Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-12-19
WHO STOLE DELEGATE?
TIT Camp HysleIIed ss TO Who
Pur|OIned Southern Supporters
QUESTION REMAINS UNANSWERED
Assistant Postmaster General Hitch
cock oisclplned-For Whom Were
the Delegates Stolen lie the Problem
Agltatlns the National Capital.

Somebody has stolen a horse which
Alfred |. Vorys, manager of the Taft
boom, says belonged to Secretary
Taft. Therefore there has been Il
great locking of stable doors. Vari-
Gus statements are made ms to whom
the horse was stolen for. Some say
II was stolen for President Roosevelt,
lothcrs 1t was stolen for Secretary
ICortelyou. AS the horse was the
Southern delegates TO the Republican
National Convention, naturally it was
one of some value and much in de-
Inland.
Tho perpetrators of this Outrage"
are said to have l'cen Assistant Post
master General Hitchcock and Com
missioner OF Internal Revenue Cap
crs." They were. of course. aided and
allotted by many others, but since a
scapegoat must be found. they are to
ibe disciplined. Mr.. Hitchcock. in
fact, has already been disciplined He
has had taken from him the power
TO dispose of postoflces in any part
of the United States. and Postmaster
General Meyer, who Is supposed to
know something about politics him
self, Is to take hold and distribute the
little remaining patronage without
prejudice to any of the other candi-
dates for the Republican nomination
except Niessls. Foraker, Fairbanks.
Cannon, Knox, Hughes, Cortelyou and
La Toilette.
So much for Mr.. Hitchcock. AS for
Mr.. Capers, his punishment Is to be
moro severe. He Is to be required to
resign. 1t Is well understood that he
was going. out of Office anyway lust
MS soon as Pearl White, of New Or
leans. could qualify as his successor,
and ho also offered to hand In his
resignation the other day to the Pres
ident, who warned him to he more
Icircumspect about third d,rm efforts
| or 1t would be called for. Now, It
Is said, 1t Is to be called for, but for n
different reason than agitating for a
third term. or promoting the election
lof anti-Taft delegates. His Offend
Ing officially is said by one of the most
conspicuous supporters of Secretary
Tart In the city to be that he has
switched. first from Roosevelt 10 Cor
telyou and then from Cortelyou TO
Fairbanks.
Another "Third Tcrmer.'
1t is singular thing, hut when Mr..
White enters the office MS Commits
sioner of Internal Revenue he will be
| found at heart quite as much n third
term American as Mr.. Capers or Mi.
Hitchcock. He has said so himself.
If he should switch from third term he
Is expected to switch to Cortelyou and
remain steadfast until after the ex-
pected Roosevelt stampede In the Ma
tional Convention has taken place anu
spent Its force.
1t Is all rs good as play. "Who
killed cock rohin?' Is not as deem n
my stery MS who stole the Taft boom
In the South?" And 1t is all the more
interesting since Secretary Taft In
about to land In New York from his
I globe circling tour anu may ask for
heads right and left and may cause
awkward questions to be asked at the
Postoflce Department.
There Is great deal of mystery
about exactly what was done In the
Southern States by Mr., Hitchcock
and Mr. Capers about their ears. 1t
Is positively said not to have been
work to bring about the nomination
of Secretary Cortelyou On the 9th
err hand 1t is said to have been work
to make the nomination of President
Roosevelt inevitable So far as can
be learned no intimatior that this was
distasteful to the President or to Sec
rotary Loeb leaked out until about the
time the Republican National Com
mlttee met here. and Representative
Clayton introduced n resolution de-
signed to take the sentiment of tho
House Of Representatives on the oues-
ton of third term.
| Relieve L., Draoido.kr
True. a letter had been drafted to
no sent TO federal ofIiceholders for
bidding them under pain of the Pres
dents displeasure to foment senti-
mont for third term. but 1t was not
mailed and remained in the note
hooks of official stenographers for
more than two weeks.
NO one here doubts the sincerity of
President Roosevelt or his undivided
loyalty to Taft so far as 1t was proper
FOR him to favor Taft at the expense
OF all the other candidates He has
never given the slightest encourage
ment to any effort TO obtain delegates
for him. Yet 1t has been done and
II was done while the Secretary of
war was making record for good
around the world.
Usually such things are blamed OH
secretary Loeb. He holds I'm his
hands and says, Not guilty" In fact,
ne can prove an alibi. But the pie "a
gone off the pantry shelf. There is
no more Taft boom In the South
The delegates arc already lined up.
and II Postmaster General Meyer can
ma any offices to distribute in the
south that will assist any of the can
aidates he will he regarded as a Won
oer-a man who made grass grow
where 1t never grew before.