to the brush like rabbits-and the Taft talk has so far consisted chiefly of kindly comments on the high standing he has gained by his course since he left the White House. If it continues to be a favorite-son fight to the doors of the convention, 1t will mean long and dead-locked session, no candh dates having any great predominance over the others, and finally a nom. inee chosen as the result of dickers and deals and backstairs conferences between party leaders, as Harrison was chosen in 1888-New York Times.