The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-05-20
DEMOCRATIC CoNTEN1NfENT.

| Among the Democratic leaders the
country over, with the exception Of
\ those who are presidential candidates,
| there seems to be a feeling of great
satisfaction that none of these can
| didates is going to Baltimore with
sufficient number of delegates to walk
away with the nomination on the first
ballot. There are several reasons for
this. In the first place, the Democrats
are certain that they will win out in
November regardless of the outcome
of the Republican national conven-
ton, provided. of course. they do not
make any of the monumental blum
ders which have so often denied them
victory in the past. And they fear
that one of these blunders might pos
sibly be made if any candidate for the
presidential nomination should be in a
position to take it on the first ballot.
With a practically free and open
field in which to work at Baltimore,
the Democratic leaders are of the
opinion that they will then be in
position to best meet the political
situation that develops at Chicago,
where the Republicans hold their con-
vention one week earlier. The Dem
ocratic leaders realize the strategic
position they are in by having their
convention a week after that of their
Republican brethren, and they are
planning to make the most of it.
They are hoping against hope that
Mr.. Roosevelt will be the Republican
nominee, because they are sure he
would be easy picking on the third
term issue alone. And should -Roose-
velt'S nomination be brought about by
hook or crook, the Democrats would
be in a position to nominate one of
their strong men who stands for pro-
gressiveness In all things but who is
not too radical to drive away the sup
port of the conservative element in his |
own party and among the indepen- |
dents of the country who have play |
ed such large part in deciding the |
presidential elections on two or three |
occasions in the past score of years.
On the other hand, in the renomin- |
alton of Mr.. Taft which seems newt |
able and which should be brought |
about in the interest of fair play and |
decency, and for the preservation of /
the integrity and ideals of the great |
Republican party, an entirely differ
ent situation would confront the Dem
ocrats. With a free hand, they will
be able to meet it most advantage
ously to themselves. But it will be a
harder nut for them to crack than
the nomination of Mr.. Roosevelt
would be.
In general way the Democrats
this year are closer together than they
have been since the time of Cleveland
on the big national issues the tariff,
trust control and regulation, etc.
There is disagreement among some
of the leaders over the initiative, the |
referendum and the recall. Bit all of
them seem agreed that these are mat
tiers which are not of national con-
Germ, and they certainly will not cause
any kind of a split in the Democratic
convention. The selection of a presi-
Dental candidate is the big business
that will attract their attention at Bal
timore, where the framing of plat
forms has been the paramount ques-
ton at some of the recent Democratic
the Democratic leaders are glad that
no one of their candidates now in the
public eye is going to Baltimore with
enough votes to win the nomination
on the first ballot. One of these can
didates might be given the nomina-
ton, but that does not seem likely. 1t
is almost a surety, though, that the
man who walks out of the Baltimore
convention as its presidential nominee
will be the man whom the Democrats
think far and away the strongest to
line UP against the Republican can
didate.