Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-01-29

against the president. 1t does not
mean that he is engaged in plot to
| defeat Mr.. Roosevelt. 1t does not
mean that a cabal is working to de-
prive the president of the natural re-
ward of his labors in the white house.
| So far as Mr.. Hanna himself is con-
| cerned there is an increasing proba-
| bility that under no circumstances
will he permit his name to be used as
a candidate. and an increasing proba-
| bility that even if such a thing We're to
| happen US the convention deciding not
to name the president and looking
about for another candidate. Mr. Han
ma would absolutely decline to be con-
sidered in that connection.
/! The attitude of the men who sur
round Mr.. Hanna, and who are known
! to reflect his views, IS considered more
| in detail as follows:
The great problem before the repub-
| iican party Is to name a candidate who
| can be elected. This means that We
mus; have candidate who can carry
New York. New Jersey. Connecticut,
Indiana and Illinois. or at least candi-
date who is strong in all those states.
We hope and believe that when the
delegates assemble al Chicago and look
over the situation they Will conclude
that Mr.. Roosevelt is the man who can
do this better than any other. II so
they will nominate the president. and
no other candidate will appear against
him In the convention. But a great
many men from the states named de-
clare the president would not be the
strongest candidate with whom to win
the electoral votes of those common
wealths. All that we stand for is that
1t is the part of wisdom for republicans
to hold themselves open minded and
free handed until they can get together
and consult. There may be consider
able changes in the public sentiment
between now and the end of June
These changes are as likely to help the
president as to hurt him. And in the
end. instructions or no instructions,
he must stand or fall by the Judgment
of the party as TO his availability at
the moment when the nomination is
made. Our belief is that the president
is almost sure TO be the nominee. and
certainly no good republican Is going
to start war upon him. But we do
at the same time maintain that the
convention should not have its hands
tied in advance.
The friends of President Roosevelt
do not accept this and they are al
ready at work trying TO make sure OF
the nomina ton. The word has been
passed to all of the close friends OF
the president, whether federal office
holders or private citizens, to set out
for instructions to all delegates and for
early conventions. In response to the
wishes OF the presidents managers,
scores and scores of federal officehold-
ers and other friends of the admins
;ra,ion. have set going in their states
the activities necessary to fulfill these
plans. There are to be early conven-
tons in many states and districts
where the ayowed friends of the presi-
dent are in control, and beginning Win
next month there will be constant
rain OF Roosevelt instructions reporte1
n the daily press.
II Is claimed by the friends OF the
president that long before the con-
ven;ion meets much more than ma
iority of all the delegates VIII have
been Instructed to vote for Mr.. Roose- |
vel.. In fact. they assert that there are
now within sight enough instructed |
delegates to leave no doubt as to the
,c,ion of the convention. They declare,
that they are quite willing
10 accep, the test Indicated by the
views of the Hanna people. and others
who are opposed TO instructions. That
is to say they are willing to refer the
question OF instructions to the party, II
only the party is permitted to answer
without dictation or the scheming of
rabai and they assert that they have
not the slightest doubt as to the out
come.