The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-12
Opposition to Col. New of Indiana Arouses III Feel
 ing in Committee
T. R. IS ABSOLUTELY
 PUSHED BY FRIENDS
No Secret Made of Their Effort to Force Nomination on Him-Hilles and Hitchcock Are Working
 Against Each Other

Washington, December 11,-Hostilites of an unexpected character and from an unlocked for quarter developed today among members of the republican na- | tional committee and other prominent party leaders who are here in connection with the meeting tomorrow to fix the time i end place for the presidential nomination cony yention next summer. Opposition to Col. Harry S. New of Indiana. the
 administration candidate for chairman of the powerful subcommittee on con yention arrangements, was responsible for the i'll feeling.
 The situation. however. cleared con- siderably late in the evening. At the Presidents dinner to the commit. O. inan there was no open discussion of 1 politics. But 1t became known imme- diately after the dinner had adjourned l that Secretary Hilles and other sup porters of President Taft had won complete victory and that Colonel New undoubtedly would head the sub-con.- | mittee on arrangements. It was evil dent also that the Taft forces would control the entire membership of the 1 sub-committee and that the slate for the subcommittee of five included ia addition to Colonel New, National Com illNitSllltu MulNdIt Ol hdilSdS, htfyS UT 1 Ohio, Murphy of New Jersey and Wil- | Hams of oregon. All of these men are known to be friendly to President Taft. | Committeeman N C. Duncan of North Carolina may be added later a sixth member of the subcommittee
 Roosevelt Boosted | Only less interesting than the unlocked for controversy over the control of tic subcommittee in charge of the conven- fiOn a fhrOnpho1f ca day o1 Col Theodore Roosevelt as the possible candidate for the presidential nomination. The advocacy of Colonel Roosevelt, but thnly yelled yesterday was open and promiscuously proclaimed today The advocates of Colonel Roose- velts nomination apparently based their arguments in his behalf upon the fact that at no time had the former President announced that he would not accept the nomination if it were rendered to him. l 1t was recognized that he would not open- 1 ly become a candidate they said, but l they were busy sounding members of the | national committee and other prominent | republicans as to their sentiment in re- gard to forcing" the nomination upon | the colonel.
 There were many who connected tho | open advocacy of Colonel Rooseyelt s ' nomination with the intention Of naming a committee on arrangements nominated by adminiSIrat1on men. It was apparent throughout the day that friends of Colonel | Roosevelt were endeavoring in every way 1 to postpone action by the national com l mittee which would definitely commit anybody to any mans candidacy The Roosevelt enthusiasts frankly stated their hope lay in working up demand for Colonel Roosevelt to be expressed in the convention itself
 Friends of Colonel Roosevelt also de- clared that they were making no at tempt at this time to force the issue Their object was, they said, to leave mat ters sufficiently open to permit of his candidacy at the psychological moment Many conferences were held during he day and continued until the White House dinner tonight when President Taft was the host to body far from united on the business which brought it to Washing ton. In the executive state dining room, however, it was realized that animositiss would have to be laid aside for the .lin- her which was arranged in formal honor or the committee, the guests including both the ardent supporters and the luke warm friends of the President.
 Hilles-Hitchcock .Affray
 One of the most sensational features of the days skirmishing was the fact that Secretary Hilles who is the active lead CT of the Taft forces and Postmaster Gen. eral Hitchcock who managed the Presf- dents campaign three years ago, seeming- ly were arrayed against each other The rumors that the two were working at cross purposes flew thick and fast Fi- nally Mr. Hitchcock issued statement in denial but it did not entirely set the re- ports at rest. MT. Hitchcock's statement follows:
 statements which would indicate that there is friction between Mir. Hiles and myself are absolutely unfounded My resignation as chairman of the national committee was rendered in good faith on the day that I was confirmed as post master general and from that time to this have refrained from participation. in the affairs of the committee"
 Friends of President Taft entered upon the work of the day preliminary to the meeting tomorrow thoroughly confident that there would be no opposition to Mr. New. It was not until afternoon that they learned that the programme arranged on Sunday was giving dissatisfaction. Strangely enough the opposition came from members from the southern states. the section over which the administration was supposed to be in undisputed con trol.
 SOutherners Meet
 Members of the committee from lha southern states met early in the day os- tensibly to take measures of self protec- ton against any attempt in the next con- vention to reduce their representation. A motion was adopted authorizing General Powell Clayton of Arkansas who acted as chairman, to name committee of five to devise the method and provide the sim ews to fight any movement made to curtail the southern delegations. At the conference also E. C. Duncan, the mem ber from North Carolina, was indorsed for membership of the executive commits tee.
 After this formal business had been transacted several members made iin- passioned speeches advocating opposition to preferment for any position of power of a man who had been a member of q state delegation that had voted soidly in the convention of 1908 to reduce the representation of the southern states It was recognized that Colonel New was meant by that characterization, although after the meeting several members bland- ly reported that News name had not been mentioned at the conference, which prob- ably was true.
 No vote was taken in the southern con- ference but soon after adjournment 1t began to be whispered about that Colonel New would be opposed by large num- Der of committeeman who had hitherto been counted for any man favored by tine White House.
 Following the armour. nent of opposi- ton to Colonel New among the southern membership of the committee, several