The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1916-02-19

VI VI SUBMITTING W COHSCI lpIlOll, lie
would have retired from the United
States Supreme Court and made his
plans accordingly. When he sought
| the Republican nomination in 1908 he
had no hesitation in announcing his
candidacy, and if the Republican lead
| ers had had sense and courage enough
to override Roosevelt's impudent dc
tation, Mr.. Hughes would probably be
President of the United States today
"The time to draft Charles Il.
Hughes was then. The Republican
politicians who are clamoring for him
now and asking to smear the bench of
the United States Supreme Court with
partisan politics have no more love
for Justice Hughes than they had in
1908. But they think he would be
safe stepping stone from which they
could climb into local office. If they
had him or President they would hate
him as bitterly as they hate Woodrow
Wilson, and they would have as little
sympathy with his policies"
The Penrose candidacy, according
to the Philadelphia Public Ledger, is
cutting a very small figure in Penn
syivania, despite the fact that the New
England republicans have been urging
against the selection of Philadelphia
as a convention city principally be-
cause of the Penrose boom. 1t must be
remembered that the Pennsylvania
boss was triumphantly returned to the
Senate last year, despite the heroic
efforts on the part of the progress
sives to defeat him.
pennsylvania Republicans says
he I aIu ho
to Penrose to a degree. 1t has gone
so far as a preference that he shall
continue to represent the State in the
Senate, his long experience being re-
garded by them as an asset not to be
lightly discarded. But even so, the
Republicans of this State are not so
blind as not to realize that Senator
Penrose is not made of the stuff of
which successful presidential candi-
dates are composed. They know too
well the vulnerable points in his poll
teal armor, and they are aware that
the rest of the country is equally well
informed. Moreover they know that
Senator Penrose ranks with that ele-
ment of the party against which the
great revolt of 1912 was principally
directed, and that the sole hope of
permanently winning back the erring
ones into the fold next year will be the
selection of candidate and the franz
ing of a platform that will not antag-
onize the progressive sentiment that
has filtered deep into the Republican
party"
The situation in New York is such,
the Brooklyn Citizen declares, as will
inevitably bring about an interesting
fight. The Citizen believes, however,
that stranger things have happened
than the possible espousfng of Roots
cause by Barnes and Roosevelt, who
would naturally oppose that gentle
man. This newspaper goes on to dis
cuss Roots chances thus:
while Mr.. Root will do nothing to
gain the Republican nomination for
the Presidency, he is prepared to ac-
cept it if the offer is made. This is
the statement given out by VIVA
seems to be trustworthy authority,
t@.iid there is no reason for questioning
any part of it except that which rep
resents him as wholly Indifferent to
the result That the ex-Secretary and
Senator will not exert himself in any
way to convince his fellow-Republi-
cans of the desirability of his candi-
dacy is perhaps slight overdraft on
political credulity. 1t is hardly in
human nature to be alive to a great
honor and at the same time indisposed
to put forth some little exertion to
obtain it. But apart from this point,
the fact may not be regarded as set
tied that the convention will have the
name of Mr.. Root among others to
choose from. and this in turn will
make the primaries in the State of
New York exceptionally interesting.
"Quite apart from any effort in
other States, the struggle in this State
for the delegates must work a clear
distinction between the followers of
Barnes on the one hand and the fol-
lowers of Root on the other, with the
possibility added that the already en-
FILTERED feeling will be so far eXas-
perated as to have some influence at
the polls IN November. In other words,
it is as difficult to imagine the Root
men acquiescing in the defeat of their
favorite as it is to think of Barnes and
his supporters yielding without fur
Their resentment to the triumph of
their adversaries. Much. however. will
depend on the final attitude of Chief
Justice Hughes. Should he serve not
ice in unqualified language that there