The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-14
Opposition Still Maintains Sem.
blance of a Fight.
ROOSEVELT DID 1T.
His Public Announcement Re.
garding the Nomination
Seems to Have Turned the Tide
at Saratoga.

ernor Charles E. Hughes will be re-
nominated by the Republican state
convention as the result of tomorrow's
balloting became all but a certainty
today and even the anti-Hughes lead
ers while publicly still determined be-
gan to admit privately that it might
even be done upon the first ballot.
General interest was evoked by the
authorized reiteration from Oyster Bay
that President Roosevelt believed the
convention should renominate Gov
ernor Hughes.
William Barnes, jr., of Albany,
leader of the anti-Hughes element re-
fused to speak on the subject for pub
Ilcation. Others of the anti-Hughes
leaders say that they were pleased and
that. if Hughes is to be nominated 1.-The
responsibility will be placed just where
it belongs"
Representative Serene Payne said he
believed Governor Hughes's renomina-
ton was assured, adding that Mr..
RooseVelt's statement will make it
more certain"
The convention scheduled to begin at
3 p. m. probably will make no nomina
tions today. The feature of today is
the speech of Secretary of State Elihu
Root as the temporary and permanent
chairman.
After the permanent organization
speech of Mr.. Root, adjournment prob
ably Will be taken until tomorrow.
indications this afternoon point to Il
fight over the platform as bitter as the
one on the governorship. There prob
ably would be little difficulty in get
ting through a general endorsement of
the administration of Governor
! Hughes, the trouble is mainly over the
| anti-race track gambling bills and the
governors recommendation of direct
nominating primary election law. Poll
ticians, large and small have set their
faces sternly against this proposition
and many of them are ready to stake
| all upon their position in this matter,
regarding it as to them as an affair
| of life and death. On the other hand
| certain Republican local organizations,
| that in Kings county, for instance,
have declared for direct primaries.
Among the other matters over which
| there may be struggle are the ex-
| tension of the jurisdiction of the public
service commission to telegraph and
| telephone companies and the so called
| Massachusetts ballot.
Opposition Could Not Unite.
| Saratoga, N. Y, Sept. 1.-THE OPEN
| ing hours of today found the anti
| Hughes forces ready to renew with uE-
relenting persistence the dogged fight
to accomplish the governors defeat.
| The convention was called to convene
-
on earlier trains found very difficult
situation awaiting solution.
| 1t is doubtful whether a precise
parallel of the circumstances can be
found in recent political history in this
| state. The strength of the force be-
| hind the movement for the denomination
| of the governor is of unknown poten-
| tialities. Nobody can do better than
guess how many delegates, if left to
| their own volition, would be for him
| hi, ,se
| lied and seemingly without any visible
| center about which, whom to rally.
| Even the most enthusiastic advocates
| of the governors nomination admitted
early today that the delegates opposed
| to him could easily defeat him if they
| could be brought to unite upon any
| other candidate.
| The search for such a candidate
| taxed the resources of the opposition
| throughout yesterday, lasted far into
| the night and was the subject of end
less conferences and general discus
| sion. But it had been admittedly fruit
| less. Such names as those of Secre-
| tary of State Elihu Root, Joseph H.
Choate, Seth Low and General Horace
| Porter had been canvassed but for one
reason and another, all had been dis
| carded.
| One of the most active and determine
| ed of the anti-Hughes leaders, after a
canvass of individual delegates early
| d
tabulation showing a minimum
strength for Hughes of 1928. whereas,
| the most conceded to him in the cal
culations of yesterday was under ZOO
Commenting upon this canvass this
anti Hughes leader said: 81 have no
confidence in the success of our ef-
forts, or in the figures upon which we
| have been basing our calculations.
| Fellows have been founding their con-
! fidence upon the assumption that they
could deliver full counties or at least
whole districts; but I find that in this
convention the bosses are being ig-
| nored and the delegates are thinking
| for themselves. Many of them tell me
| that they do not intend to obey or
derS' and then go home and be cru
| Gifted I have reason to believe that
when the roll of counties is called on
the first ballot, large number of del
| egateS who are supposed to be against
| the denomination of Governor Hughes
will vote for him: in fact. it would not
surprise me to find the vote on the in
| itial ballot almost tie
There can be no doubt that many of
the delegates opposed to Governor
| Hughes sincerely believe that the gov
ernor, even if nominated will be de-
feated at the polls and that some of
| his bitterest opponents are urging
| that the best way to obliterate him as
| factor in Republican state politics
would be to concede him the nomi-
nation and at the polls send him to the
limbo OF defeated candidates. They
argue also that to repudiate the gov
ernor in this convention and go to a
possible defeat with another candidate
would be to make him a certain factor
/ two years hence The possibility of
the governor in the field as an inde-
| pendent candidate with the attendant
menace to the state and national tick
cts is not overlooked.
The plan which had been tentatively
agreed upon by the anti-Hughes men