The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-12-12
ROOSEVELT BAND
WAGON GAN non
FILL IN A J|FFI
Republican National Commit~
teemen Can See No Hope
for Mr.. Taft
EVEN w. L. WARD is M 81
FOR HIS OLD ENEMY
Declines White Hrose lnvi-
tation to Dinner--Wat-
son Refuses to Run
in Indiana

WASHINGTON. Dec. 11.-K III
Roosevelt band wagon were to baa1E
up to the entrance Of the new WI
filled in jiffy and in another Jt3Es
there would be a knot Of RepubliCaA8
national committee hanging on -
every strap. 1t Is not that the leadet9
now gathered in Washington lov9a
Roosevelt more. but that they love
Taft less.
Even William L. Ward. the ol4s
guard national committeeman OF No.
York. is talking Roosevelt. and Wards0S
relation to Roosevelt 10 like the -
lation of bull to a red rag.
These things have happened to-day1
/. William l.. Ward refused pOine@
blank to attend the dinner given b.
the President to the members OF t.
national committee. Ward. looktn8s
the picture of rugged business, satds
with a grin that he was sick, An9s
that the White House was no plAcos
for q sick man.
2. Former Congressman watson ~
| Indiana. who intended to be the Re-
| publican candidate for Governor o.
| that literary Commonwealth, told
| friends that he had withdrawn Mn
| candidacy because he did not think
the Republicans would have q chanCoi
OF winning with Taft at the head o.
the ticket.
A meeting Of committeeman and
other leaders from East. West, NORTH
and South, was held at tho Wil1af0s
and an effort was made to unite On
| some candidate about whom the Or
| position to Taft could be conferred.
Mr.. Watson counselled those pres
ent against taking any such action
| on the ground that Il was too aaE31
to bring out new candidate. ~
| his counsel finally prevailed.
Taft Thinks Il Unk1n6
Walter Brown. the Ohio Stato
chairman, who ignited the Roosevelt
| confiagration that IL now spreadtn9i
| like a prairie fire among the Re-
publicans in Washington, was tina csn-l
| ter OF interest. Brown 10 workfnG
hand in hand with Dan r. Hanna, A1oos
OF Ohio. and the activities Of the patr
! are causing more unrest In the Whttos
HOUSE than all the other movements
put together. To have the crowd akeoe
his scalp. Mr.. Taft thinks u mot om1I$
unkind, but fraught with peril.
| So general was the attack ON thu;
administration that Mr.. Taft and M
friends were dased. Practically noGh.s
Ing was done to check 1t by tho Pr11ts
dent and his friends.
The dinner to the committee ct ~
White House tonight was - Qu1oe|
thusiasm and the dinner left IT,
President no better or than bsGoso
as regards his standing with the cox1ei
| mftteemen.
Hill Succeeds Hitchcock.
! The resignation Of Postmastee Gen.
| eral Hitchcock made some time -
was formally accepted. and Il ~
| agreed to make Ex-Governor Hin, r.
| Maine, the chairman. leaving the actun&
| tary to the president. Charles ~
Hilles. This will eliminate Mr.. HitcG~s
| cock from further participation in Tt
| politics. which while 1t will be Q oeG
! Gus blow TO the President win I'd
| quite satisfactory to the post1naae [
| general who has had enough OF d.
| gate collecting. Z
Harry s. New. Of Indianapolis ~
succeed Secretary Hayward.
After the dinner q compromise 49,
| effected In tho row over the soaoCttGA
| Of New for chairman Of tbs &C.,
| mittee on arrangements. It was asxooD
| to elect New chairman, but 70 -
| on the committee two men Of Htt1
| cocks choice, Duncan, of North CaSu
lima. and Victor Rosewater. q 1
| braska. ,sSs
l out Ot Tho W cSteIH poilt1Ct8Qy
| this afternoon that in his opinioa -
| best thing to do was to orgAntxo "
| crowd and go to the President -
| request him to withdraw. This aGtte
| Is not to be taken this week, nor U
| month. but early enough In the 49,
| SO that the President will not b. -
barrassed by belated discoversy Tt
his party has done all for him tl
! 1t cares to. ss
| Holds South in Line.
! The delegations from the 0q1
seems assured to tho President ~
\ the time at least. a. he still hao fIf7
ability to make trouble for them
! they get out OF line. In the nAtur4
things. T. Southern nblicane
/ prominenca are largely ohicehol64
and oftlceholders always take th0uG
/ for the morrow.
! One Of the notable features e IT.
/, situation as 1t has existed to dntQS
! the fact that La Toilette figures TIL
/ not at ALL Walter L. HAuser. Cit
| man Of the La Toilette campai9n CO.
| mittee has been doing his be03
| day to boom the brief Senator II
| none of the leaders have had to
| listen to La Toilette talk. ID
| It 10 conceded that La Folletto
| probably send an instructed 1oo
| ton from his own State and po
! from Minnesota. but some Of ~ r
neighboring States are nursing IN
| OF their own, and will do noth1Nx
1 him. La Toilette was on 10 e.
the Senate mcst OF the da1. nQ4
ono ear inclined toward the Me-
! lard. and was kept informed q
1 thing that was going On. & sssz
| Representative Baxtholdt and
| e. Smith, OF the Bun1n1o1
League. OF st. Louis. eal1eo ~
1 dent TAFT today % uxHo tn