Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-03-24
Field" Opposed 10 Secretary Says
Nomination Is Not CInched.
HITCHCOCK VIEWS ARE TOO ROSY
His Claim That Taft VIII be Nomi-
mated on First Ballot lie Not Borne
Out by the Facts in the Case, SO
Say the Reactionaires.

WASHINGTON, d. c., March o.
What Is known as the field opposed
to the nomination of Secretary Taft
gave out today an anonymous state
ment in answer TO the figures issued
for Mr.. Taft. by Frank IL. hitchcock.
II Is supposed to have been pre-
pared by friends OF Vice President
Fairbanks. Speaker Cannon. Senator
Foraker and Senator Knox. and to
have been approved by Senator Crane,
of Massachusetts. but no authority for
the computation could be learned. The
statement follows:
"Conceding to Secretary Taft every
delegate of which he has even the
most remote prospect. there cannot be
mustered for MIR. Taft in excess OF $50
of the 49l votes necessary to nom
nation.
"Thc campaign methods employed
by tho friends of Secretary Taft are
so solidifylng the opposition and So
widely disseminating the belief that
Mr.. Taft as candidate would be lack
Ing in the clements essential to n har,
monious condition in the party and
strength that this figure would. under
the most favorable conditions. repre-
sent the high water mark of the Taft
strength.
"The figures OF the opposition show
that the largest number of votes IL Is
possible to claim MS certain for Sec
rotary Taft Mt this time Is 126. more
| than one-fonrth of this number being
from Secretary Taft's own state.
"rhc opposition credits Secretary
Taft with the following instructed
delegates: Iowa is; Kansas. IG; Ok
lahoma, 8; Missouri. %; Ohio. "a; the
Philippines, .: Virginia. 4: New Mcyi
co. .; total. 126. Tho delegates claim,
ed for Fairbanks. Foraker. Cannon
and Hughes number 90, with only one
favorito son state heard from In large
] part--lndiana-and that not complete
by four votes
The plans of the TAFT forces in
cludcd tho early assembling of con.
vontlons In states where Taft instruc-
lions werc certainty. Tho Tai
forces from now on must fight fol
much of what they get, and 1t is pre-
dlcted that tho next thirty days viii
find the band wagon unable to main
tain Its momentum. and. therefore. II
serious danger of being stalled.
| 'Of the conventions TO be held dur
Ing tho next thirty days the Taf
managers have reason to expect rav
orablc results In Arkansas. Rhode Is.
land, Minnesota, South Dakota ant
Virginia. From these states tota
OF nifty votes may. under favorable
circumstances. he rallied for the Taf
candidacy bringing the Taft total VI
to approximately It's votes. During
the same period Indiana will add -four
delegates at large. and the states in
dorsement TO the Fairbanks total. The
big vote of New York and Illinois will
be Joined 10 the fields total.
Other states likely to resist Taft
instructions during this period arc
| Delaware. Massachusetts, Tennessee
and Nevada. One month hence. 1t I.
confidently claimed the field will have
a lead OF more than one hundred vote.
over the Taft forces. and In the state.
and territories from which delegates
are to be selected during the foul
iweeks which will intervene before ths
close of the period for the election o
| delegates on May 16, the opposition
| forces will insist that with the mo
mentum Of this majority and the ia,
vorablo conditions prevailing In the
territory from which delegates are Il
be elected. the Taft candidacy viii
suffer serious and probably fata
check
|