The Washington herald., 1908-06-21
q 4 . be lsg2 80 agaln!..

- II 10 ne AoS1 over again
Newspaper men and others returning
from Chicago bring but one story OF the
Republican national convention. It was
utterly lacking in enthusiasm for Taft 1t
was apathetic toward him throughout.
But the convention gathering was mark
ed by something more than apathy An
undercurrent Of positive resentment char
acterized IL. Delegations that voted for
Taft from choice and not dictatiou. no
less than those committed TO favorite
sons. manifested dlspleasure with the
cut-and-dried convention programme. and
openly condemned the methods employed
TO promote Tafts candidacy.
After 1t was all over. not only the rank
and file as represented at the convention.
but party leaders themselves. took no
pains TO conceal their misgivings as 10
the outcome Of the campaign. rs It to
be 1S92 over again?" was the question
asked on all sides. Doubt was in the air.
Man for the Emergency.
The man Roosevelt wanted on The ticket
with Taft and the man Taft himself
wanted for running mate was cot Dol
liver. or Cummirs. or any Middle West
ern man, as so loudly proclaimed. Least
of al was Jim" Sherman the man. TIE
man the White House wanted was never
presented 20 the convention-one whose
name HIS champion forgot TO mention In
nominating him for first place-Charles
L. Hughes. governor OF New York He
was the man both Roosevelt and TAFT
wanted for Vice P-esident-the man they
felt they needed for the election emer-
gency-after first place had safely been
pre-empted for the Presidents candidate
Hughes grew in their estimation nightly
at the last hour.
But Hughes spurned every overture 10
him 10 so on the ticket with Taft. He
would have none Of H. He was adamant
-unyield.ns-and great was the wrath
thereat in highest political quarters.
It was not that Roosevelt loved Hughes
that he wanted him. not that he even ap-
proved Of him. but that the ticket needed
him 10 insure its success in November.
This IS no fairy tale Of election after
math. It is a cold. hard fact.
Indiana's Emphatic 'NO."
Next 10 Hughes the White House turned
10 Cummius. an available Western radi-
cal. but state complications put him out
Of consideration. Then Indiana was asked
to name Fairbanks Indiana refused. It
would vote for him. If another State pre-
sented him. but Fairbanks had emphati-
caIly declared he would be party 10 no
programme dictated from Washington.
Indiana Jhereupon was asked 10 name
Beveridge II again refused. Il would
support him If he were put in nomination,
but Indiana had no candidate for Vice
President The Hoosier State. lined UP
with the allies" from the start. would
make no eleventh-hour compact with the
steam-roHer crowd.
And SO the administration was up in the
air as TO the Vice Presidency.
Meanwhile the Jim" sherman boom
had accumulated momentum. Uncle Joe
Cannon took charge Of il. and whooped
it UP all along the line. Delegates who
had been permitted 10 do no thinking
part for themselves until that time took
10 Il enthusiastically. BY 10 O'Clock Fri
day morning Hitchcock's steam roller
was out of commission. He had daIied
unduly at the long-distance telephone.
The sherman boom could not then be
headed of. and he was nominated with
ease
But even then party spirit did not rise.
The work was done, but was 1t well done?
The delegates were uncertain. A more
low-spirited lot of Doubling Thomases
never left a convention city Some OF
them went home absolutely sulIen. rs IL
20 be 1892 over again?'' many OF them
were asking.
RadicaIi-m In the West.
The homecoming newspaper men and
others emphasize another phase Of the
Chicago gathering. II brought out the
fact clearly and Enthusiastically that rad
icalism is sim rampant out West. But
two demonstrations occurred in the con-
vention-one for Roosevelt and the other
for La Toilette The galleries were
packed with radicals. Apparently they
did not appralse Taft as bearing the
simon-pure brand OF radicaIism. Next 20
Roosevelt. the man who measured up 10
their Idea of what their leader should
be was La Toilette. Conservatives were
aghast az the La Toilette demonstra-
ton. They saw its meaning. One OF
them. analyzing II. said: IF this thing
grows. none OF US will be al home in
the next Republican convention" And
all the while. as William Allen White
pointed out, the shadow Of William Jen-
nings Bryan was over everything.