The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1911-10-30
PULLING
POLITICAL
Prophets
BY EDWARD MARSHALL.
war Correspondent and Author.

| been many long year since the
political prophets have clasped such
! utterly bewildered hands upon their
ihrobbing brfXs and yelled for help
with such fine unanimity of chorus.
| With Taft progressing on his way
/ across the continent preceded by
/ one uproar OF insurgency in his own
| party and followed by another. he
seems still TO be completely certain
| Ct the majority vote of the Republi,
! can convention.
Upon the Democrats side. however,
| there seems no where to abide
the slightest calm There will be. in.
| GLIDING the delegates from Alaska.
| Porto Rico and the District of Col.
/ umbia. somewhere in the neighbor-
| hood of l,050 delegates at the Dem
! ocratic convention. No mere major.
| ity of these delegates can nominate.
| More rigid in their rules than the
! Republicans. the Democrats require
two-thirds vote for the selection
/ of their candidate.
Danger Of Long Deadlock.
Interesting possibilities become ap-
! parent TO the man who is of specu-
lative mind. Suppose. for instance,
Wilson gets. Oh the first ballot. half
thousand votes. and Harmon polls
800. Then there comes along the
field. running none the less There
would be. first of all. perhaps. Champ
Clark, of Missouri; Underwood of
Alabama might run second in the
field; Marshall of Indiana will have
his delegation on the early ballots;
Foss # Massachusetts will have his.
50 probably will Dix OF New York,
and there will be some others.
Now. If the loyalty of partisans
to these minor parry leaders holds
firmly-and there are names which
| have placed there in the field which
really areAvery far from minor-it
ties to geSa two thirds vote. Ballot at
ter ballot may be taken. developing
the necessary strength for Wilson
or for Harmon. but not developing
quite what is needed. Such things
have happened in the past and re
suited in abandonment OF sensa-
tional favorite by enough delegates
t. sweep the tavorites into the back
ground and bring the field horse TO
the fore.
Champ. Clark May Land Plum.
"WhchtA Name in the field would
be the best to rally the convention
to if such a thing occurred?" | ask
ed today man who ought to
know southern Democrat OF
the old school, now an important
journalist, one OF his party's leaders
in his state.
Probably Champ Clark's,' he re-
piled.
He may be right; he may be
wrong. AT any rate the Democratic
situation is as interesting as ever
any contest on a race track was. and
New York betting has begun al
wager indicating faith in two things
Tafts election and Woodrow Will
sons nomination.
Wilson Still Fighting Machine.
In the meantime Governor Wilson's
long fight with the machine of his
own party in his own state of New
Jersey wakes warm and strident
Tuesday will occur the first primar-
les under the Geran law to select
candidates for the legislature These
primaries will bring his struggle
with James Smith, Jr.. and James
man. to full climax. The law is
one Of Governor Wilson's favorites
and Is said to be the hardest on
machine politicians of any primary
law in the United States. And he
will personally work tooth and nail
in favor of the anti machine cand- |
dates.
For 4 governor to go into cam
paign of this sort is quite unprece- !
dented in New Jersey; but Wilson's |
energy appears TO be amending. His !
lean face is getting leaner. its lines |
are growing deeper, but otherwise |
he does not show that the long !
strain he has been under has worn |
on him at all. and his physical and |
mental activities are increasing. not
decreasing, as if scrapping were a
stimulant to the scholastic brain .
and body.
Harmon Boom is Growing
In meantime Governor Harmon's
boom is reverberating loudly in Ohio
loudly enough to be quite audible
far beyond the confines of that state.
His attacks upon Taft's tariff policy
never cease and have made con-
verts. There is reason to believe
that he and other Democratic states
men will find many texts in the de-
feat of the reciprocity in Canada.
Governor Harmon's interest on tax
alton and his friends are pointing to
the work he has done there with
pride His advocates declare he has
done, in his own state, what every