New-York tribune., 1908-01-05
THE OHIO SITUATION.
VIEWS. OF T. E.. BURTON.
Hoo Washington Friends of For
aker and Taft Regard Controversy.
IFrom The Tribune Bureau.

Washington. Jan. 4.-Friends of Senator For
aker in Washington believe he is making seri-
Gus mistake in refusing to abide by the recent
action Of the Republican State Committee, 1rst
because Mr. Foraker and his lieutenants have
SO long preached the gospel of regularity that
it is likely that he induce any consfd-
cradle number of his friends TO follow him in a
revolt against the decision Of the regularly au-
thorized committee. and. second, because Mr.
Foraker thus abandons all effort to obtain the
deiegates-at-arge and to go to the convention
himself such delegate, thus abandoning tnat
field to Mr.. Taft while 1t is believed that If an
overwhelming vote is given for Mr.. Taft in the
primaries on February 10 Mr.. Foraker will be
unable to carry a sufficient number of districts
to make any appreciable showing in the delega-
ton to the national convention.
The friends of Secretary Taft regard Mr.. For
aker's as making for the interests of
their champion. They say that If Mr.. Foraker
is defeated in the state convention he VIII De
poweress in the district conventions, and they
insist that the Senator's opposition to the pro-
gramme of the state committee. which carries
into effect the plan he has said he favored Will
prove to the Republican voters of Ohio that the
Senator has not been sincere in his demand for
direct primaries, and will demonstrate that he
realizes that he to enter the lOts against
Taft it would merely serve to show his weak
ness in his own state
BURTON ON THE CONVENTION CALL.
Representative Theodore E. Burton. speaking
of Mr. Foraker's course, said this evening:
Il cannot understand the opposition of Mr..
Foraker and his friends to the call by the state
committee. 1t complies as nearly as possible
with Mr. Forakers demands as made on
March 26 last and again on December 9. In the
former he asks for methods such that people
;rtaf cor1fl IN q
selection of their delegates thus bringing the
selection as nearly to direct popular vote as is
possible under the laws in force. In the
latter in a letter to the chairman Of the state
committee he asks that all delegates to the
convention shall be directly chosen at duly
authorized primary elections The only ques-
tion which arise relates TO the unit to De
selected for representation. The committee has
selected the county Senator Foraker in an in
terview at Cincinnati seems to favor the wards
of a city There only two ways in which
delegates could be selected from wards or other
subdivisions of a county: First, from each ward
or subdivision to go directly to the state con-
vention This would involve the division of the
state into -815 districts and an amount of diff
Guilty and complication which would make the
plan simply ridiculous. Second, from wards or
townships to county conventions, these in turn
to elect delegates to the state convention
IF this should be done the county gathe rings
when assembled would have the right they have
always exercised to choose all the delegates by
a bare majority and to instruct them on any
proposition they might choose. This would dis
tract attention from the main fssue-the eX-
preston of choice for President-and tend TO
create local contests in which the personal am
billions of would delegates would assume
undue importance The result would be much
less significant of the popular Will than the Sc
lection of delegates from counties en- bloc
at large by the Republican electors. The laws
of the state do not permit a general primary in
which all the voters can express themselves
and it is doubtful whether primary is legal If
the territory includes more than sipgle county.
although in several instances Congress districts
including a plurality of counties have voted for
q Coneressman This was done in 1906 in Mr..
Kennedy's district. and some twenty-five years
ago Mr.. Mckinley was nominated by popular
vote in the same district
WHAT THE VOTERS MOST DESIRE.
ut is to be borne in mind that what the Re
publican voters of Ohio most desire is the best
possible opportunity for an expression OF choice
between Secretary Taft and Senator Foraker
for the Presidency. This has been proclaimed
nv the friends of both candidates. The COM
to any better plan having this in view if it had
been proposed The call authorizes the name
of a candidate for delegate to appear on the
Australian ballot on the petition of ten Repub-
Ican electors but it especially gives opportunity
on the petition of twenty times as many electors
as there are delegates from county to place on
the ballot a complete ticket for that county, pro-
vided it is headed by the name of the Presi-
Dental candidate they favor and is approved pv
him or his representatives. That makes II pos
sible for voters to know for whom 'hey are
voting Any other method would Dc uicerial"
if not delusive. The voters could not De sure Oh
+bo preference of the delegates they might
choose AS result many would stay away
from the polls. 1t should be remen1oereo that
t,yo-thirds of the members OF the committee
which met last Thursday were selected AT the
Davton convention of 1906 as supporters ol sen
stors Foraker and Dick II is not at an Hh@lS
tba+ such body would allow injustice to be
7,,a to tho senior Senator in any of his asplra-
tons.
"It has been .ad that the requirements re-
,o+ins to the number of signers of petitions Tor
,ocin- names OF, candidates on the list are bnr-
dansone This is clearly not the case AS mas
already heen said ten Republican electors can
ac,,ra +he entering of a candidate. The require
,,ent that twenty for each delegate must sign
ubere fun ticket is named is not severe
such a ticket would assume particular III
rortance as an expression OF the preference III
a county for President. Senator FORAKER IS re-
or+ed' as saving that it would require four
thousand signers for petition IN hamilton
County This is palDably erroneous fhe 'o''
number cf delegates there Is less tnan nun
dred-ninety six perhaps-and twenty times
that would be less than two thousand The
alS have