New-York tribune., 1908-02-09
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
CONTESTS At CHICAGO.
SOUTH My HAYE MANY.
IEs porfant Role To BE Played by
Republican National Committee.
frropa Tae +. F5ars Brreau. I


Washington Feb. S-PoIiticians in Washing
ton are becoming convinced that the national
committee viii play an important part in the
81 lect!oa Of the next Republican candidate for
President. The forces which 2-e opposing the
EomiEa;ion OF Secretary TAFT maintain that
many oontt sting Delegations viii knock loudly
the doors Of the convention. and as t falls 20
the national committee TO make up the tempo
rary ro!! and To the men placed on that TOli 10
name the committee credentials. the polti-
cal complexion OF the convention. II there ara
any considerable number of cortesting deiega-
tions. must depend on the national committee
No sooner had Mr. Foraker returned from Ohio
last week than the story told at the Capt.
toI that a number of eontesens delegations
would be elected in the Southern states. and this
prediction promptly verified in the case OF
Florida the first Southern state TO hold it's con-
vention According the advices received IN
Washington from the regular news sources the
regular convention instructed It's delegates for
Taft while a ''rump'' convention elected an TN
instructed delegation. Certain supporters of
candidates other than Mr.. Taft have since aues-
toned the accuracy of this information
Meanwhile however. the supporters Of various
candidates are anxiously inquiring az TO tho
preferences of the committee itself. and both
the supporters and the opponents of Mr. Taft
maintain that they will control the committee.
The Taft people say they will have twenty
eight votes ot total of ffty-four. as fol-
lows: Alabama. Connecticut. Florida Arkansas,
California. South Dakota. Indiana. Kansas.
Louisiana. Maryland. Minnesota. Mississippi.
Missouri. Michigan. Iowa. North Carolina.
Rhode island. Wyoming. New Hampshire New
Jersey South Carolina. Tennessee. Texas, Viz
gfnia Alaska District OF Columbia, Philippines
and Porto Rico
They concede that the following will be op-
posed Secretary Taft: Idaho. Illinois. Ohio,
Kentucky. Maine. Massachusetts,. New Ygrk.
Pennsylvania and West Virginia-nine in ALL
The remaining seventeen the Taft people put
in the doubtful column In explanation of their
forecast they say that while the delegations
from Ohio and West Virginia will be solid for
Taft and the same will probably be true OF
Idaho the present national committeeman are
the who will vote on making up the tenn
porary roll. and 1t is regarded as unlikely that
Messrs. Dick, Scott and Hepburn will be for the
Secretary, although Senator Scott is in doubt
The opponents of Mr.. Taft say that a major
ity Of the national committee will be against
Taft and will seat delegations unfavorable 20
the Secretary of War wherever contestants pre-
sent themselves They unwilling. however,
to submit any tabulation in suppoE of their
proposition. contenting themselves with assert
ing that the fact that Chicago was chosen as
Taft forces prevailed in the committee at its
last meeting
This assertion is disputed. however. even By
some of the men who voted for Chicago. FOR
instance. Mr. Lyons. national committeeman
from Texas stouty asserts that while he cast
his vote with the anti-Taft forces so long as he
supposed there the slightest chance of pro-
noting the denomination of President Roose-
welt. he Is stanch a supporter of the
Secretary of War as he had been Of the Presi-
dent The same is true of Pearl Wight.
tional committeeman from Louisiana. and Of
John G. Capers committeeman from South
Carolina Frank H. Hitchcock. who. the pro-
nnoter of the third term sentiment in the last
meeting OF the national committee induced the
Southern members vote for Chicago. is con-
fdent that when the committee meets in JUns
it will be in favor of the nomination OF Mr..
Taft
The vote convention cities stood Chicago,
81 Kansas City. Is and Denver, T. 1t is con-
ceded that the four who voted for Denver were
more favorable TO Kansas City than Chicago. so
that the poll might be sid to have beer. IN
effect 81 to ID That would mean that a change
of five votes would have changed the decision.
and the Taft people maintain that there were
many more than five votes cast for Chicago by
members who preferred Roosevelt TO Taft. but
would now prefer Taft any other candidate
OF course. it is a rather far cry from now
until next June and many things may happen
to change the views of national committeeman
in the mean time. but there seems be little
doubt that the friends of each candidate will do
all in their power to promote the interests Of
their favorite in the national committee before
it's next meeting.