Senator Hanna’s Position

The position of Senator Hanna under the new administration is a matter which has attracted some attention and has elicited some rather unfeeling comment. His intimate personal relations with President McKinley will not, of course, be renewed with President Roosevelt. His post as Chairman of the Republican National Committee must, however, make him a person of considerable consequence as long as he retains the place. The talk of running him for the Presidency, which was indulged in by a few interested friends a while ago, was probably unauthorized by him and will hardly be repeated. While he possesses all the qualities of a successful political manager, and may be considered one of the safe, conservative business men of the country, those are not the qualities which the mass of voters most admire in a President and his nomination would mean the certain defeat of his party. No one probably realizes this more than the junior Senator from Ohio, and he would hardly be a candidate for the office except under pressure from friends who hoped to profit by his elevation. This danger is happily diminishing at the present time, and the Senator’s future retirement and domestic tranquility are not likely to be disturbed by regrets for the responsibilities of office.