The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-06-11
LIGHTNING RODS BEING ERECTED,
AND CYCLONE CELLARS DUG
Barnes on the Battlefield.

Barnes on the Battlefield.
Within three hours after he arrived
N Chicago William Barnes, Jr., chair
man Of the republican state committee
of New York, had been precipitated
into the center OF the stage. He has
been commissioned by the Taft forces
to defeat Roosevelt. That is his only
task and he can use any methods
that he desires to attain that result
should be the abandonment of Presi-
dent Taft as candidate for renomina-
ton. Barnes Is only a recent Taft
advocate. Until Roosevelt loomed up as
an active candidate Barnes favored
the turning down of the president for
the nomination as he insisted that
he would not prove the strongest cam
didate. But now Barnes is for Taft
and will be for him as long as there is
a chance of nominating him and the
Taft men were certain today that they
would control the convention. nom
mate the president and dictate It's
platform.
And today Barnes devoted all Of his
energies to forming a concrete anti
Roosevelt organization which will be
effective as weapon of defense as
well as offense. He conferred secret
ly with all OF the members OF the Taft
steering committee although he kept
carefully away from the Mckinley
headquarters in the early part of the
day.
Barnes has been commissioned oy
the president and his managers to
take care" OF Boss Finn. Ways and
means we're discussed at brief con-
ference with Secretary Hilles. Then
the New York boss went back to his
headquarters and got busy with the
long distance phone.
Should It develop before the ma
tional convention meets one week
from today that taft cannot be re-
nominated another candidate may be
precipitated into the limelight In the
person of United States Senator Root.
Barnes has been ordered to see that
Root is chosen temporary chairman.
He already claims this task is half
accomplished The New York chair
man quietly insists that he has the
pledges of more than majority OF
the regular delegates to the conven-
ton to vote for Root
AS temporary chairman Root will
make the keynote speech of the con-
vention. Friends of the New York
senator, who insisted today that he
was of proper dark horse proper
tions, declared that the opening speech
at the convention will be the supreme
effort of Roots life. He is admitted
lv one of the ablest men in public life
and until recently was one of Colonel
Roosevelt's best friends, having aided
the colonel on many occasions. 1t
was reported today that Root would
try to force harmony between the op-
posing factions insofar as the plat
form was concerned. 1t was reported
that he would urge In his most elo-
quent manner policy of conciliation
everywhere and that he was framing
his speech to offset any bolt by the
Roosevelt following.
And many of the men who are re-
corded in the Taft camp but who are
fearful that as the result of the ami
mosities engendered by the bitter
faction struggle the president might
not be elected If he were nominated,
were hopeful today that in his speech
as temporary chairman of the conven-
/ ton Root would sound keynote for
harmony that would receive instant
response And they said that in this
way Root might himself be the choice
Of the convention.
The Roosevelt forces of course, in
sisted that there would be nothing
with Root any more than could be
with Taft They insisted that he could
not be elected temporary chairman
and that they would organize the con-
vention with Governor Hadley of Mis-
souri, as temporary chairman.
! When reminded that Governor Had
jley's seat in the convention Is con-
tested and that there is a distinct
probability that he may not be seated
with the delegates whose names are
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