The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-05-21
TAFT
Has Enough Delegates
Pledged to Nominate
Him
War Secretary Has Now Only to Keep
His Forces Intact Till the Con-
VentlOn to Land the Plum ON
the First Ballot. "AI-
.'. lies' Are in the Air,


.' lies" Are in the Air.
Washington, May 16.-If all the
delegates elected to the Chicago con-
vention who have been instructed to
vote for Secretary Taft Or who were
elected by conventions where resolu-
tons were adpoted indorsing or. ex-
pressing a preference for Taft, for
low instructions he will have on the
first ballot 493. votes, or two more
than are necessary to nominate. The
returns are now all in and show
there have been 457s delegates in
structed for Taft. To these are ad-
ded 36 who come from states or dis
tricts where Taft was indorsed by
the republican conventions.
The only hope Of the opposition to
Mr.: Taft is to raid his forces be-
tween this and the 18th Of June,
when the convention meets. The gen.
eral claim 1s made that instructions,
Endorsements and votes Of preferences
90 not count, but the delegates, when
they reach Chicago, will determine
from conditions there presented
whether Mr.. Taft is tho most availa-
Die of the candidates from the stand
poit Of vote getting, T.. .-......
The friends Of MI. Foraker are
working industripusly in preparing
contests and claim thatf,160 will be
fpresentedtto the national committees
for settlement. Most OF these are
from the south and from states where
Tart instructions have been voted.
Virginia is one case in point. The
regular conventions In that state and
all the districts instructed their dele
gates for Taft, but in the past week
number of irregular conventions
have been held and contests are con-
templated.
No Danger Of Roosevelt STAMPEDE.
The conventions In California, Orr
egon and Washington, held during
the past week, all instructed for
Taft, which action Is now believed to
nave eliminated what little danger
there was for a stampede for Roose-
welt. In California an attempt was
| made to declare for Roosevelt, but It
was defeated by the Taft people. It
was feared that If the Roosevelt
shouters had been successful Califor-
mia would have cast her vote at Chi
cago for the president and started q
stampede that could not have been
headed off. There is a feeling OF re-.
| lief felt that this third term move.
| ment was checked before 1t got into
the convention.
| According to the returns from the
primary elections that closed TODAY
| there are an even 800 delegates who
are uninstructed or whose election is
contested, divided into IS contests
! and 222 uninstructed. There are ga
delegates committed to other Candi-
| dates and 457 instructed for Taft. In
Pennsylvania there has been notice
OF the desertion from Senator Knox
| by two delegates, Phillips and Emery
but Phillips may yet return to the
| fold Vice President Fairbanks is
therefore, the only candidate in the
field who has his state solidly back
Of him.
Strength of the "AIIics."
| The strength Of the "allies," &C.
| cording to the action Of the conyen.
tions and primaries, now stands:
Fairbanks, 80, Q from Kentucky In
addition to the 80 from Indiana:
Foraker, from Georgia and large
number Of contests In various south.
ern states; Cannon, a. from Illinois
and from South Carolina, which are
contested; Hughes, Sd from New
| York, and La Toilette, 25 from Wis.
consin, where one OF the delegates
| forsook him and declared for Taft
There will be contest for the 221
| delegates who are uninstructed, but
in this number are the &c who were
elected in states and districts that in.
dorsed Secretary TAFT.
| TaHts friends claimfhat Of the un
instructed their candidates will get
at least One-half. Then there are the
! 78 contests, which are not likely tt
be decided one way; so that It ap
| pears on the face Of the returns o.
delegates elected that Mr.. Taft has
the nomination in his grasp If he car
keep his columns intact up to thu
Itime Of taking the ballot at Chicago
The tactics Of some Of the al
ltes' will be to preach against thu
availability of Mr.. Taft. 1t will bt
' first pointed out that he does no
have his own state unitedly at hi