The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-02
HOT TIMES IN PROSPECT.

HOT TIMES IN PROSPECT.
 The indications now are that not less than two hundred seats will be con- tested in the national Republican con- ! yention. The New York Tribune, which may properly be considered one of the leading organs of the Republican par ty, is not at all mealy-mouthed in ex- pressing its sentiments. as this will show:
 We trust that the national commit tee will set its face against these friv- olous exhibitions of selfish competi- ton; Ion; There are in States like Texas. where only beggarly Republican vote was cast in 1906 for congressman, two separate Republican organizations. purpose of lighting the other at nation al conventions. It is absurd to expect the convention to treat their factionai
 enss oS saTtr sy they and act together and let the majority In each State and district elect uncon- tested delegations, Their continual di- visions are menace to the welfare of the national organization, for they set at naught the principle of ma l3ority rule and open the door to all would save great deal of trouble and | scandal if in those States the present | irresponsible system of choosing dele 1 gates should be named at primaries in which only qualified Republican voters were allowed to participate.
 Plainly The Tribune can see and un- derstand what we of the South con- slider the natural course of Republican politics down here. As a general prop
 osition there's very little of political principle involved in the cutthroat dis putes among Southern Republicans. It is the Federal offices and their distri- button that actuates each side. and in the main we suppose one side is as much to blame as the other. The side which has its delegates seated at Chi cago will be looked on as representing the administration. if Republican is elected President. and will be entitled to the nominative job of handing out the pie to the faithful That is the moving cause of all these bickerings and clashes. And here is the way The Hartford (Conn.) Times views the sit- uation:
 This is all quite indfsputable. But what is the national committee to do at Chicago? In a majority of the con- probably as much irreguiarity on one side as the other, and so much on both that neither one Is properly entitled to admission to the convention; on committee decide against one set Of contestants in favor Of anotherg lt is evidently in the power of the com mitte to make the number of Mr. Tafts supporters two hundred greater or less fairer and better way be to exclude and allow the delegates from the States which usually cast Republican electoral votes to control the action or The Tribune does not go so far as to suggest the total exclusion of the unrepresentative southerners. whose credentials are tainted with fraud or and nobody expects to see such @ thing done If MT. Taft and Mir. Roosevelt have their way. there will be dele representatives of every district in the Southern States, and every one or them will cast vote in favor of MT. Taft as the Republican candidate for president.
 We do not agree with the implied suggestion of The Times that 1t would be fairer and better to exclude all these contesting delegations from the South and allow the strictly and sure Repub- 1ican States to hold the convention. That would not be in accord with the spirit or letter of the square deal about which the President talks so vigorous ly. It might be nearer the fair thing for the committee on contests to split the difference" and admit half of each contesting delegations and thus give each side a fair show. We suspect that in most of these cases one side is as nearly right as the other.
 In our opinion. however, the admis- sion of Southern delegates will depend entirely on whether the committee to hear these contests is dominated by Roosevelt-Taft men or by the antis. If the former control the committee we may expect the Taft delegates to be seated in all cases. without regard to the manner of their selection. But however it may be settled we may con fidently expect some high 1inks at Chi cago from the very beginning of the convention's operations. It is not an unreasonable supposition that hair and wool will be snatched out by handfuls, and bloody noses and eyes in mourning will not be uncommon sights in the halls of the brethren before the dele- gates settle down to business If by some unexpected chance, the anti-ad- ministration forces should control the committee and seat none but anti-Taft delegates we may reasonably expect that the whole police force of Chicago will have to be called out to preserve order.
 And after all, we do not know that the Democrats need build any hopes or calculations on the dissensions and bickerings of their opponents. The in- terests involved are of too much im- portance to them to admit of any per- manent Reorganization in their ranks, for upon the unihcation and harmony of the party depends their retention of