The Washington times., 1912-03-04
Fight CenterS on Anything
to-Beat Wilson for
| ( Nomination.
TWO-THIRDS RULE
MAY BE REVOKED
Contest to Bitter End Likely to
Be Carried Into the
Convention.
BY JUDSoN C. wELLIvER.

by JUDSON y. WELLlNER.
Growing bitterness ia the Democratic
presidential fight is causing a sudden
renewal of proposals for revolutionary
methods in the Baltimore convention.
Already the anything to- beat Wilson
fight has become so bitter that It
threatens the Democratic Congressional
program. Party leaders have been es-
pecially anxious that the House should
accomplish a series of performances
that would be the real Democratic
platform this year. 1t has not been
making good progress, because the Will
Son and anti-Wirson fight mas split the
Democrats into progressive and conser-
Natlve groups. That particular divis-
lon was suppressed for a long time, and
every nerve was strained to preserve
the appearance of harmony unity, and
! capacity FOR getting results.
But there are two candidates for
President in the House. One is the
Speaker. the other floor leader. The
only thing they have in common is op-
position to Wilson.
Both Clark and Underwood are allied
with the conservatives The lineup has
now become as plain and frank as was
the combination of the "allies" four
dSO " uSiSttl INOOScNtll > pan W
nominate Taft. Then, each OF the allied
conservatives kept out of the others
territory, so that the best possible front
might be presented by each favorite
son as against Taft Today exactly the
same thing is doing among the Demo-
Gratis. Clark is having things all his
own way lin his territory; Underwood is
being let alone in the South; Harmon in
Ohio; Taggart, with Marshall as his
nominal candidate, is to look after In
diana, and bring in a usa bic conserva-
tive delegation. And so on.
Bad Results of Alliance.
But the alliance of the House leaders
with the conservative wing of Demo-
cracy has had some bad results. For
instance, the conservative Committee
on Interstate Commerce. headed by
Adamson, has been utterly unwilling
to report bill to abolish the Court
OF Commerce. That the measure would
be thoroughly popular is not questioned;
but the conservatives prefer not to push
1t along, because there are powerful
influences aligned in favor of keeping
the court in existence.
The uncomfortable split over the
Money trust investigation is well re-
finally had to yield half the loaf to
the radicals. simply because public
opinion forced them to give up the
original plan.
Then came the income tax-free sugar
program, which most of the sincere
progressives recognize as utterly i'm
possible of accomplishment, and likely
to prevent any change whatever in the
schedule n the
ton of the refners trust.
All these things together are making
the progressive Democrats more FESTIVE
every day. Recently they have learned
that the plan of the allies is to kill
Wilson by making a long, bitter fight,
and defeating him because, even
though he get a majority, he may not
receive two-thrds.
Beginning to Strike Back
To this, the Wilson people are be-
ginning to retort that any plan Of
assassinating Wilson in the interest of
the allied conservatives will be resented
at the very outset in the convention
The Wilson men are now declaring
that they will repeal the two-thirds
rule in the convention, if necessary, in
order to prevent the party being car
Ilcu over TO the IedCllOndTy WlnB.
The two-thirds rule was adopted long
before the civil war, to prevent the
nomination of a man who mad an in
structed majority, but many of whose
instructed delegates secretly did not
want to support him. So they adopted
the two-thirds rule, organized dead
lock, and defeated the man with the
majority.
The Wilson people point out that this
has never happened since, and they do
not propose that it shall happen in 1912.
even II they are compelled to repeal
the two-thirds rule. which they can do
II they have majority.
These Democratic troubles are giving
point to the big progressive swing that
has set in among the Republicans. Ok
lahoma seems to be this years barOm-
eeor. Just as Names September cleo
ton used to be regarded as a forecast
of November, so the two primaries In
Oklahoma have been accepted as tests
of Presidential preferences in both par
ties this spring. The Democratic con-
servatives were perfectly sure of get
ting the State. Wilson wasn't conceded
chance. But he captured half the
delegation and gave the progressive
cause a huge lift.
People Did the Rest.
Exactly the same has happened in
the case of the Republicans. The
Roosevelt people had no possible chance
to make an organization. They had ne
time, after Roosevelt entered the field
But the people did the business. Sen
ator Dixon, director of the Roosevelt
campaign, today received word that thu
Saturday primaries reported, from for
ty-seven counties, 2S3 instructed Roose'
Welt delegates, and only seventy fol
Taft. The same ratio being promised
for the other twenty-seVen counties IN
Roosevelt cOlmun will get the ten del
egates-at-large whom Oklahoma elect
this year, and all the Congressional
districts except one that chose dele
gates before Roosevelt was announced
The blow in Oklahoma Is not the onl!
one that the day has brought to tn
Taft cause. AdViCes from North Da
kota today say that the primary in tina
State two weeks hence, will go almos
unanimously for Roosevelt. 1t is eN
ID IhaI EnllRlIR Will come ~