Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-07-09
CANVASS SHOWS
BURTON CHOICE
Of REPUBLICANS
Former Ohio Senator Seems
to Be Strongest Candidate
for Presidential Nomination
Of His Party

NQsS recently MADE by a Washington
newspaperman who has been asked to
interest himself i'm the campaign Of
one of the candidates for the repubH-
can presidential nomination shows to
his satisfaction that only three men
are being seriously considered at the
present time, namely Senator Elihu
Root of New York. senator j. W
Weeks of Massachusetts and former
Senator Theodore T.. Burton of Ohio.
Public Sentiment Sounded.
I'm the letters he sent out the inqur-
er asked for detailed information on
such points as these.
The feeling of the business men to-
ward the present administration.
based on the state of business.
The feeling toward President Will
sons foreign policy.
The sentiment of republicans as to
whether the nominee should be a
straight out or progressive.
Their estimate Of the chances Of the
repul liCan nominee.
The last named inquiry produced
the most varied responses. Many re-
publicaus feel judging from these let
tiers, that the nominee Of the repub-
llcans has no cinch. The president
has immensely strengthened himself
by his foreign policy and his providen-
tial parting with Bryan without a per
sonal break These two events have
cast such a shadow over the former
rosy republican outlook that many Of
the candidates are taking in sail.
Burton Appears TO BE Leader,
OF the three leading men, the let
ters indicate little more than a hope
for the nomination of Weeks or Root
The general feeling is that Burton will
prove to be the strongest candidate in
the list Neither Weeks nor Root for
many reasons can muster any apprc-
Ciable reserve Of second choice
strength in the convention Because
Of the fact that a progressive appears
to be demanded. Burton has a great
reservoir of strength He is progress
siye enough without being a radical
He is not mixed up with Wall street
nor with corporations. lie has been
independent in the senate, has fought
river and harbor steals, has been sane
and helpful on financial legislation
and appears to he the kind Of presi-
dent who could do something to quell
the rising tide OF assault on the treas
ury through suspicious appropriations
Hated by Harbors Crowd.
There are these points in Burton
favor. on the other side is the rivers
and harbors crowd, an active coterle
which has an ineXhaustible appetite
for appropriations and a correspond
ing hatred of anyone who has ever
thwarted the onrush of the looters
This means hatred, deep and bitter, Of
Burton. Their manipulatons would
hurt him for the nomination. Posi-
bly, their opposition would, after the
convention, help him for the election.
It would be possible to picture him as
the St. George who slew the dragon
OF criminal extravaganza
Another obstacle in Buttons way is
GOODNESS toward what is called pre-
paredness for war. He stands against
this faction which today is rampant.
He is president Of peace society He
is looked upon as a dangerous man tn
tie to when We may be forced to fight
for our world position.
Cummins KILLED" by Lading Law,
Many of the letters speak highly Of
Senator Cummins, but lament the fact
that he appears to have killed himself
off by his bill of lading law, a law
which has caused the general pubic
annoyance and has actually resulted
in shippers who are clamoring for
lower rates to pay higher rates. Sen
ator Cummins has been ridiculed and
Villified over this law not little Ills
idea in proposing it was but 70 cure
q defect of the Carmack amendment
to the interstate commerce act under
which the railroads were paying only
nominal damages i'm the case of the
.1... III,
took his cue from two suprem me court
decisions in one Of which an automo-
bile company had actually recovered
but $50 a machine for trainlcad OF
$4,000 machines that went into q
river
Nevertheless Senator Cummns' law
has worked out exactly as Representa-
tive Stevens of Minnesota predicted it
would on the floor of the house when
he said that the railroads which were
then carrying freight at a certain rate
under a limited liability would charge
the other and higher rate IL they were
compelled TO carry goods under a de-
clared true valuation. The Cummins !
law has for the moment, knocked the |
breath out Of the Cummins boom.
BOrah FaVorably Mentioned.
The other progressive who is men
toned most frequently and most IA |
vorably in the correspondence, IS SEN
ator B1rah Senator Borah probably |
could bring more Roosevelt men back
into line than any other candidate
But he is Handicapped by the allega-
ton, said tc be true, that he voted lor
Bryan and free silver in 1895 This I
was a long time ago but as it appears
now il would be a terrible handicap
TO a man seeking the republican nom
nation.
The most interesting feature of the
correspondence is the general agree
ment that the president is great deal
stronger than his party and that ms
foreign policy has the almost unanl-
nous approval Of the country rms
leads the letter writer's to discuss the
general chances Of the republican par
ty in the next campaign. All are
agreed that had the conditions re-
NAMED as they were several months
ago Woodrow Wilson was as good as
defeated. The tariff had proved bad |
investment. the federal reserve act I
mad been slow In getting into opera
ton, the ship purchase bill with its
socialistic slant had proved very UNI
popular. the president by his Indian
apolis speech. had removed himself
from the leadership of the nation and
descended to the lower plane II par
~ leader filled with contempt for the
opposition party. He touched low
water mark then. II the republican
party had been able to take and fix
a photograph of public opinion as il
then stood 1t had Woodrow Wilson
beaten