The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-08-17
Lures Machine Bosses Into
Clever Trap to Force Is
sue Before Voters.
COLONEL WILL FIGHT
TO ELECT DELEGATES
They Will Select the Chairman and.
Former President Is Ready
for Fray.
By JAMES HAY, II.


be the victor in the warfare made upon
him by the ''old guard" in the State q
New York, and that the machine
bosses viii psy dearly for their refusal
Of yesterday to recommend him as TEN
porary chairman Of the state convcn-
tiOn. are the two things which are pre-
dicted By politicians in Washington to-
day.
They believe that Republicanism IN
New York viii be involved in one Of the
most bitter fights known 70 the history
of the party, since the bosses have coas
TO defiance as their city Of refuge ard
have practically served notice on Roosa-
welt that they do not accept him as the
counseIor-in-chief Of the party
That Roosevelt viii fight 10 the bitter
end, because he realizes he must win
a dominatir~ place In the organization
OF the state III order 10 amount 10 any
thing politically, is confidently asserted
by those who knOw the colonel well
Il is pointed out that the rebuke he
received yesterday is merely the open
ing gun in his real struggle 10 make
himself a commanding figure in Repub-.
Hcan affairs Should he lose out. MS
influence VIII not only be reduced u
nothingness in the State for the time
other parts Of the country
FigEt Only Begun.
The state convention meets on Sep
tember = at Saratoga, and between
now and then delegates Will be elected
10 the convention in the primaries
They, in the end. viii select the tenn
porary chairman, as the meeting OF tho
State committee merely recon
A..
stead OF Roosevelt for TIE pOsiJi5u-
The actual selection VIII be made by
the votes Of the delegates. Couse-
QUentIy for more than a month ROose-
welt viii have an opportunity 20 fiEht
throughout the state TO have elected
delegates who viii make him temporary
Chairman
But, according to the politicians here.
such a tight viii tear the party 70
pieces and hand over the fail elections
10 the Democrats
A still greater menace Is seen in the
situation Should Roosevelt make his
night along strongly progressive lines,
as he hlGted il his short statement OF
the state may spread over the country
and split irrevOcably the party into the
Roosevelt and Taft factions
The prophets in Washington regard
the political field as due for one Of the
most spectacular battles possible, with
fulrinations, fireworks and heavy dam
age looming in the distance
Bosses Must Rule or Die
In New York the bosses are frankly
out with the tacit declaration that they,
and not Roosevelt. viii run the party-
Roosevelt says. in effect. the bosses
do not suit him
Already the Republicans are dogEed
by factionalism and weakened BY dis
cord. For months there have beer
strenuous bU- futile attempts 10 bring
some measure OF peace out Of the storm.
The Administration has even taken a
hand without avail
And now comes the crushing blow Of
absolute and admitted hostility between
the machine and the former Presi-
dent. who Is regarded as the most Topu-
lar man in public life today The result
can be nothing short Of chaotic 50 far
as the fail elections are concerned
once before the bosses took slap
at Roosevelt. That was when they re-
fused to pass the direct primaries bill
which he 50 strongly recommended This
last defeat emphasizes the fact that
they are fighting for their political lives
and that they believe their preservation
lies in the elimination Of Roosevelt.
Roosevelt In Fighting Toys
But the colonel is not a strong man
for seIf-elimination, and he puts on his
fighting clothes when anybody else tries
to eliminate him.
Thus it is that the State OF New York
is confronted today, according 10 the
which viii wreck Repu9licanism there
for the present, and viii necessarily
weaken the party in other states
At best, the outlook Tor the fall cleo
tions was not brilliant. and now the
future OF Republicanism seems decked
with the sable plumes of mourning