Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-06-04
CALCIUM
FLARES on CHICAGO
COP. BATTLE-GROUND
Taft and Roosevelt Headquaf-
tiers Both Moved from
Washington to Conventions
City, and Will Open Monday
ny RALPH srrrTH.


WASHINGTON, D. c., June The
close of the week witnessed the flight
Of the Taft and Roosevelt headquarters
from this city to Chicago. where they
will remain until the convention is
over. After that event there viii be
one official Republican headquarters
whose candidate will be determined by
the delegates>who Will meet on June IS
1t will probably have branches in Chi
cago and New York.
While the Taft managers are out
wardly asserting entire confidence in
their statement that the president viii
be renominated, the figures that are
quoted by certain influential admins
tration supporters do not hear out this
optimism. One senator who is par
ticularly close to the president, and
has been all through the fight. today
asserted that the best they could figure
at the present time was $50 delegates.
This is a margin of only 10 over the
number necessary to nominate, and al
together too close to be comfortable.
There is vast difference, and has al
ways been. between the table of figures
issued daily by the Taft bureau and
the Taft leaders actually felt sure of.
CLAIMS DON'T PAN OUT.
This was illustrated most recently in 3
local Taft manager, was claiming ev-
erything in advance of the primary.
while the Taft people in Washington
knew very well they would be lucky fl
they got as many as eight delegates,
and some Of them expected only four.
As an indication of the very small
margin which the Taft people now fig
ure in the convention is their tremen-
dous anxiety over the result of the
state convention in Ohio on Monday.
Roosevelt swept the Ohio district con-
tests by 81 to 8. yet the Taft people
figure that they can control the state
convention. which will elect six dele
gates additional
ANXIETY IN OHIO.
IT is not asserted by the Taft man
ayers that they want to control the
convention in the presidents home
state for the sake OF pride in a favor
lite son or any prestige that he may
gain by carrying it. Ohio is strong for
Roosevelt, no natter whether Taft con-
trolls the convention or not. What the
Taft people want are those six dele
gates. because they think they need
them badly. Tne president himself has
issued a statement calling upon his
friends in Ohio to make fight for the
votes Of those six delegates at the
Taft managers.
THE TAFT CLAIMS.
The Taft table Of delegates. issued
this afternoon, shows the following to-
tails: Taft, $751; Roosevelt, 427; La
Toilette, Sc; Cummins. 10. Almost on
the eve of a national convention an
examination of this table reveals Gu
rious state of fairs in Republican pol
tiles. Taking the Taft figures as they
stand and making no attempt to reduce
the presidents total, which is admitted
on all sides to be too large. it ig found
that the president, with all the power
of the federal machine, has 134 less
votes in Republican ststes than the
anti4Taft forces.
WHERE TAFT is WEAK.
In states which went Republican at the
1905 election the Taft people have. accord
ing to their own claim, only 2s2 votes in
the convention. In other states which
likewise went Republican in 1905 and
which include some of the foundation
stones of that party. Roosevelt has, &C.
cording to the Taft table, $50 votes, while
the strength of La Toilette and Cummins
added, bring the anti-Taft total up to
426. In states which are hopelessly Dem
ocratic and where there is no expectation
of a single electoral vote for the Repubs
lican ticket. Mr.. Taft has 2SS votes in The
convention and Roosevelt 81 In addition
to these hopeless states, Mr.. Taft Is
credited with ii votes in places which
have no presidential vote at all, Alaska,
District of Columbia. Hawaii, Porto Rico
and the Philippines.
PARTY IN DANGER.
It is this feature of the relative strength
Of the two candidates in the Chicago
convention which is causing great anx-
iety to Republicans who care more about
the party next November than they do
about the personal fortunes of either
Taft or Roosevelt. They realize that
more than half of Tafts convention
strength is either in Democratic states
or intentional possessions that viii not
yield a single Republican electoral vote.
The figures are 2s7 to 292. On the other
hand, they realize that the anti-Taft
strength shows 420 delegates in Repub-
lican states and 81 in Democratic states,
or a proportion of more than Is to in
localities from which the Republican cleo
toraI vote comes.
AFRAID FOR TAFT.
While 1t is admitted to be a hazardous
thing to turn down a president who, un-
der ordinary circumstances would be en-
titled TO REORGANIZATION, the figures show
such an alarming weakness on the Part
of Taft in Republican territory that the
politicians can see little or no hopes for
the part if he becomes the candidate.
Many Of them, it is true, see little hope
of Roosevelt's election if he is nominated
but they realize his greater strength
where the Republican vote preponder-
ates. II is also a fact that men who two
months ago did not believe Roosevelt had
the slightest chance of being elected il
nominated, are now coming to the point
where they believe ne has a chance. has
ing their change of opinion on his unex-
peNted showing at recent primaries.