The Washington times., 1912-06-06
NO NOMINATION ON
FIRST BALLOT IS
CHICAGO OUTLOOK
Opening Session of the Ma
tional Committee Fore
casts Unique Situation.
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page.)
the party before 1916, because most of
the States will pass Presidential prefer
snGe sn primary acts, and these have never
gressives.
Would Retain Control.
The reactionaries retort that IL they
get control of this convention they will
adopt rules that will put an end to
this primary nonsense" Their ex-
treme leaders, men of the Barnes-Pen-
rose ilk. purpose nothing less than a
specific instruction from the convention
to the new national committee that will
FORBID recognition in future of the pri-
mary system of electing delegates
such a rule would perpetuate the
control of the bosses and would para
lyze the efforts of the rank and file to
wrest 1t from the bosses. Its adoption
would be more likely to signalize a
withdrawal of a large body Of delegates
from the convention, than would any
other move Of the reactionaries.
Realization of the imminence of a real
Crisis, making men think hard and act
cautiously. the question Of whether Nc
1S 1kinley can keep the national commit
Tee under his hand Is acute. The
Roosevelt people, after a most careful
canvass, insist that not over seven
teen members are prepared to stick for
the seating OF the Taft delegations from
Washington and California.
Seek Quick Results. :.
But the Taft crowd is rushing things
along, trying to have the national COM
mittees work in hand and practically
completed before the great throngs of
people come in, like a human wave,
bringing the fresh and SOLDERING breezes
OF public opinion with them. I'VE
should do a good many things now that
the committee simply would not dare
to do ten days hence" said a member
of the committee today.
While the Taft people are announcing
today that they will support Elihu Root
Tor both temporary and permanent
chairman, the Roosevelt faction is say
fight. Talk of Governor Hadley Of Mis-
souri, for temporary chairman has died
out, and the leaders are discouraging
discussion Of the temporary organiza
tion fight. That does not mean, how
ever, that they have given up their pur-
pose to make fight. They have plans
IN mind; but the time has not come for
uncovering them.
Much depends on the attitude of the
La Toilette delegations from Wisconsin
and North Dakota. The Taft men think
these delegations If they need 1t; the
Roosevelt management Is holding back,
in the hope that La Toilette will put
man, whom the entire Roosevelt force
can support and thus effect a junction
OF the whole progressive element.
Fight Over Platform.
One Of the biggest fights will be pre-
ctpitated by the consideration of the
platform The stories have determined
that the New York State platform, an
extremely conservative declaration in
favor of Representative government"
yritten by Boss Barnes, shall be in
substance adopted as the national
pledge Of policy. All progressiveism is
to be rigidly excluded. II that attempt
is persisted in, it will very probably be
the complete undoing Of the Taft crowd.
The platform is always adopted on the
day before the convention nominates it's
candidate for President.
Even among delegates who favor Taft
there Is a large number who feel that
the platform must be progressive in or
der to give the party chance to make
anything like a respectable showing at
the polls. The progressives are strong
er at this point than they are at the
point of nominating. They might lose
the first battle on organization, and yet
turn that defeat into tremendous VIC
tory when the platform came up, rout
the Taftites, and in the end sweep the
convention in a whirlwind Of enthusi-
asm and renewed party hopefulness.
Wants to Be Elected.
This is the feature Of the Taft situa-
tion that is giving the Presidents ad-
visers most worry. Taft wants to be
nominated, also to be elected. He does
not care what sort of platform Is made
except that he wants 1t to give him as
much strength as possible He knows
from three years experience, that party
pledges are easily broken. and he has
no compunction about breaking them
On the other hand, men like Barnes
Crane, Root, and Gallinger are sticking
let expedience, party exigencies, or any
other jesut!cal reasoning intrude upon
their purpose to make the party thor
oughly conservative. They want not
merely to defeat Roosevelt, but scotch
the Roosevelt doctrines.
This has already Developed the evil
dence of a breach between the President
ad his leading advisers. The advisers
do not IVORY much about 1t, because
President always yields his better pur-
poses to their insistence, and that at
last they will have their way. In get
ting it they may defeat the President
denomination, even If he carries his
steam-roller program through the Or
ganization stages. This danger Is Civ
ing great worry to the few sincere
friends of Taft. But it does not concern
the great body of political boosters who
more concerned to keep the party reac'
tionary than to do anVthinR else