Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-05-10
Declares Nationwide Pri-
maries Would Result
in His Defeat.
LONE HOPE IS DICTATOR
Roosevelt Says Either He Will
Be Nominated or Reaction
ary Will Make Race.

welt committee today gave out a
COPY of a letter from Colonel Roose-
welt to r. A. Caswell, chairman of
the Roosevelt committee and clerk
of the supreme court at Minneapo- |
lis, MINI. The letter in part:
Il wish it had been possible for
me to go again to Minnesota. I'm
fortunately, it is physically impos-
sible. Nine states now have held
presidential primaries or their
equivalent-North Dakota, Wiscon-
sin, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Nebras-
ka, Oregon, New Hampshire, Massa-
chusetts and Maryland.
LOSES SEVEN STATES.
'These states, the only ones in
which there has been a free chance
for an expression of the popular
will, are to be represented by 256
delegates at the Chicago convention.
Forty of these are instructed for
Taft and PIG are against him. He
carried but two of the nine states
New Hampshire and Massachusetts
while in Massachusetts the Roose-
welt delegates-at-large were elected
By over twice the majority which
Taft obtained on the preferential
vote.
SAVED BY CONVENTIONS.
I'm Maryland the majority against
him was about the same, proportion
ally, as the majority for him in Mas
sachusetts and New Hampshire. In
, the other seven states the majori-
ties against him range from two to
, one, to twenty to one. If primaries
sould be held in all states Taft
could by no possibility have 200
: votes in the Chicago convention.
, Tafts chances of denomination lie
solely in securing delegates who mis-
represent the will of the people.
SYSTEM HITS COLONEL.
He can get these delegates, not in
primary states, but in convention
: states, where delegates are chosen
under the old system, and even in
: these states he can get them only
: where the state is ruled by a boss.
4 THE fight is a nationwide fight
4 of the plain people against the
bosses. There is just one candidate
e whom 1t is possible to nominate
i against the bosses. That is myself
Every vote for every other candidate
from now on is in reality vote for
f Taft.
Y LORIMER BROUGHT IN.
n "a vote for Taft is a vote for the
e bosses; it's a vote for Lorimer, Pen
: rose, Guggenheim, Gallinger and the
t, rest of them, and it's a vote for
a these men whether cast in Mime
S sofa or Massachusetts, Ohio or Cali
fornia. The contest has gone so far
as to make it evident l certainly can
4 be nominated against Taft; that
a either / shall be nominated or else
a reactionary will be nominated.
Personal INTEREST No CONCERN
MY personal interest is no con-
Germ one way or the other. But il
happens at this time l typify and
K embody the great cause which car
a only be furthered by supporting me
, Almost everywhere where / have
- been able to appear personally in
L this campaign to fight the bosses We
II have beaten them, and l ask Mime,
j. sofa to stand beside Oregon, Illinois
, Pennsylvania, Nebraska. Maine
Kansas and Maryland in this fight
!, SITUATION COMPLICATED.
% San Francisco. May 1O.-FailurC
n of the Taft delegates in California
# to sign preference and delegate
n pledges promises a complex situa
p tion. Roosevelt supporters ALREADY
have planned to contest the delegate!
in should they be elected. Both side
10 are agreed the Taft delegates had {
a legal right to omit signing pledges
" inasmuch as both pledges, under the
70 law, are optional
~ PLEDGES BINDING.
ot The Roosevelt leaders declare tn,
purpose of the action was to saw
" struggling voters for Taft in tn,
Is event Roosevelt carried a majorit,
e. of the districts. Had they signec
Id the pledges they would have beel
n. obliged to vote for Roosevelt as tn,
" delegates pledge binds them to sup
C. port the candidate who received tn,
Is highest number of votes cast through
Id out the state.
lg TO BIND LA TOILETTE DELEGATES
Te La Crosse, Wis, May 10.-A meet
y. ing of La Toilette delegates is beini
TO arranged for Milwaukee OF Chicag
o. June to bind the Wisconsin delC
st gates TO La Toilette absolutely on eN
yTy hsIIot