The Cairo bulletin., 1908-03-18
TAFT OR CANNON
IN ILLINOIS FIGHT
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION NEXT
WEEK WILL BE UNIQUE
AFFAIR.
MAY Be LOVE FEAST
Or Cat and Dog Fight Between OppoG-
ing Factions-State Cand, dates
Not to Be Considered.

Springfield, H., March 1.-THE Re
publican state convention which is Il
be held here March 2G, will be no
table gathering in many ways, 1t viii
be the first state convention. with one
or two possible exceptions, ever held ii
Illinois devoted exclusively to presi
Dental politics. The new primary Law
robs the convention of the nominating
power, that function being reserved
for the voters themselves to be eXer
cised this year on the eighth of August
II Is true that the law is net yet IL
force, and will not be until July /, and
there is nothing to prevent the state
convention next week from endorsing
candidates for the various state offices
from governor all the way d0wl The
list. But there is no probability that
such an endorsement will be itta .ad
or sought. 1t may well be doubted
that 1t would have an effect ON the
primary vote unless it should be an eff
feet adverse to the candidates thus en-
dorsed for in the sensitive state OF
public opinion that exists at this time
many shrewd politicians calc dc
that the people will resent anything
that looks like dictation from ma,
chine" or an organization"
The first state convention of the Re
publican party. which was held In
Bloomington. May 20, 1856, was deyo.
ted almost entirely TO the discussion OF
national issues. But the convention
nominated a state ticket and that has
been the main function of state con.
ventiCns down to the present time. 1t
Is not to be forgotten that the Demo
Gratis held a state convention in June
1895 at which national issues predonl
inated-or rather in which one nation
al issue oyershadowed all else. That
was the formal launching of the six
teen to one propaganda. William Jen
ming Bryan, then not so famous a.
now, being present in person to start
off the movement.
The convention next week will BE-
quite as UNIQUE as the DemoGratic sit
yer convention of 1895. II will decide
the place Illinois will occupy in this
years contest for the presidency of the
United States. II is only once in gen
Grafton, one might say, that Illinois has
a real chance to secure the presidency
1t would seem that this year furnishes
Illinois a great possibility; for net
withstanding the tremendous support
which Mr.. Taft apparently has from
the national administration, astute
politicians who have carefully
watched the progress of events
throughout the nation declare that
the presidential nomination is M
more settled now than it was SIX
months ago; that while Taft is in the
lead, he can have no possible assur
ance of enough delegates to nominate
him; and that if Taft should fail of
the nomination the exalted honor Is
almost certain to go to Uncle Joe Can
non of Illinois. II is pointed out that
in more than one great presidential
contest the leading candidate before
the convention has fallen by the way
side and the nomination has been
given to some other man. This was
strlkingly the case in 1SG0--the year
of Illinois first national triumph
when Governor Seward of New York
was the leading candidate in point of
delegate strength, but when Abraham
Lincoln carried of the nomination.
It does not seem probable that the
Taft movement will make any visible
impression upon the state convention
next week Mr. Taft is strong in Hi
nois; he has many thousands of
friends in this state, who would like
to see him win If the Illinois candi-
date cannot be nominated. But the
Taft cause has been hurt rather than
helped by the action of some of the
over-zealous Taft men in Chicago who
have been proposing an open fight on
Cannon Advices from Washington
are to the effect that Secretary Taft
himself is alarmed at this action OF
his Illinois friends and that he will
not countenance any movement to
place him ahead of Cannon so far as
the Illinois delegation is concerned
The state convention will be practic
ally unanimous in its endorsement OF
Mr. Cannon.
The actual work of the state con
Vention will consume probably less
than one hour. 1t will have nothing
to do beyond the selection and in
struction of delegates at large to the
national convention. II will be made
the occasion however in all prob
ability for a sort of a love feast in
which the candidates for office will
be given an opportunity to exploit
themselves. and in which some key
note speeches will be made. The
coming gathering brings home the
fact that the days of the great and
dramatic conventions that have beer
the mile stones in the political his
tory of the state are gone.