The Sentinel=record., 1912-06-18
TENSE SITUATION IN CHICAGO ON EVE OF NATIONAL RE-
 PUBLICAN CONVENTION.
BOTH FACTIONS ARE ANXIOUS
Uncertainty Among Both Roosevelt and Taft Delegates Throws Doubt About Entire Proceedings of
 the First Sessions.

Chicago, June 17.-While still de clarlng Colonel Roosevelt will con- tfoi the Republican national conven ton and be nominated on the first ballot, Roosevelt leaders spent today working out details of their plan of attack on the Taft program as out lined last night. There was no talk Of stampede" among the Taft forces today. The presidents adherents as- serted positively that their control of the convention through the delegates seated by the national committee could not be menaced by the strategy of the Roosevelt managers.
 Moderation was counseled in tae two warning camps throughout me day and had it's effect. There were occasional flashes of fire and charges of theft" and fraud" from the Roosevelt forces, offset by charges of 'brihery' and corruption" from Taft headquarters, but it was everywhere agreed that on the surface the day had been one of the quietest imme diately pending a convention in years.
 Tonight Taft leaders were contin ning a council of war" begun carry in the day, while Roosevelt people were shooting things up at remark able mass meeting in the Auditorium theater. where Colonel Roosevelt ad- dressed a cheering mass of humanity. The doors of the theater had been besieged for hours before they were opened and it seemed that half the po- lice force of Chicago had been thrown about the approaches"to the building.
 Uncertainty as to the result Of .he convention was as prevalent tonight as at any time since Republican lead CTS came to Chicago and neither Taft nor Roosevelt headquarters were cer- tain as to the number of delegates they could depend on with any de gree of certainty.
 One thing appeared certain tonight, that if there is to be a bolt it is q long way off and will come only after every expedient of strategy and par liamentary practice have been eX hausted by trained and resourceful fighters.
 The element among Roosevelt sup porters who counseled moderation among their associates had the -ss isfaetion of apparently defeating the plan to force a motion for the nom ination of Roosevelt the moment Acting Chairman Rosewater should refuse to entertain the proposition oi substituting a Roosevelt list of dee gates for the list reported by the na- tional committed Although Colonel Roosevelt in his speech at the Audi torium came as close to suggeting bolt as at any time during his cam paign. it had been tentatively decided by Roosevelt leaders to fight to the end through all of the parliamentary channels open to them before taking any radical step.
 -olonel Roosevelt asserted that men 'fraudulently put on the temporary. roll by the dishonest action of the majority of the national committee must not be allowed to vote on their own cases, or to vote on one anoth CTS"
 Then he said:
 1t is tine uiuty of dii honest mem bers of the convention to fight that action from the moment the conyen tion assemblies. It Is our duty to the rank and file of the Republican party; 1t is our duty to the people oi this country to insist that no action Of the convention which is based on the votes of these frauhulently seated delegates, binds the Republican party CT imposes any obligations upon any Republican"
 This outline of the Roosevelt cam paign coming from the colonel him. self, served to set at rest all doubt as to a change of program from that decided ea at conference of he Roosevelt leaders last night-"to fighs from the drop of the hat"
 The Roosevelt leaders are goihg so attempt from the very start tomorrow to appeal their case to the convention itself, minus the contested delegates seated by the national committee. Taft forces are going to insist that the proceeding shall move strictly accord ing to precedent.
 On the eve of the convention both sides plainly were nervous. It was difficult enough for them to reach any sore of conclusion as to how the delegates finally would line up on the nomination and next to impossible | to determine just what delegates could be depended on to put through the preliminary program. Some of the aelegates instructed for Colonel Roosevelt it was known would not support all of the moves made by his steering committee on the convention floor. while some appeared that many delegates instructed for Taft did not feel obligated to support his man. agers on any other questions These facts threw an element of doubt into | the situation and gave to every pros pectiye move in the convention an uncertainty unknown in recent years | in the Republican party.
 The Roosevelt plan tonight stood fully revealed and but slightly chang