The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-19
MUDDLED OUTLOOK FOR GEORGIA t. |. P. All the Party Is Against Both
 Roosevelt and Taft MANY NEGROES REGISTERED Two Conventions Have Been Called and State Central Committee Has
 Set Date To Arrange For
 the State Convention.
MANY NEGROES REGISTERED

Atlanta. March s.-tSpecial.) )-About the hardest thing to pry open in Georgia to- day is the republican situation in this state. The leaders themselves appear to be, or profess to be, somewhat muddled over the outlook.
 Only two district conventions of repub- licans have so far been called. The sec ond district convention will meet at Daw- son and the third district convention at Marshallville, both on March 2S. For not one of the nine others has the date been set yet the time for holding the state convention has been discussed, as the re- publican state central committee has been called to meet March 2S to fix the conven- ton date.
 The republican leaders who are natu- rally aligned with the present administra- ton, and are therefore, inclined to sup port the candidacy of Taft, are much in doubt as to the amount of goods whicn tEey can deliver. This harassing doubt all grows out of the fact that they don't know what part the brother in black Is going to play in Georgia pontics this year.
 The republican situation in Georgia diff fers in one important respect from that i'll any other state in the south or any where else. This grows out of the fact that the people of Georgia will vote this year on the dsfranchisement amendment to the state constitution which was passed at the last session of the legislature. Con seauently the negroes nave registered Al larger numbers than ever before. It is estimated that the negro registration throughout the state Is something like three times as large as 1t has ever been known for any preceding election
 With so extensive a registration 1t is natural that the negroes should take more interest in political affairs of all sorts than would ordinarily be the case. They will, it is anticipated, be in larger evi- dence at the district conventions and the state convention of the republican party than has been the case in a decade CT more.
 The negroes, as is we'll known, are not in sympathy with the Roosevelt admins tration on account of the Brownsville affair and 1t is said they like Taft even less than they do Roosevelt. The con sequence is their efforts will be bent to- wards the selection of delegates to tho Chicago convention who will oppose the administrations programme.
 To just what extent the negroes will be able to control these district con ventions and name their delegates is an unknown quantity with the office holding republicans, and that is what is most puzzling them
 But there is one thing that Is pretty well assured and that Is the entire Geor gia delegation will go to Chicago unin- structed. Of course the anti-adIninstrd- ton element will not instruct It's dele gates, because that would tie their hands when the time came to put in the good hcks. And the administration adnerents will, likewise, it is stated, leave what delegates they name free to act as the circumstances appear to require
 The negro element would like to get back of t'oraker, but he has no chance, so 1t would not do to send delegates in- structed for him. However. if he should lcom up strong in the convention they would be ready tc act.
 The Georgia State Republican league of which J. E. Sistrunk, an Atlanta negro, is president. is the main thorn in the flesh of the officeholders and lilly whites. It has about as much use for the Roosevelt admi .listration as the devil las for holy water, and that it Is going to try to run the state convention when 1t Is held there can be little doubt. But the administration element will be ready for them. That the latter holds the whip hand cannot be doubted. Still there Is the possibility of split as the result of this contention, and the naming of two sets of delegates from the state at large, one os which will be aligned with the admin istration and the other against 1t.
 Nothing Is definitely known as to when the state republican convention will bs held, though 1t will have to be held prior to May 16, as the party rules require that the delegates shall be named thirty days prior to the assembling of the national convention