The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1912-06-21
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gem
eral Topics from
the Capital.
Especial Correspondence to the Citizen.)
Washington, June II, 1912.

AS this letter is being written the steam
roller is at work at Chicago and the
howlS of the Roosevelt delegates and the
! Roosevelt supporters can be heard a long
| ways as their political bones are crunChed
out by this political steam roller. 1t is
working just as said it would in this
| correspondence several weeks ago
Upon whether the Taft people have got
the courage and the nerve to keep right
on using this iuggernaut until they have
wiped up every Roosevelt delegate and
seated every Taft man, will depend the
outcome of the Republican National
Convention.
This letter will not be read probably
before everybody will know whether it is
going to be TAFT or Roosevelt that the
Democrats have got to lick next fall.
Taft has mighty small margin to work
on just now and unless all his delegates
are seated Roosevelt will have majority
on the first ballot as the outcome will
probably prove. If they are seated and
Taft gets the nomination, there is no
question i'll my mind that there is going
to be a bolt by the Roosevelt people and
the Republican party split from narrative
to neck band. If there is a split then
10 SOliS " OG IlGIIY WdI.
A number of States that Roosevelt has
carried, have named the State Central
Committee all favorable to Roosevelt and
Roosevelt will be called the regular Re-
publican nominee. The Taft people will
then have to 60 to court and mandamus
the Secretary OF State and there will be
hades to pay and no hot pitch.
If Roosevelt should be nominated there
will be no bolt ON the part of the Taft
people, only an insane desire to bury this
man Roosevelt under an avalanche of
ballots which is going to happen.
As | predicted month ago, Congress
will not yet away from here until the
middle of July inasmuch as the Lorimer
case has been set for a vote on July 9th.
After that time there will be whole lot
more work to do before they clean up
and pass all of the supply measures which
probably will keep them here 10 days
longer.
The Democratic party in the House is
going right along putting up its tariff bills
to the Senate and carrying out the Dem
ocratic program, regardless of what the
Senate does or will do. The Democrats
have made their record and are willing to
stand on it and go before the country,
and | miss my guess if the country does
not approve of the record made by
the Democratic party in the House of
Representatives
The next big thing for the Democrats
is the nomination of their Presidential
candidate at Baltimore and the question
that will most prominently concern the
delegates to that Convention is who, of
all the candidates for the Democratic
Presidential nomination, can carry a suf
ficient number OF the doubtful States to
insure his election. With Speaker Clark
holding a commanding lead in the pre-
convention contest thus emphasizing the
probability of his nomination, the ques-
ton OF his advlSabiity as nominee is a
proper subject for the closest inquiry.
Speaker Clark has carried in conventions
or in primaries enough of the doubtful
States to insure his election in the event
OF his nomination should he carry the
same States in November
Taking the primary vote of the States
in which Clark has contested with other
aspirants for the votes of the people,
Clark's popular majority is nearly 2oo,-
900. In the list of the States which Clark
has carried, are California, Colorado,
Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri,
Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming and West
Virginia. All of these are properly
classed as doubtful states no matter what
the Chicago Convention might do, or
who should be nominated at Chicago,
the detection from the Republican ranks
would be sufficient to make these States
fighting ground for the Democracy.
therefore are doubtful States. Their total
electoral vote is III. There are .532 elec-
toral votes of which the successful candi-
date must receive 267.
Whoever is nominated at Baltimore is
certain to carry all of the Southern States
including Oklahoma with total electoral
Clark in SO many States is significant for
he has carried II of the IS States. com
monty classed as doubtful.
No other candidate for the Democratic
nomination will have at Baltimore a sin
gle doubtful State in which Clark has
contested for the States delegation.
Clark is practically certain to carry in
November the 10 doubtful States he car
red in the primaries against any Repub-
lican nominee. These added to every
Democratic State would give the Speaker
as electoral votes, or more than the re-
qulred majority IN the electoral college,
not counting the 7 doubtful States in
which his name was not presented to the
Democrats in the local primaries that
preceded the election OF delegates to Bal
tmore. These States are Connecticut,
Delaware, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey,
New York and Ohio.
There isn't any question about Speak
er Clark carrying Delaware, Indiana and
New York in the election next November
if he should be the nominee. This is a
most remarkable showing and no other
candidate for the Democratic nomination
can muster the certain and fixed strength
in the election campaign that the Speak
er has already shown IN tine campaign
for the nomination.
| said some time ago that Mr.. Clark
would go into the Convention with ap-
proximately 500 votes. Now that all the
States have held their conventions and
primaries with The exception of Vermont,
Mr.. Clark has 4I3 instructed delegates
and So pledged delegates, making total
of 500, so you see was not far off IN my
6gues month ago. The closest man to
him is Governor Wilson of New Jersey
who has instructed or pledged 1877. His
campaign headquarters are claiming a
whole lot more but they have no right
for the claim and will not get the votes.
There are TT votes in that Convention
at Baltimore uninstructed and their pref
erence unknown. 1t is not too much to
say that when those uninstructed> dele
gates see the strength developed by Mr..
Clark. enough will go to him on the first