The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-06-05
POLITICAL POT IS
BUbbL|NG At
CHICAGO
Candidates Beginning to Open
Headquarters
TAFT MEN ARE CONFIDENT
Only Hope Of Opposition Appears to
Rest Upon Decision over Con.
tested Delegations.

Chicago, June 5.-Politicai activity
Is commenced in earnest around the
Auditorium and the Auditorium An.
mex and the Coliseum where the Re-
publican national convention is soon
to ne held. The Cannon headquarters
have been permanently opened In the
Auditorium and the announcement
niade by a number OF the poll icians
friendly to candidates other than Taft
mat Foraker headquarters will be
opened soon In the Great Northern
hotel.
Charles p. Taft of Cincinnati, broth
er of the secretary of war has arrived
in Chicago and has promptly announc-
ca that he expected the secretary to
De nominated without difficulty on the
FIRST ballot. He smiled as he caution
ed his listeners to remember that he
was prejudiced witness, but assert
ed that there was no doubt In his
mind that only one ballot would be
cast
Vice presidential gossip Is now
prominent for the first time. the
names Of Senator J. P. Dolliver of
iowa and James s.. Sherman Of New
YORK. being mentioned. John HAYS
Hammond, the well known mining en-.
gineer, was also talked of.
At the headquarters of Joseph q.
Cannon 1t was declared that the es-
Inmates of strength made by the Taft
people were largely overdrawn, and
that the Illinois candidate would not
only have more strength than has
been generally credited to him, but
that the Taft people would not be
able to show more than $50 votes on
the first ballot.
The full Republican national COM
mittee will meet today and begin the
hearings on which will be determined
the contests involving 229 seats In the
convention. The nomination of the
Republican candidate for the prest-
dency hinges absolutely upon the de-
cisions. Half of the contests decid-
ed In favor OF Taft would result in his
winning on the first ballot, while fail
ure to capture this number unquestion
ably would put the nomination in
doubt.
| ANNoiNHh5 Tic ueCtSSily OF keeping
majority Of the contested delegates
out of the Taft column the representa-
tives Of other candidates have pooled
issues in most OF the cases, and all
Will urge their claims before the ma
tional committee.
! III the program mapped out by Ma
tional Chairman Harry S. New to gov.
ern be carried out, little opportunity
for oratorical effort will be presented.
It will provide for daily meetings of
the committee to begin at 10 a, M.
and continued until 6 without recess
for luncheon. Thirty minutes for
each side will be allowed in state con-
tests, involving the seating of four
delegates at large and their alter
mates In each case. There are eleven
such contests, the states being Ala
bama, Florida. Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklaho
ma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tex.
as and Virginia. The remaining dele
gates In contest are from scattering
districts In the states named, and Ar
kansas, Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Chairman New estimates It will re.
quire ia hours to dispose of the con-
tests, without taking into considera-
ton the time required for delibera-
ltions of the committee.