Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-01-23
CHOOSING DELEGATES
nANNA'S PLAY WATCHED
BY NATIONAL POLITICIANS
PLAY NOW IS TO GET As MANY
UNRESTRICTED DELEGATES
As PossieLE-THE
DELAY.

Call Bureau. 14O6 G Street, N. W..
Washington, Jan. 14.-That interesting
question:: viii Hanna fish or cut
bait?' has been quite overshadowed
here today by the discussion of the do.
lay In the Issuance of the call for the
Republican National Convention and
Senator Hanna's purpose in permitting
the delay.
It Is believed here the delay Is due
to contemplated new departure In
the manner Of electing delegates. which
may have very important bearing on
President Roosevelt's future and the
control OF the national convention. The
national committee, in its call. defines
the manner In which delegates shall be
elected and the time when primaries
and conventions shall be held. Usual.
ly delegates at large are directed to be
chosen in the manner of State officials
and two delegates from each Congress.
sional district are elected in the man
ner in which Representatives in Con.
gress are placed In nomination. II Is
one Of the rules of the Republican ma.
tional committee that the call shall be
issued six months In advance of the
holding of the convention and that the
last delegate shall he elected forty
days prior to the assembling of the
convention.
The assertion is made that this six
months clause has already been via
lated and that II will be impossible
now for the call to be issued six
months before the national convention,
as the convention will meet on June u.
II Is believed here that a sub.com.
mittee of the national committee is
looking up presidents which will per
nit the national committee to issue a
call providing that all delegates In
each State shall be elected at the State
convention instead OF the delegates AZ
large being elected at the State con.
vention and district delegates being
selected by Congressional districts.
The aim of the Republicans who are
now opposing President Roosevelt In
the absence of having any candidate
to run against him Is to have as many
delegates as possible uninstructed.
That Is what Senator Hanna's friends
In Ohio have been working for. and
the news came from Indiana today that
prominent Republicans In the Hoosier
State would seek to have its delegates
nninstructed.
II Is surmised that the anti.Roose
welt Republicans might be able to con
troll the State conventions In Ohio, Iii
nois and Indiana and send all dele
gates without instructions. whereas Il
would be almost impossible to prevent
instructions In any very large number
of Congressional districts.
II the national committee should is
sue call providing for the election of
all delegates by State conventions II
would be opposed by the friends of
President Roosevelt with great vigor,
but the chairman Of the national com.
mittee is the court of last resort, and
II Is doubtful II their protests would do
much good.
| Senator Hanna's friends say he Is
being much mallgned and that when
all the facts are known 1t will have
been discovered that he has been act.
Ing for the best interests of the Re.
publican party. A Senatorial friend of
Hanna said today that he believed Sen.
ator Hanna's only reason for with
holding the call was that he, in com.
mon with other patriotic Republicans,
wished to be thoroughly convinced
that Mr.. Roosevelt was the strongest
candidate.