Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-21
On Getting Into the Presidential Race

friends. He rarely, nowadays at all events,
makes formal statement of his candidacy for
the nomination. The most that can be expected
Is modest remark indicating receptiVity. But
at the supposedly psychological time a friend
writes a letter organization calls upon
the possibility and urges him TO permit his
name to be used in connection with the nomina'
ton. This gives the possibility" an oppor-
tunty to come out in the open il he desires
Already MIR. Lowden Gov. Smith and others
have been importuned.
The late Col. Theodore Roosevelt was more
positive. When he decided to be a candidate.
he said so. This was particularly so in 1912,
when he sought to wrest the Republican nomi.
nation from his onetime friend, President Taft.
And when he couldn't get the Republican nomi-
nation, he organized party of his own.
Col, Roosevelt while President, took up the
matter of his successor. to be elected in 1908.
He picked Mr.. Taft. There nothing secret
about his choice. The fact that the influence
Of the administration back of Mr.. Taft,
then Secretary of War, was known more than
a year in advance of the Republican national
convention. President Roosevelt engaged
in bitter feud with the late Senator Foraker
Of Ohio at the time. lie was charged with
seeking to prevent the nomination Of Foraker
by putting up another Ohioan, Mr.. Taft. There
were screams from many quarters that the
President should not dictate the nomination
OF his successor. Some said that Mr.. Taft
would be hurt by the public knowledge that the
administration backing him for the nom
nation. But Taft nominated on the first
ballot when the Republican convention met in
Chicago, receiving 702 votes, with his nearest
competitors, the late Senator Knox of Pennsyl.
Vania and Gov. Hughes of New York, receiving
respectively 68 and CT votes while Uncle joe
Cannon, Illinois favorite SON. had a scant 5S
votes.
No clearer demonstration Of the power of
the administration in lining up delegates could
have been given This does not mean that
Mr.. Taft would not have been the selection
of the Republican party for the presidential
nomination in 1908 had President Roosevelt re.
mained entirely neutral. He had had fine
record of public service But the Overwhelming
sweep of the Taft machine owed much of its
impetus to the efforts of the administration.
=
President Coolidge. doubtless in the same
manner, could dictate the nomination of the
Republican candidate for President next wear
But the indications. far, are that the Presi.
dent will keep his hands off. He is not expected
to make public announcement that he favors
this or that candidate, or even to make his
preference known privately. But these cxpecta-
tons may go awry. The public generally was
fooled by his announcement that he himself
did not choose to run for President
There will be a large block of delegates at
the next Republican national convention repre-
senting a section Of the country that will have
no "faVorite son'-the delegates from the
South 1t is up to these delegates to climb on
the band wagon at the earliest possible oppor.
tunity. They usually controlled by the
Republican national committeeman and State
chairmen, and the entire machine depends upon
The distribution of Federal patronage in the
Southern States for its power. From this
time on activities of Republican politicians
particularly those from the North in the States
OF the South will be scanned carefully When.
ever Frank Hitchcock, former Postmaster
General and manager of the Taft campaign in
1908, or Bascomb Semp, Republican national
committeeman for Virginia or VIII Hays of
Indiana ventures into the South, tongues will
begin to wag. Stories will float about that they
are lining up delegates for Mr.. Hoover, Mr.
Lowden Mr.. Longworth, Mr.. Hughes or
another.
1t is quite probable that the Southern dele.
cations Will go to the convention prepared to
vote Tor President Coolidge, if there should be
a demand that he be nominated. But the
nomination Of the President would probably
come only in the event Of great wave of
sentiment, on the first ballot. or after dead
lock had forced the delegates to consider a