Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-28
PLAN TO DEFEAT 0HI0AN
Would Force Nomination of Roose-
welt at Chicago.
PRESIDENT WOULD DECLINE
Then Opportunity Would Be Seized
to Choose Another Man and
Sidetrack War Secretary.

The Taft people believe they have made
discovery that is one of the most i'm
portant Of the campaign, and if it is as
accurate as il is interesting they are un-
Questionably to be commended for their
penetration. 1t is that the allies. as the
anti-Taft candidates are now called. are
planning to bring about a great ROose-
welt hullabaloo in the Chicago convention,
force his nomination at the very outset of
the convention. if possible. and depend
upon him declining the nomination in the
belief that Taft can win if he is out.
Then, having placed the president where
1t would be absolutely beyond reason to
again nominate him. they would take ad-
vantage of the confusion and the hurrah
to do up' the Ohio man and bring about
the nomination of one of their own.
This supposed plan. 1t Is today pointed
out, is the best possible answer to the
suggestions that Speaker Cannon or some
or the other candidates may Withdraw be-
fore the convention in favor of Taft. If
the allies understand each other and can
pull or the coup they are credited with
having In embryonic shape. 1t would be
unwise for any candidate to get out now.
How It Is Doped Out.
Acc1ning to the scheme. as it was
dopeds ~ today by Taft man, the allies
take President Roosevelt at his word
when hessays that under no circumstances
will he again be a candidate. They do
not believe that he could afford to accept
no matter what conditions would arise,
but they are ever distrustful of what he
might do They know that a great pOlit-
icai drama Is among the possibilities at
Chicago. They shave information from
many sourcoD in the west and south that
the men who have been elected as Taft
dctoGates are at heart for Roosevelt. They
have an idea that their leaders are going
to arrange matters so that at the right
moment Roosevelt will be nominated in
the mightiest hurrah ever seen. The al
lies see how easy Ii might be to etampede
the convention before a ballot Is ever
taken. and they are said to be willing.
President Roosevelt would be in close
touch with the work of the convention.
Before II could get through nominating a
Vice President and doing other necessary
work he could send a telegram e1iminat-
ing himself. In fact. the allies would be
careful to see that the convention did not
adjourn until he had been communicated
with. In view of the unheard-of pro-
cedure of nominating a man for Pres
ident against his repeated declaration
that he couldsnot be Induced to run thev
would advise that a formal notification be
sent to him instead of waiting to notify
him by committee.
The President would naturally be busy
pending the wait. He would be in direct
touch with intimate friends at the other
end. He will be In Washington. with
direct wire connecting him with the
convention. His friends will tell him
that Taft really has majority of the
delegates and can be nominated. With
his telegram of declinatiOn. which will
sew him up so tight that he would not
again be a factor the allies will get busy
They will spring every possible argument
against Tafts availability. and somebody
may make W. j. Bryan speech of the
'cross of gold and crown of thorn pat
tern that will sweep Weakened Taft
people into somebody else's column and
take the candy away from the Ohio kid.
Afraid of Third-Term spook.
The allies. at least one of the principal
leaders. was authority today for the
statement that the Taft people are in
tensely afraid of the third-term spook and
that they are talking for effect when they
suggest that some of the other candidates
are likely to get out of the race at any
time. They are simply trying to make sure
of the nomination now go as to prevent
the spectre Of the big stick and it's owner
looming over the convention at an inop-
perfume moment. Somehow or other Sec
retary Tat cannot keep the third term lid
down as he has other lids he Is supposed
TO have set on top Of
The Taft people retort with the state
ment that there would be no third-ternI
talk If the allies would cease to give vent
to Il for purposes that have at last been
penetrated. Real friends OF the President.
they declare, knowing his dislike for the
talk. suppress their feelings. while the
allies keep the talk alive II is not be-
cause the allies like the President or be-
cause they sincerely want him nominated
II Is because they want to sink him in
the deep hole of political retirement and
then use their knives on his protege and
friend.