The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-03-30
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Is Hughes Out of the Race?

of the close observers Of political cam
paigns, especially in the south and
west. that Governor Hughes Of New
York is out of the race and that his
name may not even be presented at
the Chicago convention. His failure
to be even spoken Of in the district
and state conventions in the south and
west has shown that his following Is
practically local and confined to New
York state and the extreme east. Then
on top of this he has failed to get New
England, Rhode Island having elected
unpledged delegates part of whom
at least are opposed to Hughes while
Massachusetts and Maine seem likely
to do the same thing. Hughes has, to
be sure, hundreds OF warm admirers
throughout the country but they are
not enough in number to have any eff
feet on the result.
In the beginning OF the campaign
the opponents of the administration Of
fered aid and comfort to all the candi-
dates other than Secretary Taft, hop
ing to split up the convention enough
SO that they could nominate practically
whoever they chose. At that time
Hughes looked the most formidable of
the candidates opposed to Taft. He
had the strongest newspaper support
and even looked able to rival Taft in
delegate getting.
AS the campaign has gone forward
the fact Of Hughes being newcomer
in the national arena has told against
him. He has made no impression and
there seems no reason to think that he
will do any better in the future. April
is practically the last month of the
preliminary campaign and the election
of delegates will be nearly complete
at the end of another four weeks. In
the meantime Taft has gotten all the
delegates conceded to him and a good
many that the opposition had strong
hopes of keeping from him.
The only candidate other than Taft
who has made any Roadway outside
his own state and section is Cannon
and 1t is on him that the anti admins
tration forces are now concentrating
their efforts. He has not only secured
the delegates conceded to him but he
has picked up quite few which it
was not thought possible he could get
Ii is difficult here in the north to
form fair judgment relative to the
plentiful contesting delegates from the
south. The south furnishes no Re.
publican electoral votes and the
southern delegates are interested only
in federal patronage. They want to
be with the winner whoever he is and
many are ready to jump for the band
wagon or to sell out to the highes,
bidder From the best information oh
tainable however, it appears that Can
non has already gotten quite number
of scattering delegates In the soutl
and will get more. In Tennessee, Vii
ginia and probably in Florida both o
the contesting delegations are undoubt
eddy for Taft and it will make no differ
ence to him which delegation is sea-
ed but in North Carolina, Georgia, ALI
bama and Arkansas Cannon has del,
gates who are for him and will &c
Others in case contests are decided /
his favor.
In the middle west too, he has 81
cured few delegates and is the onl
candidate other than Taft who hs
shown any strength outside his Ow
state. Taken altogether as the situ
tion is at present and as 1t is deve
oping from day to day it looks 8
though Cannon's is the only CROWN
candidacy except Taft's, and tn;
Hughes is out Of the race. The an
Roosevelt Senators and Representa-
ives are more and more uniting 9
Cannon as the only man who stands
ghost of show against Taft and fro
now on they will turn all their enere
in favor of the picturesque speake
OF course New York and New Englar
: will be encouraged to send Hughes dc
egates, not that they will help Hugh'
but that they may hold Taft until Il
support of all he other candidates ca
be united on Cannon.