Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-10
Taft's Nomination Sure, Say
His Press Agents.
Ed ANTI-TAFT MEN SAY NOT
Voluminous Weekly Statements Are
Given Out.
WHAT THE JOHNSON MEN SAY
Claim Minnesota Governor Is Gain
ing by Leaps and Bounds
Maryland Situation.

The Taft press bureau gave out the
following last night:
with California, Georgia Louisiana,
Michigan. Montana. North Dakota Ore
gon, Texas and Washington. as we'll as
score or more of scattering districts yet to
hear from. he Ohio man is already as good
as nominated If none of the conventions
scheduled for next week. which entail
the election of an additional 12S dele
gates. should he held. yet Secretary Taft
would have enough strength to nominate
him on the first ballot DIT Chicago There
will be $50 delegates in that conventions
necessary to choice. 491. The develop
ments this week swelled Taft's instruct
ed following to total of 454 delegates
THE number Of uninstructed delegates
is III, and thrce-fourths of them favor
the nomination of the Secretary of War
Although some seventy contestants have
informally announced their intention of
laying claims to seats to which Taft dele
gates have been elected thus far only
ii dozen of them have formally submitted
their claims to the republican national
committee.
Instructed for Taft.
"Of the 124 delegates elected this week
e were instructed for Taft and for
Foraker. the others being uninstructed.
Among the uninstructed are the delegates
from the New York districts as we'll as
the New Jersey and Utah delegations,
the latter, however, virtually pledging its
allegiance to Secretary Taft.
Kentucky spoke decisively in Secre-
tary Taft's favor. "a of the &c delegates
being instructed for him. notwithstanding
the bitter contest waSed against him by
Senator-elect Bradley, contest which
resulted in defeating the aspirations Of
the senator to represent his state as one
of its delegates at large. Connecticut
and Wyoming also fell in line for Secre-
tary Taft, as well as scattering districts
in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia.
Michigan, Tennessee. Louisiana, South
Carolina, Missouri and Arkansas.
This week brings the total number of
delegates elected to 49,, with 12S yet to
Pledged to Taft. 454; uninstructed. III;
instructed for other candidates, 227, as
follows: Fairbanks. 30; Cannon, As; La
Toilette, %; Hughes. "a; Knox, 6s. and
Foraker, 2. Contests informally threat
ened, 70"
Here Is the way the situation looks to
the anti-Taft press agent:
Only Week Remaining.
with only a week remaining until the
close of the period for the election of del
egates to the national convention, the i'm
possibility of Secretary Taft's nOmina-
ton on the first ballot, which has been
confidently predicted by the Taft manage
ment, Is now conceded by the more con-
sentative friends of the Secretary of War.
A significant feature of the situation is
that the balance of power in the Chicago
convention will be held by uninstructed
delegates. who will be free to take such
action may at the time seem for the
best interests Of the party. 1t Is for
convention so constituted, in view Of the
unprecedented conditions confronting the
republican party. that the opposition to
Secretary Taft has commended.
1.-The most significant development OF
the past week has been the revelation in
the primaries of Texas and California
and the state convention of Utah, that
Secretary Taft Is only the second choice
of those who have been identified in
those states with the Taft movement
While this phase of the Taft movement
has been successfully employed to secure
the support of certain Wall street inter-
ests In the east, 1t Is evidence of the lack
of spOntaneity and stability of the Taft
support.
Outlook in Kentucky.
'In Kentucky where an overwhelming
victory for the Taft forces was claimed
il was necessary for the federal office
holders who dominated the state commit
tee to unseat more than five hundred dele
gates elected by the opposition to secure
control of the state convention. and then
to hold the convention in session for two
days and resort to ruling unprecedented
in Kentucky state conventions In order
To defeat by less than 30 votes the cleo
ton as a delegate to the national conven-
ton OF Senator Bradley the leader of the
opposition forces in the state. The meth
DDS used by the federal Oh1cehOlderS in
Kentucky, in u dozen other states, TO
procure delegates for the Secretary OF
War. are without precedent in repub-
lican politics and have left entirely out
of account the possible effect Of such pro-
cedure upon the election result.
While Connecticut during the week
became the first state north of the Ohio
and east of the Mississippi. excepting the
home state of the Secretary of War, TO
instruct lis delegates at large for the
Secretary Of War. four of the delegates
from that state are uninstructed. New
Jersey was added to the list of states
which sends Il delegation to Chicago free
10 act III the interests OF the whole party
Eight hundred and tiiirty-nine delegates
nave been elected up Ia this Time. of
the number, 20 have been instructed FOR
Taft. LII for the opposition, 132 are con-
tested and Ia uniustructed. During the
one week which remains for the selection
of delegates il is likely that enough dele
gates Will pc instructed for secretary Jalt
tn raise the number accredited to him 10
.*h', or nearly two hundred less than the
number nf votes necessary to Il nomina-
ton
Among the democrats the Johnson peo-
pie are making big claims. This Is the
regular Saturday night statement from
the Johnson headquarters here:
Johnson Boom.
That the boom of Gov. John \. John
son or Minnesota for the presidential NOM
iuation by the democrats has grown in
leaps ana bounds within the past week
Vas the claim made today by the Wash
mgton friends of the Minnesota man.
There seems TO be ground for the claim
When II is remembered that ii number of
prominent politicians have given out inter-
views In the last seven or eight days that
are. at any rate. against the policies of the