Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-16
Presidents Insistence Might
Cause Break With Leaders.
OPPOSITION IS INTENSE
Political Futures Willingly Risked
in Fighting Principle.
MAY BE FOUGHT 0UT!0N FLOOR
Fairbanks Reported to Have Refused
to Be Mentioned for Vice Presi-
dent-Third.Term Boom
ers Active.

erS Active.
Special From a STAFF Correspondent.
CONVENTION HALL. CHICAGO. Ill.
June 16.--It would be difficult to portra!
the intensity of feeling engendered agains
the injunction plank. which. it has beer
claimed. the President desires mcOr
porated in the platform.
1t has reached the stage where, If thu
President insists upon a plank which VII
suit Mr. Gompers, he viii break with the
majority of the republican leaders III
House and Senate.
The attitude of the opposition is clearl,
stated in the language of one OF the
House leaders. as follows:
political demand which labor has MADE
and we have resisted as unreasonable mas
been fought out. And We have never los'
as the result of fighting the demanos.
At noon today the conservatives were
claiming a majority of the COMMITTEE on
resolutions against anti-injunction
am informed by reliable authority
that the President has resigned hlmseii
to the prospective defeat Of his antrim
junction plank after expressing his deep
regret that the leaders cannot agree with
him. 1t is stated, however, that he Will
probably get the Endorsement for postal
savings banks.
House Leaders Risking All.
If anti-injunction Is defeated it will be
due to the efforts of the leaders of the
House of Representatives. They are risk
ing their political lives in assuming this
attitude, but do it willingly. They know
labor will fight them. More than one OF
them, however. has said to me:
II would rather retire from public life
forever than vote for that plank and
make it the policy of the republican
party
party took in 1896 toward the populists
and toward free silver. l we'll remember
the discussions which went on at that
time among the party managers regarding
the populists. There were men from the
west who counseled trafhcking with the
populists. The decision of the head of the
campaign committee was expressed to me
in these words:
-''Where we see populist's head we will
hit it. II we lose the race we will have
preserved our principle"
1t is the opinion of the leaders in this
convention that opposition to concession
to organized labor in the matter of recon-
mendinS tying the hands of the federal
judiciary is a matter of principle.
The convention may override the COM
mittee on resolutions and adopt the Com
pefs plank. That is well within the range
of possibilities This convention will do
the Hfc$lQoHl Dl0OlnK IN ulOSI Things.
1t is his convention and will register his
will and respect his wishes.
II he should send ringing telegram adj
vocating surrender to labor, the odds are
in favor OF the convention running over
the leaders. But it will be costly vic
tory to the republican party, as it will
certainly ALLEVIATE the majority of the
men who have made a record for the par
ty in this generation.
The proposed labor plank Is in three
sections, which declare briefly for:
I. Amendment Of the Sherman anti
trust law exempttng labor unions and
agricultural and horticultural associa-
lions from the penalties of the law and
excluding them from the category Of
crusts and combinations Of capital organ
:zed for the production and distribution
{. commodities.
9 Demand for curbing Of Injunction
3. An eight-hour day in all government
departments.
Vice Presidential Talk.
In the vice presidential talk this morn
ing Fairbanks was the favorite. Cortel-
you was practically out Of 1t in the early
morning deliberations. The Dolliver bug
a-bOo was still worrying the politicians,
however. due to the fact that message
came over the wires. alleged to be from
vention would not take Dolliver he would
be satisfied with Cummins, the head Of
the other faction in Iowa.
This created a tremendous sensation and
set everybody by the ears again 1t also
caused irritation among the leaders, who
construed the alleged ultimatum as an
other display of the big stick and on a
par with his famous utterance, If they
won't take Taft they may have to take
me-.
There is no perceptible diminution of the
Presidents influence with the rank and
file Of the delegates. however 1t Is true
he Is being fought by the leaders in the
matter Of the anti-inJunction plank But
even the leaders fear. IL the issues are
made on the floor he can carry his point.
As respects the vice presidency. there Is
little doubt that he can have his choice.
II he passes the word along that he does
not want Fairbanks. the Fairbanks talk
will vanish like mist before the rising
sun.
These leaders get together in an up
stairs room. Conscious of their influence
in campaigns and In the councils Of the
party. they take great comfort I'm their
mutual expressions Of opposition to the
President. They wag their boards SOL
EMMY and mutter. scowl and threaten.
hut look out from the press platform
over this sea of faces. faces Of the men
who VIII do the voting in the convention.
and whose thumbs up or thumbs
GOWN Will decide the issues YOU would
be sazins at group of men the great
majority Of whom believe In the Presi-
dent heart ana soul, and will follow him
wherever he leads. The old politicians
whose memory runs back along the trail
TO thirteen other national campaiens of
ire party will tell you that nothing ap-
preaching this spirit can they recall
Fairbanks Said to Have Declined.
At noon today Vice President Fair
banks friends were declaring emphat-
ically he will not accept the vice presi-
dency II given to him. But leaderh who
were trying to nominate him absoIuteiv
will not take that statement seriously. II
is impossible to convince them that he
Will refuse the vice presidency ~ the
nomination Of Mr.. Taft has been made
The thtrd-term boomers are renewing
their activity. based upon the embafrass-
ment which they claim the Republican
party to he In. resulting from the en-
with labor. the situation in
Iowa and the alleged weakness in New
York and Indiana. They are crying that
there 10 only one man to pull the party
out Of the slough OF despond-Theodore
Roosevelt.
But they are not making Roadway. The
general belief is that Senator Lodge. II
he hasn't 1t inside his pocket at this time.
will be provided with telegram from the
resident which will efectually crush the
third-term talk and leave Jonathan
Xix" a boy whose clothes have been stolen
while he was in an old swimming hole.
Now don't fail to give due weight to
the demonstration which occurred whei. |
the Presidents name was mentioned Ia |
the convention. and which you will read
of in another column. It was not a |
jolly. 1t was unmista kably sincere