U.S. PRESIDENCY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 71, 19 March 1912, Page 2

U.S. PRESIDENCY.

INTERESTING COMMENTS ON ; THE SITUATION. TAFT GAINING GROUND. I'n the contest for the Republican nomination for President, the only candidate at 1 this moment making an • avowed endeavour to win support is President ' Taft says the, San Frailciscol coirespohdent of' 1 . i^l,e ' Chris t--1 church' 1 “Press,” uudel- -date' Febru- ! dry 19th.' 1 ’La ill, seems to have suffered a serious eclipse, although his managers , now and again issuo statements, assuring the public that he is still in the race. Theodore • Roosevelt has strong support in a number of States, principally in the West, but the Colonel maintains an obstMVti silence as to his intentions- and Wi'sHiesUAll the'delegates,. the aoiiiii!;\tiiig convention thus la 1 " 1 chosen, hVe’ ’ supporters of •President Taft, ’i'n be sure, there are but a few, the total being 16 out of a convention- that will consist of, 1076 delegates. Nevertheless, the indications are that when the convention meets, there will be at least a clear majority of, the delegates instructed to vote for Taft as the party’s, nominee. It is not denied by the Taft men that Colonel Roosevelt would he a formidable rival if he should become an active candidate for the honour of once again leading the Republican Party. In view of the fact that four years ago lie was the strongest sponsor for Mr. Taft, and declared that he would willingly walk on his bauds and knees from the Capitol to the White House to bring about his nomination, and in view, also, of tire fact that he has never since attacked tno President, it seems improbable that he would oppose the re-nomina-tion of the present occupant of White House. At the same time, editorials in the New York “Outlook,” of which Colonel Roosevelt is associate editor, would indicate that ho is loth to utterly eliminate himself from the list of Presidental possibilities for evermore. When Mr Roosevelt was nominated in 1904 he said: “Under no circumstances will I be a candidate for, or accept, another nomination.” According to the “Outlook,” he meant simply that he would not he a candidate in 1908, which would have made three consecutive terms for him. The writer of the article uses this illustration: “When a man says at breakfast in the morning, ‘No thank, you, I will not .take any more coffee,’ it does not mean that he will not take any more coffee to-morrow morning, or next week, or next month, or next year.” It is apparent from this that Colonel Roosevelt still regards himself as available material for Pre-, sident. There is a strong feeling against a President serving more than two terms, and since the 'foundation of the Republic it has never happened. The fact that Roosevelt’s first term resulted from the assassination of McKinley, and was a few months short of the full four-year term, may alter tlie circumstances, so far as he is concerned, in the public view.