The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1912-03-14
ROOSEVELT FIRE !
DON'T SPREAD
Sparks Started al Columbus Fell
Cold Elsewhere.
BIG NOISE IS NOT DELEGATES
Grange President Bachelor for Taft.
Republicans VIII support Neither
the Recall Ct Judges Nor the Third
Term Idea.
BY GUS J. KARGER.

Washington, March 12-Popular re-
sponse to the challenge offered Pres
ident Taft in the Columbus speech
and the Boston announcement of can
didacy has been immediate, almost
electrical. The Roosevelt enthusiasm,
so confidently predicted, failed to ma
terialize Instead of that the Taft
sentiment, stirred to expression by
.Oyalty on the one hand, and indigna-
Iion on the other, manifested itself
over night. The hopelessress of the
opposition became evident with the
first declarations from east, west,
north and south. Expressions OF 10y
atty and declarations Of support came
from every quarter in volume so
overwhelming as to assure the un-
biased observer that the renomina-
tion CT President Taft on the first bal
lot is already assured. The figures
are there TO demonstrate it.
More than four score delegates have
already been chosen and they stand
as a solid phalanx for President Taft.
The noise and confusion, which Col
Onal ROoseyelt's managers endeaVOr-
ed to create, failed to bring about a
stampede. Districts in more than a
dozen states Went about their busi-
ness in orderly manner, and the re-
suit was the same everywhere. Taft
delegates in Virginia, Georgia, Ten
ncssee, Oklahoma. not to speak Of
Michigan, where Governor Osborne
holds forth, and Missouri where Gov
ernOr liadley is pleased to consider
himself supreme. Preliminary work
done in other states predicts similar
results with a degree of unanimity
that would appear startling were it
not for the fundamental principal in
volved. The people of the United
States are not prepared to alter two
precedents at once. They will not de-
ny a faithful president second term.
And they will not accord any Ameri-
can president third term.
The action taken by Republicans in
the eastern states, for instance,
makes it perfectly obvious to any
clear-headed man that Mr.. Taft's
nomination is inevitable. The will of
New York, Massachusetts and Penn
sylvania is practically recorded The
POP votes in the convention controlled
by the three states III question Offers
a handicap to Mr.. Taft's opponents
which is wCll-nigh insurmountable.
Taken together with the eighty-odd
Taft delegates already chosen. with
the % from New Jersey, IA from Con-
necticut, u from Maine, 10 from
Rhode Island-with the assured sup
port of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and
the mountain states and the states Gu
the coast--it seems hardly necessary
to carry out the computation with re-
gard to the voting strength of every
commonwealth in the Union-the ut
ter hopelessness of the cause espOus-
ed by Senator Dixon is perfectly OBJ.
vious, Every delegate regarded as
''prospective' by MI Dixon might
well be conceded and yet no other
conclusion than the triumphant re-
nomination Of Mr.. Taft could be
reached Private conversations with
Colonel Roosevelt, which have found
their way into the newspapers. sus.
tain to the fullest degree the asser-
tiOGs thus advanced
1t isn't only a question of nomina-
| tion: it is one of election as well No
Republican candidate for the presi-
deucy can be elected without the sup
| port of the eastern states in the elec-
| toral college.
And the east will support President
Taft in November quite as enthusi
astically as the west. But it will not
support the third-term idea. not even
the non consecutive third term.
1t will not support Mr.. Roosevelt
| Former Governor N. J. Bachelor
Of New Hampshire, president of the
National Grange, has declared that
the Columbus speech made Roosevelt
impossible. In Orange, N. j., the Nc
Kinley and Roosevelt club has chang.
ed it's name and endorsed the candi-
dacy of President Taft. Fifty New
Hampshire progressives. previously
associated with Governor Bass,
have pledged their support to Taft
| If Roosevelt has another term it