The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-12-21
SLAP AT WHITE HOUSE
Selection Of Chicago For Repub.
lican Convention.
CANNON AND THE TARIFF.
SPEAKER Strongly Opposed TO Revision
Except For Purpose Of Increasing
Duties-Free Silver a. q Possible
Remedy For Financial IIIs--The cus-
senheim idea-Loss on Gold Coinage.
BY WILLIS j. ABBOT.

Genheim idea-loss on Gold Coinage.
BY WILLIS j.. ABBOT.
The action of the Republican nation
Al committee in selecting as the con-
vention city Chicago was direct slap
at the administration ard at Mr.. Taft.
The Kansas City boomers, more than
score in number, prosperous, glib Of
tongue and perfectly confident, felt
that they had the convention within
their grasp until the day before the
decision. Then somebody suggested
that Kansas City was In the Roosevelt
Taft territory. Up to that time Chi
cago had done nothing. 1t had no dele
CATION here; It had made no proffer Of
funds; it had distributed no picture
books showing the beauties of the city;
It had distributed no cigars nor opened
any headquarters. When this sugges-
ton was made, however, Representa-
tive Frank o. Lowden, himself a
strong Cannon man, called up Chicago
and shortly appeared with telegram
signed by two well known business
men of that city asking for the con-
vention and guaranteeing "the neces-
sary expenses Of the subcommittee"
Probably never so half hearted bid
for convention was ever made. I
have attended the meetings Of the ma
tional committees of both parties for
twelve years past and never knew a
noncommittal proposition Of this sort
to be accepted, yet when the commit
tee came to vote 1t selected Chicago by
vote of thirty-two to Kansas Citys
seventeen. The reason? The reason
is simply that swinging majority of
the Republican national committee is
opposed to Mr.. Roosevelt and all his
works, opposed to Taft as Roose-
velts Iegatee, opposed to Kansas
City because there resides Senator
Warner, the chief Taft spokesman in
the west, and because about that city is
great population largely given over to
the Roosevelt fantasy. Chicago wins
not because the committee desired to
hold the convention there, but because
it desired to show President Roosevelt
that 1t was independent of him and Of
his plan for the presidential successor.
There are sore hearts and, to use a
slang phrase, sore heads about this de-
feat of Kansas City for political pur-
poses only. / talked with Hon. John
NJ. Blodgett, the Republican national
committeeman for Michigan. AS n
matter Of convenience, of course, Chi
cago should be the place to appeal to
him, as he lives In Grand Rapids, di-
rectly across Lake Michigan from the
convention city, but he deplored the
action of the committee. Said he:
"Kansas City and Denver were rep
resented before the committee by dele
cations of their business men. They
came provided with the necessary evi-
dence to show that they would take
care of the financial needs of the con-
vention, yet they were set aside upon
nothing more definite than telegram
from two Chicago men saying that the
convention would be properly taken
care Of there. In other words, the Re-
publican national committee has serv-
ed notice upon the smaller cities that,
whatever may be their efforts, how
ever liberal their promises of support,
they stand no chance If Chicago or the
other great cities of the country shall
enter the competition"
New York In Politics.
After all, cities outgrOw the desire
for national conventions. l don't be-
lieve that Chicago cares q bit about
its victory over Kansas City, while
Kansas City, being still In the growing
stage, regrets its defeat. New York
has never bothered about conventions,
though In Madison Square Garden 1t
has an ideal convention hall. This
year the New York Democracy is much
puzzled as to what 1t shall do when II
gets to the national convention. Mr..
Conners, chairman of the state COM
mittee and owner of two very pros
porous papers In Buffalo, has been for
some reason known only to himself
rather openly opposed to Mr.. Bryan.
Perchance this may he due to the fact
that his chief newspaper rival in Buff
falo, Norman II. Mack, national COM
mitteeman, has been quite as openly In
favor OF Mr.. Bryan. Sometimes jour-
nallstic rivalries lead to curious polit-
ical conditions. Be that as 1t may, Mr..
Conners planned for January a great
gathering OF Democrats from all over
the United States at the Waldorf As
torla, surely an ideal spot for a Demo
cratic conference. He was to have all
the Democratic governors. all the ma
tional committeeman who would at
tend, all the chairnen OF state commit
tees and as many senators aud repre-.
| sentatlyes as could be lured to such a
meeting. 1t was to be the first step to-
ward the elimination Of Bryan as a
presidential candidate, and few great
political movements received more
| newspaper advertising than this. Mr..
Conners went UP and down the land
declaring that tho one possible candi-