The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-27
TAFT'S CLAIMS ARE DISPUTED Campaign Manager ls Working Overtime. FIGURES OF OPPOSITION The Next Thirty Bays Will Tell
 the Tale. Supporters of Fairbanks, Hughes. and Cannen, wni Be Augmented By the Many Delegates whs
 Are Unpleaged.
 
nY ALFRED .. STOPPER.


 with the big claims being made by Frank Hitchcock. manager of the Taft campaign.
 He has a suite of rooms and a large force of clerks at headquarters here. and the Taft literary boom is being worked overtime to make 1t ap- pear that the Secretary of War Is sweeping things and will be nominated for the Presidency on tho first ballot at the Chicago convention.
 Men who dispute the figures of Hitchcock. ridicule the statement that Secretary Taft has B52 delegates pledg- d and in prospect. Those opposed to the Taft candidacy and who insist they know the sentiment of the country as well, if not better. than Hitchcock and those acting with him, have prepared the following as their view of the sit- uation:
 "Conceding to Secretary Taft every delegate of which he has even the most remote prospect. 1t is emphaticaily for Mir. Taft in excess of 35c of the 491 votes necessary to a nomination. :. The campaign methods employed by the friends of Secretary Taft are so solid flying the opposition and so widely dis seminating the belief that Mir. Taft as . candidate would be lacking m the clements essential to a harmonious conr dltion in the party and tho polling of all the available party strength. that this figure would, under the most fa- vorable conditions, represent the high water mark of the Taft strength.
 The figures of the opposition show that the largest number of votes it is possible to claim as certain for Secre- tary Taft at this time is 146, more than one-fourth of this number being from Secretary Taft's own State. The oppo- sition credits Secretary Taft with the following instructed delegates:
 Tnftss Delegates.
 Iowa, IS; Kansas. Is; Oklahoma g.; Missouri, 22; Ohio. 34; the Philippines, g; Tennessee. 22; Maryland, (: Nebras- ka. 1l: Virginia. 1: New Mexico. 2:stot-
 The delegates claimed for Fairbanks, Foraker, Cannon and Hughes number ninety, with only one favorite son State heard from in large part--Indi- ana--and that not complete by four votes The plans of the Taft forces included the early assembling of con- venfione in States where Taft instruct ions were a certainty. The Taft forces from now on. say the representatives of the opposition. must light for much Of what they get. and 1t Is predicted that the next thirty days will find the band wagon unable to maintain fta mnYnenturn. and therefore in serious danger of being stalled Of the con- yenfion to be held during the next thirty days the Taft managers have reason to expect faorahle results in Arkansas, Rhode leland. Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia
 From these states total of fifty votes may. under favorable circum- stances, be rallied for the Taft candi- dacv, bringing the Taft total up to ap- proximateIy 200 votes. During the same period, Indiana will add four delegates kmpm nNf to the Fairbanks total. The big vote of New York and Illinois will be join- ad to the fields total. Other States likely to resist Taft instructions dur ing this period are Delaware, Masea- chusetts and Nevada. One month hence, it is confidently claimed, the field will have a, lead of more than one hundred votes over the Taft forces, and in the States and Territories from which delegates are to be selected dur ings tha four weeks which will inter vene before the close of the period for inc election of delegates on May IS, tha ouposition forces insist that with inc nornentum of this majority and the favorable conditions prevailing In the terrftory from which delegates are to he elected, the Taft candidacy will suf- fer a serious and probably fatal check.
 sThe figures of the opposition show that in addition to the votes now aligned fhe "favorite sons" States 1t will be necessary for the field to secure only f4o delegate votes in order to maintain control Of the convention. In re- sponse to the statement that there will be many second choice Taft votes in the ''favorite son" States, It IS nofnted out that there are many soft snots, in the column of Instructed Taft delegates--that is to say, anti raft delegates with Taft instructions"
 Senator whyte's Estate.
 1t is reported that the estate Of the late Senator William Pinkney Whyte of Maryalnd. will not amount to more than ssOOOO He commenced to hold public ofIlces shortly after he attained his majority, and although his law practice was among the largest at times of any man of the profession In the city of Baltimore, being constantly in politics, Mir. Whyte was not able to anass property. He never used wines or Hquors-was in fact total abstainer. although he always kept such articles in his house for those who induiged, holding to the view that even though he did not join his guests in a social glass his hospitality would not be complete if he did not provide stimulating beverages for his friends. Senator Whyte did not use tobacco either in any form.
 The late Senator German of Mary land was also d remarkably temper ate man all his life. He was a differ ent type of man from Senator Whyte. German until he was nearly thirty years of age. had held several ap- pointive offices. He was a shoulder hitter in politics in his native state after he was elected to the Maryland legislature and forged to the front as A leader. German had a longer ser vice in the United States than any other Marylander. Because he was a genuine spoils Democrat and the ward heelers of Baltimore. trained under his banner people who did not know him took for granted that he was whis- ky-drinking. poker-playing, swearing Democrat who would rather stun a ballot-box than have fair and de- cent election. was assumed also that he had little use for religion. On the contrary, he was a man of deepest religious conviction though he did not mix up much with the church peo- pie. He was brought up a Presby- terian. When German was small boy, he was Q page in the Senate, and he was the only boy who ever held that position who in manhood became Q senator.
 Hon. John Walker Smith who several months ago was elected for the long term in the United States commencing the 9th day of next March will pro babIY ba chosen also tn few days by