Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-20
ALLIES" STAND FIRM
Declare They Are Not Ready
to Give Up.
PLEADING WITH FAIRBANKS
Trying to Get Him to Accept Second
Place on Ticket.
WORDING OF THE PLATFORM
Efforts to Preserve the Independence
of the Chicago Convention in
Drafting the Resolutions.
WORDING OF THE PLATFORM

| The Taft people have been making des-
perate efforts in the past two or three
weeks to induce Vice President Fair
banks to join the Taft movement. with
the assurance that the Taft men will
urge Mr.. Fairbanks nomination as Vice
President Up to the present time these
overtures have been resisted by Mr.. Fair
| banks. At this writing it can be stated
| with positiveness that the Vice President
is still disnclined to abandon his cam
paign for first place on the presidential
ticket
Within the past thirty-six hours there
have been conferences among the al
lies" and the Vice Presidents present
attitude has been approved Speaker
Cannon is of opinion that there should
he no change in the existing alignment
of the forces of the candidates who are
contesting the nomination with Secretary
Taft. Senator Knox agrees with him.
and Senator Foraker is of the same
opinion.
The general view of the allies is
said to be that the time has not arrived
TO surrender. The position of these gen.
tlemen is approved by number of prom
| inent republicans In Congress who are
influential in the councils of the party.
| This does not mean necessarily that they
not be nominated.
Drafting the Platform.
| 1t does mean, however. and the state
ment is expressed in the most emphatic
| manner by the republicans who utter it.
that the Chicago convention is not to be
dominated by President Roosevelt to the
entire exclusion of all the other factions
of the republican party. 1t is the belief
of some of the reading men of the party
who hold seats in the Senate and House
that there is very little If any doubt OF
the nomination of Secretary Taft. His
nomination will be acceptable and entirely
agreeable to these. men.
But when it comes to writing the plat
form and enunciating the principles of the
republican party for the next campaign
determined effort will be made to have
other elements of the republican party
than the Roosevelt-Taft faction given a
hearing.
Some republicans in Washington believe
that the situation has narrowed down to
the point where Secetary Taft's nomina-
ton is assured, where the Vice Presidency
is immaterial. to be passed upon after the
convention meets. and where the only
serious consideration is the wording of the
platform. From now on the struggle will
probably hinge upon this question. in the
opinion of these republicans.
For these reasons. therefore. some of the
leading republicans in Congress have ad-
vised that there should be no surrender
of the allies in advance of the conven-
ton, to thereby make the great gathering
of republicans merely Roosevelt love
feast In such event. it is said. the ma
tional convention would be dominated by
Roosevelt, the candidates named by
Roosevelt and in all likelihood the plat
form written by Roosevelt. That idea
is repugnant to some republicans who
are yet good friends of Secretary Taft,
and who not only will be glad to see
him nominated. but will do their best to
help elect him.
Statement of the "Allies."
The press bureau of the anti-Taft forces
has issued the following:
An analysis of the final tabulated state
ment issued by the management of the
Taft presidential campaign is all that is
necessary to prove that the Secretary of
War has not enough votes to nominate
now that all the delegates to the Chi
caso convention have been elected.
in this statement 5s4 votes-93 more
| than a majority-are claimed for Taft.
Admittedly there included in this
number 126 contested votes; as matter
| of fact. the number of contested votes
will reach nearly 800 In addition 80
Taft computation. reducing the number
| of instructed and uncontested votes for
| Taft TO little more than 3Or.
Every uninstructed delegate signifies
the failure of effort to instruc. for
| Taft. and the failure of such effort i'm
plies that even back of an Endorsement of
Secretary Taft was doubt to whether
or not his nomination would be advisable
when the convention meets at Chicago TO
| deliberate on the state of the party
THE realization of the Taft managers,
even after having procured the assistance
of the captains of predatory wealth. have
| been able to push their candidate over
the line. coupled with the republican
party's highly developed instinct of self
preservation. will help make history in
| the next thirty days
THE efforts of the Taft managers are
naturally being conferred upon the creation
of the belief that Secretary Taft has
enough votes to nominate. The greater
the anxiety on this point, the bigger the
noise.
| Defeat of Former Favorites.
| History will repeat itself at Chicago.
No pre-convention favorite ever won a
nomination for President in a republican
| convention since the founding OF the
party excepting William Mckinley and
| back of him was tidal wave of popular
sentiment which is not surging for Secre-
| tary Taft, and Harrison in 1S9o-nomi-
\ mated by the oficeholders and beaten by
! the people Seward had two-thirds OF
| the delegates to the convention o. 1860
pledged. Blaine was within twenty-six
votes of nomination on the first ballot
| in 1S76-nearer than Secretary Taft will
be.
The fatal weakness of the Taft can
| didacy is that it IL an absolutely machine
made product, not vitalized by popular
| sentiment. Its bandwagon is loaded down
| with men who. will jump oveS the vince
the moment the vehicle shows a sign OF
| staling. and the sign is in sight.
| The Chicago convention will make a
| nomination not the product of intim .da
| ton. not the result o. cowardice on the
part of party leadership. not involving
| the surrender of party prospects in a hun
! dred congressional districts and doZer
northern and border states. and not inn
| posing upon the republican party the ne.
| cessity % proving that the support OF
! III HAVE YOU TRIED