The Washington herald., 1912-10-25
Political Prophets Scarce and Dis
seminators of Rumors
Plentiful.
DEMOCRATS SAID TO BE
WORRIED BY PRESIDENT
From Another Source Comes Tale
Of Compromise Between
Taft and T. r.
by JOSEPH p. ANNIN.

The straw voter Is abroad in the land
He is voting early and often, for him
| self. his family. and friends. He 1,
electing and defeating every candidate
He is taking the broadest advantage o,
the ability to vote without registering
in the theater, the train; yes, in the
moving picture shows.
But where is his trusty running mate
the sure thing political prophet! Elec.
tion Is less than two weeks OF and
prophets are as scarce as husbands at q
suffragette tea! Admittedly, 1t IL q
tangled situation which begets nc
prophets. and that Is exactly what the
political situation is to the ultimate de-
gree. Betting odds are jumping around
like a grasshopper on a griddle, with
Few takers In large amounts.
Taft Gains Ground.
What was expressed as q remote possi-
bility last July. that ne candidate would
receive a majority Of the electoral votes
and that the election would be thrown
into the House of Representatives, has
gained SO in strength in the last few
weeks as to seriously alarm the Wilson
managers and to correspondingly elate
the Bull Moosers. 1t cannot be said
Will be the outcome. but it is no longer
a remote possibility even in the minds
Of the most sanguine party leaders. The
general report is that Taft is gaining
ground persistently: that Wilson is not
holding the first flush of enthusiastic
support which greeted his nomination.
and that the Bull Moose leaders are
disconcertingly confident of being able
at least to throw the election into the
House.
The situation seems to have been
cleared up but little in the pivotal
States. New York, Pennsylvania. Ohio,
Indiana, and Illinois are as uncertain
now as month ago. In the meantime
reports which have been coming in to
the Democratic leaders are anything but
reassuring. They do not Indicate. to the
minds of those leaders. that the big
Wilson lead early in the campaign has
been entirely eaten up. but that 1t Is
being seriously cut into by the impetus
recently given the Taft candidacy.
Echoes of Democratic Views.
The business men are getting behind
the regular Republican Ticket is the
warning they have received. The sequel
to it is the information that there is
a growing dissatisfaction with the public
utterances of Gov. Wilson, with his fall
ure to deal with particularities in his
speeches. with his verbal finessing and
lack of directness. In the meantime
President Taft is declaring himself with
a directness which he never practiced
before. and no one ever accused the
colonel of lack of directness.
These views are In part the echoes Of
statements made by old-line. dyed-in-the-
wool Democrats which have come to the
attention of The Washington Herald re-
Gently. They are men who not only have
Travelled over a great deal Of the battle
field recently, but have for years been
considered premier judges of public SEN
timent- They were expressing fears, not
hopes.
Along with the belief that President
Taft is gaining strength comes a number
of reported deals which may be taken
FOR what they are worth. The most
that can be said of most of them is that
they are more or less plausible.
Reports of q Deal"
One story has it that the Roosevelt and
Taft factions in several States have got |
en together to the extent that the cleo
oral votes will be thrown to Taft and
he Bull Moose candidates on the State |
tickets will be pushed through. It was
'eported that such a deal has been con-
in Ohio. where Dan r. Hanna
'pent nearly 100000 for the State fight
lone In the primary campaign in the |
lope that he would get the State ma
,hinery. In many States, it is pointed |
'ut in support of this story, the Progress
i've party has placed a complete State |
icket in the field. The State leaders. |
lccording to this version Of the situa- |
lon. in many cases face this problem:
Shall We risk everything on a single |
hrOw- m a1acf tot
n spite Of the regular Republican oppo-
ition. along with the national electors.
md then, II We lose. leave the Repub- |
lean party insignia and machinery in the |
lands Of the regulars and start out again |
lext campaign on nothing? Or shall we 1
make sure Of the State party machinery,
or which We fought SO hard, by con-
enting not to split the Republican cleo
oral vote?"
Chance Of Truce,
According to the report, in several
states the Progressives have decided that
lalf loaf is better than two birds in
he bush. and the regular Republican
eaders have decided that II they can
'ut a President in the White House next
doose party and themselves will not
e impossible Of adjustment. The re-
ort does not say how the Congressional
lie has been divided.
By way Of refutation Of this report II
) pointed out that Col Roosevelt's gen.
rally accredited dearest hope in this
ght is to beat Taft at any cost; that
his is the keenest desire Of the coloneTs
losest friends, and that Roosevelt would
e extremely unlikely to sanction any
UGH deal for q minute. But. say. those
Tho desire to credit the report consider
he position Col. Roosevelt will hold after
lection with the party insignia and ma
hinery in the hands Of his friends in
he great pivotal States. The greatest
bstacle the Bull Moose party has run
gainst is the advantage their oppo-
ents have had in the Possession Of the
arty machinery. Consider Col Roose-
elt's prospects in 1916 under those i'm
royoH conditions /