New-York tribune., 1910-08-18
.pROCRESS|vES SURE
OF ROOSEvELT'S HELP
Leaders Counting on Ex-Presi-
dents Active Support in Fight
in Convention.
DO NOT DESPAIR OF CONTROL
"Old Guard" 1t Is Argued, May
Be Too Hasty in Boasting
Over Result of First
Skirmish.

feated by the old guard" Tuesday IN
| the first skirmish for the control of the
| state convention were quietly figuring out
| the situation yesterday. They are not
! ready to so into any details and make no
| boasts. but they determined to take
the fight for a progressive platform and
candidate into the convention. and in this
fight they are counting the active sup
! port Of Theodore Roosevelt.
| Lloyd c. Griscom. the president OF the
| New York County Committee who has
| taken the lead in the Progressive move
| ment, is going to oyster Bay within few
| days to have long talk with the ey-
/ President. Their meeting on Tuesday af-
/ terneon. after the meeting of the state
committee, was brief and was devoted
| largely to recital by Mr.. Grscom Of
| how it all happened. When they get to-
| gether again it will be to have some thor
ough understanding of just what should
| be done and a partial working out of the
| details Of its accomplishment
| The Progressives say that Mr.. Roosevelt
has placed himself squarely their side
by his declaration for the nomination of
! the right kind of a man on a clean-cut
progressive PLATFORM He had practically
made this condition OF his participation
in the convention and campaign. Those
VINO know him best say that Mr. Roosevelt
would find it difficult. if not impossible. not
| TO take a hand in the situation. and if he
does he must aid in the efforts to secure
such q candidate and such platform.
Those who know Mr.. Roosevelt's political
sagacity say that the ''old guard must not
too hastily boast Of controlling the conVen-
ton.
"OEd Guard" Satisfied.
| Most of the e'old guard had gone home
fanfy, EITjfh
their victory of Tuesday and unwilling to
add anything to their expressions of exulta-
ton after the meeting Of the state commit
fee Chairman Woodruff, at his office IN
tbe morning, resumed his attitude OF moth
5ns. 10 saw" In the afternoon he notofeo
ont On Long Island to sell real estate JUST
as If nothing had happened
! Mr. Griscom made II clear yesterday
that in Offering the name Of Mr. Roose-
| velt as a substitute for that Of fice-Fres-
jdent Sherman for temporary chaliiiah
there were no personal CONSIDERATIONS ia
his mind.
what a leader should think o. lie
said. in everything that he does or say ;
is of winning at the election 1 VIII iepeN'
what l said yesterday, that the fight for
direct primaries and other progressive
blanks in the platform VIII pe cailieu
right into the convention.
| When Mr. Criscom said this to Chairman
Woodruff after the meeting on Tuesday
the chairman turned on him and oeciareo
that il was the height of folly for the NE"
York County leader to think that he coulo
control the convention. He boasted that
! the ..o1d guard on the showing of the
vote in the state committee would DC
| Overwhelmingly in control at Saratoga
But some rough figuring on the basis OF
+t,ne ftn do RS
the convention were more evenly divided
! than the vote of 20 for the ''old guard" and
j. for the Progressives IN the state commit
, tee would seem TO indicate.
Victors' Margin Not Big.
Taking for granted that each member OF
. rho state committee would be able to con-
troll all the delegates from his Congress
district the vote would be 541 represent
ing the twenty votes of the 'old guard }
, to 245 representing the votes of the Pro-
| cressiyesl This leaves ninety-nine votes
ont of the total number Of Lois in the state
convention. These are the votes OF ERIE
County (63) Chautauqua %. Cattarausus
90 and Alegany (9), which were not repre-
, sented at the meeting of the stae commit
zee.
| Counting these delegates for the Pro-
| ore~Sfvf forces and most of them un-
| doubtedlv will he on that side of the fence,
| gives 444 votes for the Progressives- MI
Roosevelt could he relied upon TO control
the delegates from the 1st Congress Dis
trict Suffolk. Nassau and a part Of
OEeensl although Lafayette b Gleason as
a proxy for John J. Bartlett, the member
Of the committee from that district voted
against Mr.. Roosevelt on Tuesday Adding
/ these twenty-three delegates to the Pro-
eressive column and taking them from the
| '-old guard list make the count oi8 to
467. margin of only 81 for the "oid
! guard.
/ As = matter of fact, however. the dele
gates from the various districts repre-
sented by the members of the state com
. mittee will probably be split up TO some
extent 1t is almost certain that the Pro
/ eressives will have delegates in some Of
the 'oId guard districts. while the ''old
guard viii probably capture few dele
gates in Progressive districts.
J Began Holding Caucuses Early.
Unquestionably the "old guard has got
| a long start toward securing control of the
, convention. They began holding their
cusos and Assembly district conventions
early for two purposes-to renominate some
AssembIymen who might not be renominat-
II
them and TO get the delegates to the state
/ convention chosen before any primary
caucus fight worth mention could be made.
Some of the conventions were held even
before the adjournment Of the Legislature.
| Roughly speaking, most of the delegates
| now chosen are anti-Roosevelt, or anti
| Progressive or anti-direct nomina tons men,
! These include the men from the northern
. group of counties, controlled by Represent
| ative Malby and John +. O Brien, of Piatts-
burg; the delegates from Saratoga and
/ Washington counties. where The Bracket
influence holds and the three Putnam dele
| gates chosen at Jack Yales snap CON
| Yention--
To them must be added the twcnty-eight
delegates from Albany County, the thirty
| eight from Monroe, the twenty-nine from
Onondaga. the twenty-four from Queens,
who can be swung into line by State Chair
= man Woodruff. and the thirty-three from
Westchester when these delegates are
= 1 chosen next month. Mr.. Woodruff ii IS
t practically certain, will not be able to hold
the delegates from three four districts
of Kings County. on the other hand, three
| or four districts from New York County