The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-02-13

Crane, Who Hopes to be the Next
''Poohah" In the Next Admins
tration is Very Busy Framing !
Up Contesting DeIegati0ns.


special is as follows: ~ - -.
Secretary Taft and the adfdnfstra-
tioh forces are facing the crucial test
OF their strength. During the next
fortnight the president and his friends
Will be called upon to exert every in
fuence at their command to- prevent
the anti-administration forces: from
obtaining footing which, would ba
sure to prove serious menace to Sec
retary Taft's candidacy. =.
That the president will fight, and
fight hard, Is realized by his enemies.
They have turned the. management Of
the apti-Taft, anti-admin tstration cam
paign' over to Senator w. Murray
Crane, of Massachusetts,. Senator
Crane, who directed the anti-Taft fight
in Florida, is preparing ,to-follow that
contest with another in Texas,
While he realizes that the sentiment
IN favor Of Secretary Taft is dominant
IN these Estates, as it proved in Florl-
da, he! e!purposes to have handful OF
men In every state convention who
will be ready to bolt and elect contest
ing delegates to the national conyen-
t1on:. %Should Secretary Taft control
the delegates from all of the states Of
the Mississippi river and the solid
south he would be nominated on the
first ballot. s
The reactionaries and the money
power in Wall street, however, have
realized this from the start, and have
been~planning tS elect contesting dele
gates from a dozen or fifteen states.
They control the national committee :,
as shown at its last meeting, when the
administrator forces were routed in
selecting convention city, and it is
their plan to have the anti-Taft dele
gates put upon the temporary roll Of
the convention -/
~ May Unseat Them All.
Under the rules of republican ma
81 opal conventions the temporary dele,
gates vote son contests from every state
except the one in which they s. are, di.t
rectly inteYested, and under ttis rule
Senator Crane believes he will be able
to unseat every Taft delegate from the
south.
1t became kpown today that the
Florida row was planned and carried
eut~by Representative Butler Araes, Of
Massachusetts. He is one Of the
wealthiest man in congress, and owns
large estate. in Florida. He went to
his winter place last week and fired up
the scheme by which a minority of
the delegates bolted and elected anti
Taft delegates. 1t was Representative
Anles who sent the kilograms which
were received by representatives of
Cannon, Fairbanks, Knox and Hughes
on Thursday
This plan IS to be followed In North
and South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia,
Mississippi, Louisiana and other. south
ern states. In most Of these states
the president has the rank and file of
the party back Of him and the organ
ization leaders-are, Of course, federal
office holders. At the same time the
republican vote is made up largely OF
Negores, and the anti-adminlstration
republicans believe they will have no
trouble in starting rival machines by
getting hold Of men who have been dig
appointed in obtaining appointments
and controlling them with promises of
patronage If the movement, ls a sue
cess.
FoOthold in Texas.
The next convention is to be held in
Texas. There was no doubt that Sec
retary Taft would get~the 36 delegates
without a contest, and that they would
be instructed for him. Information re-
ceived by Secretary Taft managers to
day, however, indicated that Senator
Crane had agents at work here, and]
had already planned to have per-
centage Of the delegates bolt and elect
contesting delegation. ...-
The president has awakened to the
situation and his friends are awaiting
his next move. They realize that the
administration is at serious disad.
vantage, since the reactionaries areI
bound to raise the cry Of federal pa
tronage.
The reacuonaries admit that the
Taft forces will have q majority Of
ADVOCATE THREW
delegates in all Of the southern con-
FeDtlOuS, Out juSlSC IudC. CLAESe, ate VI
flee holders who fear to oppose the
wishes Of the administration. They
declare further that republicans who
do. not hold office favor their plan Of
electing/ uninstructed delegates, and
| that their wishes should be regarded
as the will Of the organization becausd
they are not under the influence of the
| president
Both the administration leaders and
the P6actionaries believe that the whole
issue of the Chicago convention hinges
on this fight for control Of the south:
If the president wins, Taft is sure of
the nomination. Should Senator
Cranes plans materialize he will be
able with the delegates Of the states