The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-12-19

at the Polls.
Washington, Dec. 10.-Every
member of the republican national
committee in the city stood around
the Arlington Hotel this afternoon
and tonight and talked Roosevelt.
Landslide for him." they said
"Sure to be nominated by acclama.
ton. Nobody else thought Of" and
all that.
All the members of the commit
tee here and all those coming, with
the exception of not more than elk,
wish somebody else than Roosevelt,
preferably Hanna, could be nomi-
mated The republican nations al
committee is a H,nna machine.
Its members dislike Roosevelt, dis
trust him and think four more
years of him would be dangerous to
the party and the county.
There is no more sincerity
in the fervid Roosevelt protesta-
tions than there is at a ho Sc sale.
1t is the real, inside, bedrock
opinion of the indurated politicians
who are not all sentimental in their
affiliations, that the republican par
ty is facing three dilemmas:
First-To nominate and elect
Roosevelt. This would mean in
their opinion, a disrupted and dis
organized party in 1908 that would
win no more p-esiden ial victories
for eight and, perhaps, IL years.
S. cond-To defeat Roosevelt for
the nomination and nominate some.
body else and elect him.
Third-To nominats Roosevelt
and defeat him at the Ills, thus
Leaving the party in good shape for
the campaign of 1908.
The shrewd political minds of
the men who run the national Or
ganization of the republican party
have weighed these three PROPOSE
tions carefully. They all wish it
might be possible to solve the prob
lem by nominati"g e some other than
and Ell citing him. They
think they could do the electing if
they could do the nomin ating.
That is the rub.
A great deal of scheming and con-
irving is going on. Dozens of the
big men in the republican party
are trying to find a way to nomi-
nate Hanna or any other man who
would be fairly decent candidate.
They have not yet hit on plan,
and they probably will not. Their
trouble is that they did not begin
to plot soon enough.
President Roosevelt has go great
q hold on the people that it is now
next to impossible to make the mass
of the republican party take any
other candidate. It is admitted by
every man in national politics that
be will be nominated unless a polit-
ical mericle intervenes.
This does not mean that the eff
fort to get another candidate will be
a abandoned. Hanna Is held in first
regard. His friends are scheming
10 Ohio and in Indiana, ard in
New York, and in the West, but
they do not arrive anywhere. Meet.
ings and conferences and consulta-
lions are being held. Overtures. are
being made to newspapers. Lead
ers are being approached. 1t is a
sort Of a guerill4 warfare against
and it has rot accom-
plished, as yet, even fair guerilla
results.
Tomorrow the meeting of the
n ational committee will be shout
for Roosevelt. They will all get
up and yell. Perhaps six of them
will have more than their lung pow
Or in their voices. That six will
put in tincture of heart.
The situation is not hard to de-
fine. Any man here who will talk
honestly will growl against Roose-
ve1t and wish that Hanna might be
They are all against Roose-
velt. but they must all be for him
On the face of things, and they know
it, and that is the reason why most
Of them registered in the afternoon
papers today with statements about
the great popularity of the presi-,
dent and predictions that he
will be elected triumphantly.
1t is SO in congress. Every lead.
ing republican in Washington has
trumpeted his little fanfare, and ev-
cry one of them thinks Roosevelt