Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-06-17

'Specldl washington correspondence OF
The Argus)
The heavy hand of the administra-
ton was laid upon the Republican ma
iiOnal committee in order TO force it to
do the Roosevelt will in determining
contests for delegates to Chicago
Really it was a little raw" as the po-
litical phrase goes. for Mr.. Hitchcock.
who managed the Taft campaign.
TO appear in the committee with 2
proxy for himself and with proxies for
two salaried Taft employees. The stu
alton was somewhat reminiscent of 4
convention of Mr. Hearst's Independ-
ence league in which all the independ-
ent statesmen present were on the pay
roll of the Hearst newspapers.
After the Convention, What?
OF course the first trick in the ma.
tional political game is to get nomi-
mated, but Secretary Taft is likely to
find out that the first trick is not the
whole game. The heavy hand with
which his nomination has been prac-
tically forced has left it's black and
publican party, and the sufferers are
not likely soon to forget them. When
the earnest advocates of such lifelong
Republicans as Speaker Cannon, Sena.
tor Knox. Senator La Toilette and Vice
President Fairbanks withdraw from a
meeting of the Republican national
committee with the statement that the
| committee was packed and was not
| gathered to do justice to all factions
| but merely to force one candidate upon
| the party. it portends evil and disaster
| for that candidate. That was the out
| come of the first two sessions of the
Republican national committee.
Given a fight within the organization
of his own party, with the bitter hos
riity of organized labor. which has
exceeded in extent anything which TIVE
months ago any one could have sus
pected; with the negro vote, which il
| the tier of states north of the Ohit
river almost holds the balance of pow
er, and with the revolt of the ole
credible folly in attacking Genera
Grant in an Grafton delivered a
Grants tomb and in the presence O
Grants son, Secretary Taft will fac
some political troubles after the con
vention which he and Roosevelt con
troll shall have nominated him.
The Democratic Outlook.
So far as the Denver convention /
concerned, its outcome has ceased t
be in any doubt whatsoever. MI
Bryan will be nominated on the frs
ballot. will dominate the convention
and therefore will be able to aver
the time ,honOred practice Of those VIII
desire to commit treachery of writin
a platform upon which the candilat
cannot stand. The most bitter news
paper opponent of Mr.. Bryan concede
to him enough votes to bring him with
in seventy-two necessary to nomina
ton up to June {. | am quoting froI
the New. York World. But the WorI
puts Pennsylvania, Rhode Island an
Connecticut in the uninstructed an
the hostile column. Out of those state.
no one of which adopted the unit rul,
: Mr.. Bryan will not get less than sixt
votes. 1t describes the six votes of tn
District of Columbia as contested. TIL
contest is the veriest farce, and in a
probability the contesting delegatio
will never go to Denver.
Two Possible Vice Presidents.
The talk of the nomination of job
, Mitchell for vice president does ns
Idown. Ii he We're really seeking
or If friends were seeking it for hin
with any sort of concerted effort b
would, in my Judgment, be nominated
But there Is a concerted effort in Ill
nois to secure his nomination for gov
ernor of that state The argument
! made that with Mitchell for govefno
? in the state in which he was brougf
up and in which the coal miners al
only less numerous than they are ]
:. Pennsylvania the state would
swung as readily as If he were on I'll
national ticket. II that course shoul