New-York tribune., 1912-03-21
tFrom The Tribune Bureau.l
WASHINGTON March

Washington, March 20.
! NORTH DAKOTA-The result of the
! popular Presidential primary in North Da-
kota proved almost as much Of a surprise
/ TO those in charge of President Taft's po-
! ltical interests as II did TO the Roosevelt
managers. In view of the fact that the
! Taft managers had made no effort what
ever TO secure the North Dakota delega-
| tion. that the President even avoided that
state on his trip Of last fall, and in further
| view of the fact that North Dakota Is
| Colonel Roosevelts adopted state. II was
assumed that he would experience little DIFF
/ ficulty in capturing the delegation. While
/ those who regard Mr.. Taft as the strongest
candidate the Republican party can name
are glad that Mr.. Roosevelt did not secure
the delegation, there are many among them
who cannot escape regret that the eX-
| President should be subjected to such deep
! humiliation defeat by Senator La Fol
iette There is also some reason to be-
( levc that even the La Toilette managers
! did not realize the sweeping character Of
The opposition TO Mr. Roosevelt. for Walter
/ L. Houscr. the La Toilette manager, was
alone responsible for President Tafts name
having been placed on the primary ballot
II having obviously been his belief that to
win the state for the Wisconsin Senator II
would be well To secure the subtraction from
Mr.. Roosevclts strength Of such Republi-
cans as favored Mr.. Taft. In the light OF
yesterdays vote. the Taft managers &-e
somewhat disposed to upbraid themselves
for having permitted the North Dakota
delegation TO 90 by default, az the weak
ness Of Mr.. Roosevelt suggests that POSI-
bly, Nj. Taft could have won had his sup
porters made the effort. However, tine fact
that they made no effort and that President
Taft was in no sense factor in the fight
eliminates all possibility Of sensible OBJ
servers regarding the result In North Da-
kota as in any sense a blow 10 President
Taft
THE REAsONS-Some OF those in close
touch with conditions in North Dakota
have all along insisted that Colonel Roosc-
Welt could not carry the state in a primary
election and have furnished reasons for
their belief-reasOns which command much
more respect to-day than they did twenty
four hours ago They have asserted with
the utmost confidence that the support Of
George W. Perkins would be fatal 10 the
were not very generally believed that Mr..
Perkins was actually financing the coloneIs
campaign There is no other state in the
| Union where the harvester trust IS so cor
daily hated as in North Dakota. and the
supporters of Mr Roosevelt even four
years ago. did not find It an easy task to
convince the voters that the failure Of his
administration 10 prosecute that trust, IN
the light Of the report Of Special Assistant
Attorney General Townsend. was TeConcila-
bic with the administration professions Of
"a square deal" Ii has been further as
serted that as soon as the farmers Of
North Dakota became aware that Colonel
Roosevelt had espouscd the cause Of Cana
dian reciprocity his defeat would be in
sured and that the colonel would suffer
far more than President Taft from such
espOusal. FOR the reason that Mr.. Taft =
advocacy of this bitterly opposed policy
was open and aboye-board and that while
Mr.. Roosevelts was not less So his polIu-
cal Neutenants created the impression that
ii was not by attacking the President FOR
advocating reciprocity and by their silence