The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-18
CHICAGO NOW THE MECCA
FOR ACTIVE POLITICIANS
Although Convention Will Be "Cut and Dried, .
the Gathering Remains of Greatest
Importance

vention officers, the admission of spec
tators to the galleries, the selection OF
door-keepers, deputies and messengers
all comprising an army. effective in the
handling of a convention. will be scru-
tiniZed. No enemies of the Secretary
of War viii be allowed on guard in the
strategic positions.
The allied candidates, even though
they have been beaten and put to rout,
will make their demonstrations at Chi
cago. Presidential candidates general
~ fight to the last ditch. God AL
mighty hates a gutter" as a certain
Connecticut Yankee observed at the St.
Louis convention of 1896 about the
yielding of a certain other New
England Yankee who was managing
the campaign of another New England
Yankee who wanted to be President.
There will be headquarters. brass
bands and banners for Fairbanks, Cam
non, Hughes and La Toilette, all Of
which will add to the gaYety of the
mid-June convention week.
In eight or ten days more Secretary
Taft should d able to read his title
clear to the Republican nomination
for the presidency. Although the ac-
cession of a few additional delegates is
little more than a Formally for him, a
half dozen state and district conven-
tons must yet be held before the nee
essary majority of 491 can be counted.
1t looks as though the Secretary would
certainly have a clear majority before
the national convention meets. How
ever it will not be a clear majority of
instructed delegates.
The figures kept at the National Com
mittee headquarters here show that 283
Taft instructed delegates had been
elected up to Saturday night. The
record may be incomplete, but if so
only in a small way. The allied cam
didates had 221 instructed delegates,
leaving 1874 uninstructed delegates and
81 contests. 1t is probably fair to
reckon about 200 Taft delegates out of
24S uninstructed and contested lists.
On that basis he stands at present as
sured of 483 votes, which is only short
of a majority. But on a very con-
sentative estimate he should have $50
votes now, making it necessary to gain
approximately 40 more.
The conventions of the coming week
should furnish practically all the addi-
tional votes the Secretary needs.
AMONG the States 10 HOIu conventions
during that period will be Utah and
Wyoming, which will supply two more:
two Missouri districts four more. The
entire state of Kentucky. excepting two
districts which have already acted, also
elects delegates during the week.
Among the % Blue Grass delegates the
Secretary will apparently have con-
siderable number.
AS has been indicated the politicians
in Washington decided several weeks
age that the fight was as good as all
over. The delegates chosen to date
number 1852, leaving only 22S to be
chosen. The convention period is there
fore nearing a close.
The Secretary has made large gains
the past week. Five state conventions
Colorado, Maryland, North
Carolina and West Observation-Disclosures
their delegates at Iarge-four in each
state-to support him at Chicago.
Three state OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, South
Carolina and Vermont-refused to in-
struct, but probably most of the dele
gates in those states will be for him.
The impression among all Republicans
here is that, while it may be prema-
ture to say. great majority if not all
the delegates in New England will vote
for the Secretarys nomination. as
much is fully expected. One prominent
New England Senator said today that
he believed every one of New Englands
50 delegates would be for the Secretary
on the first ballot.
The column of Taft instructed dele
gates is now made up of delegates from
% states and territories as follows: