New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1915-03-13
The FHaVOrite Sons.
(New York Times.

The republican party is about TO
enjoy the luxury Of it's first favorlte
son campaign in twenty-eight years.
A favorite son campaign comes When-
ever a party finds itself without any
figure of presidential size who STANDS
out sufficiently to waken general en-
thusiasm and to make 1T obvious thaC
he is the man Of the hour. In such d
case it is everybodys race ana every
man who is thought to be of preslden-
tial size puts himself in the hands OF
his friends who set about capturing
his own state delegation for him as a
necessary preliminary to subsequent
dickers in the national convention.
Thereupon sundry little men, not or
presidential size at all who in ordl-
nary times would never dream OF as
piring to the presidency, join the pro-
cession figuring that in the press OF
candidates there may be 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 lmme-
diately developed. There was a cloud
of candidates that covered the hori-
zon; as far IS the eye could reach
didates. They were so many that In
diana had two, Harrison and Gresh
am, and as she only needed one, Illi-
nois took Gresham and made him her
| favorite adopted son. How far the
rush extended may be gathered from
| the fact that Pennsylvania favorite
| SON was a humble, respected and to-
| tally unknown mayor of Philadelphia,
gifted with the name of Filter.
| The same situation now presents it
self again. In a faVOrite son cam
! paign it is necessary to begin the con-
test early-a year and a half before
| the convention meets is none too early
because it requires the hardest kind
| of work In such multitude for one
| man to get sufficiently far above the
| crowd to be seen with the naked eve
! Hence it is that the republican cam
! paign Of 1916 is now on. Only few
| of the probable entries have been
| made SO far, but between now and
next fall there will be many more.
The list to date, however, is fairly
! impressive, considering that it is only
| March, 1915, and that the convention
will meet in June, 1915. Ohio has no
less than four, Gov. Willis, ex-Sen-
| ator Burton, ex-Ambassador Herrick.
and Senator elect Harding Illinois
! has Representative Mann; Idaho, Sem
ator Borah; Iowa, Senator Cummins:
| Massachusetts,, Senator Weeks: Penn
sylvania, Gov. Brumbaugh; Missouri
ex-Gov. Hadley: Indiana, ex-Vice
| President Fairbanks: New York. Gov.
| Whitman; Wisconsin Senator La
| Toilette. OF course Ohio will not go
| into the convention with four favor
lite sons; that matter will be thrashed
out between now and then, and she
VIII have only one in 1916
Back Of this medley are two figures
or really domineering size-Justice
Hughes and ex-President Taft. Rut
Justice Hughes will hardly consent 70
make the race-if he did the favorite
sons would take to the brush like r.h-
bts-and the Taft talk has SO far con-
sisted chiefly of kindly coments on
the high standing he has gained nv
his course since he left the White
House. If it continues to be q favor
tie son fight to the doors of the CON
vention, it will mean a long and dead
locked session, no candidate havinr
any great predominance over tho
others. and finally nominee cloeo,
as the result of dickers and da.1s
and backstairs conferences between
party leaders, as Harrison was chosen
in 1888.