Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-15


SARATOGA, n. Y. September 15.-As a
gamey black bass that is hooked and
knows it, yet darts from side to side of the
stream. leaps and plunges in efforts to
disengage itself and fights to the last, the
anti-Hughes faction of the state republi-
can convention has been thrashing the
political waters for twenty-four hours.
and the angler has been giving plenty of
line. confident that the captive must tire
itself out after awhile and come tamely
TO the landing net.
Playing for time in which to continue
efforts to defeat Hughes. the opposition
adjourned the convention yesterday until
a late hour today instead of meeting In
the morning and cleaning the slate by
afternoon as usual 1t was recognized
by the Hughes people that this was the
last despairing gasp of the opposition and
the move was acquiesced in.
The ants assembled their forces late
last night for a count of noses. The
enumeration was discouraging. There
were breaks in the ranks in the Brook
lyn and New York delegations. The
pressure was becoming too strong for the,
boys and they were beginning to yield.
But the opposition was still determined.
Confabs with the Hughes men were held
during the night The outcome was al
ways the same. Hughes must be re-
nominated was the verdict. delivered
dispassionately, but determinedy.
Secretary Root Immovable.
Secretary Root was immovable and deaf
to entreaties dire prophesies and all that
sort of thing. Hughes must be nominal
ed for the sake of principle at home and
policy and principle in other states. He
had tried to make that clear in his speech
opening the convention yesterday. He
had dweIt upon national affairs to the
almost total exclusion o. state issues in
his attempt to make the convention real
ize that the national ticket is the supreme
consid Grafton and that the state ticket Is
OF necessity allied with 1t.
His audience had been cold and unre-
sponsive. The chieftains sat glowering
in their places. their minds intent upon
their own troubles, their own future.
They We're facing political annIhilation.
the prospect of giving their independence,
their feudal rights, and bowling the knee
10 an oVer-lord who would have no sym
p3thy with them or their methods in the
future. II was bitter dose to con-
template.
Offer to Ambassador Hill
Early this morning the opposition played
its last card. This was an offer of the
nomination to Ambassador HILL now in
Berlin. The offer was cabled to him.
This was done on the claim of the anti
Hughes men that majority sentiment
hostile 10 Hughes exists If it could be
assembled around one man. DR.. Hill
was thought 20 be likely lightning rod
TO attract the supposed store of latent
electricity in the political atmosphere.
The move did not worry the Hughes
people. They asked how could any MEM
ber OF the national administration set up
10 oppose Hughes. in the face OF the
avowed inslstenca of the national leaders
upon his nomination? Would not such
man. they argued read himself out of the
party organization, by opposing the open
declaration OF the President. speaking for
the whole national organization, that
Hughes must be nominated?
However. the deClination of DR.. Hill
would give the opposition chance to sur
render gracefully. 1t could say that 1t
had tried unavailingly TO find a candidate
upon whom all the anti-Hughes sentiment
could be conferred and failing In that,
were compelled TO admit themselves de-
feated.
Delegates Surprised.
II has required great deal Of talk ar
gument and explanation TO convince the
delegates that Hughes nomination is i'm
portant 10 republican success In other
states This suggestion was refinement
OF political sagacity. which did not at first
the delegates. They were surprised to learn
how much interest the country at large
is taking In Hughes fate. and 10 what
extent the Independent and reform vote
of the country would hold the republican
party responsible for preventing his re-
nomination.
This has been largely the task of Sec
retary Root, and he has fulfilled II ad
mirably by passing the word along
through the county leaders He has sup
pemented and expatia:ed upon the Pres
tdent's statement issued through the
press yesterday, filling in between the
lines the words which the President could
not put in yesterdays message, but
wished conveyed to the delegates.
The Selection of Hill.
The choice of Ambassador Hill by the
insurgents at their midnight conference
was childish kind of conspiracy. They
had talked over the names of a lot of men
TO buck the Hughes movement and could
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