The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-18
No Name So far Brought Forward Has Aroused
 the Least Enthusiasm
DEMOCRATIC HOPE
 IS IN PROSPERITY
Leaders Profess to See Great I'm pr0vement Which It Is Hoped Will Be At Its Height Next
 Year

l Washington. March 17.--(Special )-Al- though Congress has adjourned and prac tically all of the leaders of both partie. are cut of Washington, and although tho presidential campaign does not begin 1T earnest for over year yet, nevertheless the 1916 contest has been one of the chiei topics of talk, at clubs, hotels and other joints where politicians congregate fl this city, for the past two weeks.
 Republican leaders view the situation as ''satisfactory.' They believe that the 1 break" for the past year has been de. cidedly in their favor, and they regard the general trend of events now to bs l toward return of their party to powe, i in 1916. They are not neglecting to make the most of the present situation of treas ury, and point to the deficit-which is grcwing-with an 'I told you soY shrug They hammer with unceasing vigor the | tariff act passed by the party in power and make the general and broad chargs that it. together win an unprecedented eStravagant Congress" is responsible for
 
 strong box.
 Weak in Leaders
 l Privately republican leaders will admi, that their big weakness. now in the time of their greatest strength for the psst four years, is the lack Of real leader ship. There are dozens of prominent re- publicans who have their rods raised ex- pectantly, and hopefully trying to draw i the lightning of popular approval il such magnitude as to assure them the rcruination 16 months away each has his little coterie of ''boomers.' but with all their noise and press agenting somehow no one seems to have hit the right note | It was a bad week--for the last six | or eight--that some little boomlet foi the republican nomination has not beer blown up to the limit of it's tensil strength and then bust. There has been quite ] lot of talk of Justice Hughes. but his namc arouses absolutely no enthusiasm among the politicians-and the politicians oc the republican party will nominats 'ri-s candidate--they have always dene SO and they are just as powerful today so far as the party macnnery ss con SSADC0, eS liioy nave cNti bttiis l Booms have been started for Justice Hughes, House Leader Mann, Senator Weeks of Massachusetts, Governor Whit. man of New York Governor Willis oi Ohio Senator Borah of Idaho. and others ito. all of these the rank and file have been about as responsive as Mexico has been to a peace policy. If the republicans develop any especial enthusiasm for q leader it has all got to be done in the future The party claims, and many oi i the leaders of tho democrats admit the clam, that they are stronger today than for the past four years, and that if the nstional election was held today ths chances would be decidedly in the favor of the 2. o. D., but they also admit thai | the real Richmond to lead them to vic Etory must yet be developed.
 President Personally Strong | Democratic leaders on the other hand are unwilling to concede that their party i; is in as bad situation as the republicans (Continuea on Page ,-en)