The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1912-02-22
A LIVELY CONTEST
An Interesting Three. Sided Fight for
the Republican Presidential
Delegates is Promised.
Taft Supporters Active and Every On.
portunity Taken Advantage of
to Boom His Candidacy.

St. Paul, Feb. 2O-"Taft, Roosevelt
Or La Toilette" promises to be lead
ing question for the next three months,
and more than one of Minnesota's
shining political lights may go down
under the advance fire. The battle.
which promises to outparallel any
thing in the political history of the
North Star state, might be said to
nave started last week when State
Chairman b. E. Smith returned from
a conference at Washington and later
when, at meeting of the directors of
the Minnesota Progressive league, H.
L. Halbert- a leading progressive of
st. Paul, was kicked out of the or
ganlzation for declaring La Toilette to
be impossible and thereupon espousing
the cause of Theodore Roosevelt. And
If further verifcation is wanted for
mer Congressman James A. Tawney
supplied it when, in an interview, he
declared the presidents nomination
to be certainty and that he would
work for him. Now a Roosevelt mass
| meeting is planned, so it can be said
the battle is truly on. With the regu-
lars, headed by Chairman Smith, Gov
ernOr Eberhart and James A. TaWney,
holding steadfast for President Taft,
the Progressive organization still
welded to La Toilette and refusing to
accept the statement that he is unfit
physically to make the race and far
reaching straw votes showing an I'M
doubted lead in sentiment for Roose-
welt the situation is unfathomable to
many. But to the observing politician,
as things stand today, there is only
the organization, though it may be
repudiated at the regular election.
Leaving out Senator La Toilette,
whose candidacy is not taken serious
ly, he knows that Minnesota is over
whelmingly for the big Stick" but
he doubts the ability of those who
have taken charge of his unknown
cause to deliver. He admires their
enthusiasm, but it is the other horse
that gets his money. In imparting
this knowledge I am not telling any
thing new, nor is it a case where the
wish is father to the thought 1t is
borne out by cold facts.
The launching of the Taft boom in
Minnesota has been so glaringly open
and some of the methods used to
force it so cold blooded that admira-
fiNn Of
methods has broadened into wonder
that those behind Mr.. Roosevelt and
his accepted popularity in Minnesota
have failed to fire back. Hugh T. Hal
bert, president OF the st. Paul Roose-
welt club, who gave Congressman Ste
vens of the Fourth district bad scare
in the race for place year ago, when
asked the other day what his crowd
was going to do answered.: Nothing
for the present. I am receiving many
letters and kilograms from over the
state and it is my idea to let the dis
tricts get together and then hold
mass meeting in the Twin Cities in
the near future. The sentiment for
Mr.. Roosevelt is overwhelming and I
be no trouble in organizing the dis
tricts.' The fact that Senator Clague
of Redwood county had assured him
that he need not worry about the
Seventh district, as there was no
question where it stood on the presi-
dental question, and that others over
the state had sent in enthusiastic re-
ports and assurances that they would
get busy seemed sufficient for Mr..
Halbert. He said that there would be
no general correspondence nor would
any printed matter covering the move
ment be sent out for the present. Mr..
Halbert was positive of success in
view of what he had read, seen and
heard
:. i. :.
How the organization works was
demonstrated last week almost i'm
mediately on the return of the ennis
saries sent East. Chairman Smith
said it was Taft, Jim Tawney used
the auditorium of the West Side Com
mercial club in Minneapolis to impress
the fact on the boys and the Mime
apolls Young Mems Republican club,
at meetings in the two cities held to
celebrate the birthday of the immortal
Lincoln, the subject, "Our Emanci-
pator," was forgotten in the boost for
the president, which was the principal
text of the two speakers. Congress-
man Mccall did the honors in Mime
apolis and J. Adam Bede provided the
fireworks for the ST. Paul gathering.
In the Mill City "Big Business" was
the principal part of the audience,
while in st. Paul the mob held forth.
In the Capital City the Lincoln club
is a political organization and the an
nual gathering is time for the
launching of Republican booms. Mayor
Keller, whose bid for a denomination
at the hands of the Republicans was
announced at the meeting, was on the
job and was the busiest man of the