Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-08
POLITICS
DAY BY DAY

Director Mckinley OF the Taft bureau
has sent the following letter to Director
Dixon Of the Roosevelt bureau:
II have your favor Of the 9th instant.
You have not made your position clear.
and 1 am still at a loss to know whence
you derive your authority, but am
willing to waive that point.
/ II am in absolute accord with the Sc
lection OF the delegates to the national
| convention by the primary system wher-
ever primaries are or may be legally
provided, fairly conducted and surround
| ed by the restrictions of the law.
You well know that all but seven
| states OF the Union have already made
provision for holding primaries or con-
state fixes the date for the primaries.
This is also true in New Jersey, Mary
land. Ohio. Illinois, Wisconsin. North
Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Ore
gon, CalifOrnia-pOssibly other states.
| You and / cannot set aside precedents
or the calls already issued.
| 1.-THE question of selecting representa-
tives OF the party belongs primarily to
the several states and congressional dis
tricts. and If the party is to legislate 1t
should be in its national convention. The
/ party's form of government should be the
creation OF law and custom and not of
| caprice. I do not favor changes In the
rules of the game while the game is in
Il
ventions' in the midst OF campaign Is
contrary to the dictates Of fair play"
Clifford Pinchot opened the Roosevelt
| campaign in Minnesota in speech at
Minneapolis last night. Mr.. Pinchot
| touched upon the third term tradition"
| declaring that Col. Roosevelt in no way
had the machinery of President who
| to effect his election. He also spoke
highly Of Senator Robert M. La Toilette,
| likening him to the captain of a foot ball
| team, who is taken from the game by the
coaches because of injury; and through
| Washington, D. c., last night
Medill Mccormick of the Roosevelt
headquarters was in Baltimore yesterday
afternoon and in q conference with
| a meeting next week at which Director
| Dixon will be present to start the Roose
| welt campaign in earnest. Those who
| conferred with Mr.. Mccormick besides
| Gen. J. Stuart Macdonald and w. w.
McIntire, Charles H Torsch, w. c.
| Smith. David M. Newbold. jr.. H. Clay
| Suter and Sheriff Theodore P. Weis.
The presidential primary in the fifth
Missouri district yesterday failed to bring
out the normal republican vote. Theodore
Roosevelt received SO votes; President
u,
Senator Cummins, s. In Kansas City.
where Mayor Brown was renominated by
the republicans, with 4,517 votes against
his opponents 972. Col: Roosevelt r.
ceived 4,936 and Mr.. Taft 327.
The Taft men did not actively partici-
pate in the primary: About 1000 votes
were cast. slightly less than one-fourth
the normal republican strength.
With reference to the Kansas City
primary, the Taft managers issued the
following statement last night:
"The republicans of Kansas City who
profess anegiance to the party are up in
arms over the illegal primaries conducted
there today, which will be acclaimed as
a victory for the supporters of Col
Roosevelt. In truth, the primaries in Ques-
ton are disregarded by the Taft, Cum
minis and La Toilette men. and will be
challenged at the Chicago convention by
delegates to be chosen at a convention
regularly called and constituted, TO be
held March 8.
Under the so-called primaries, as con-
Quoted in Kansas City today. the city
and national primaries are run together,
in order to give the city machine the OPP
portunity to control the selection Of ma.
tional delegates. This committee placed
q prohibitive assessment of $1,000 against
delegates. which all except the so-called
Roosevelt delegates declined to pay, be-
to the city committee and would be used
by II in the interest OF the so-called
Roosevelt delegates"
Senator Dixon. manager of the Roose-
welt campaign, said of the primary: II
am not excited when I say that the re-
suit in the fifth Missouri district is the
story Of the real sentiment OF republicans
the country over. 1t is another demon
have to elect q republican President 1t
one is elected. are not going to submit to
the nomination at the point Of a bayonet
of a candidate certain to be defeated"
The New York World prints the fol-
lowing dispatch from Washington today:
Secretary Stimson. who made q speech
in Chicago tearfully parting from Col
Roosevelt and swearing allegiance to
President Taft, returned to his desk to-
day. He was asked about the acrimonious
reply to the Stimson speech issued by
Col. Roosevelt. Mr.. Stimson refused to
talk to the newspapers about 1t. but to
his friends he talked of it with satisfac-
ton.
"Patting his pocket, Mr. Stimson said
he had in his pocket letter from Col.
Roosevelt received this morning. In the
letter Col. Roosevelt congratulated Mr..
Stimson on his Chicago speech and says
he recognizes that Mr.. Stimson could
take TO other attitude under the circum-
stances.
"Col. Roosevelt in the letter also asked
Mr.. Stimson not to mind what might
apear in the newspapers as coming from
Oyster Bay in relation to the speech. as
Mr.. StimSOn would realize that that also
could not be avoided under the circum-
stances.
The Alabama state republican convention
yesterday indorsed Taft and instructed
delegates to vote for him. The meeting
was almost completely devoid OF ROose-
welt sentiment.
| At the Harmon national headquarters,
| in the New Ebbitt. the following author
itative statement has been given out:
| THE Harmon people are entirely TAMIL
| lar with the situation in the eighteenth
i Ohio district. which Mr.. Whitacre repre-
scnts and are entertaining no doubts
/ that the delegates to be elected In that
district will support Gov. Harmon.
| THE Harmon people call attention to
this coincidence: That Mr.. Whitacre's
first declaration, reiterated by him yes
| terday against Gov. Harmon was made
Immediately after the governor declined
to call a special session of the legisla-
ture in order to give Whitacre an as
suredly democratic district.
Gen. Thomas ]. Stewart, adjutant gen.
eral of the state of Pennsylvania for the
past twenty years and naturally well
posted in the politics of the state, said
yesterday:
There has been decided change in
the sentiment of the republicans OF
Pennsylvania in the past two weeks.
Prior to the Columbus speech or COL
Roosevelt the sentiment in favor OF his
nomination was strong and 1t was prac-
tically conceded that he would secure
some delegates in the state. Since that
Columbus speech there has been re-