Evening star., 1912-07-14
MARYLAND TAFT|TAFT LINES ST1FfEN
Growing Belief That President President Is Growing Stronger
Will Garry the State. in West Virginia.
INTERESTS OPPOSE WILSON GLASSCOCK IS UNCERTAIN
Regular Governors Attitude Toward Pres
Against Nominee. dental Candidate Kept Secret
WANT THIRD PARTY FORMED WILSON PLEASES DEMOCRATS
Followers
Of Against Educator Dur
for the Colonel
GLASSCOCK is UNCERTAIN
Governors Attitude Toward Presi-
Dental Candidate Kept Secret.
WILSON PLEAsES DEMOCRATS
Cry of Free Trader" Will Be Used
Against Educator Dur
ing Campaign.
Special Correspondence of The star.


WHEELING, W. Va, July Is, 1912.
The weeks that have elapsed since the
Chicago convention have not clarified the
republican situation in West Virginia, and
the most that can be said accurately at
this time is the stiffening of the Taft or
regular lines. with an indication that
this tendency will continue. During the
convention Gov. Glasscock and William
Seymour Edwards. the new national COM
mitteeman. were quoted as favoring a
Roosevelt bolt. and as mentioning the
fact that the West Virginia electors were
Roosevelt men and would cast their votes
in the electoral college for Roosevelt.
West Virginia, however, did not figure
conspicuously in the Coliseum rally at
which the third party was launched, and
because of the silence maintained since
their return it is impossible to set forth
the attitude of Messrs. Glasscock ct al.
There are various reports that both
GlasscoCk and Edwards will remain reg
ular. Glasscock was one of the seven
Roosevelt governors and Edwards is a
cousin of Roosevelt. Until they speak
for themselves the reports OF their de-
sertion of Roosevelt must be taken with
limitations.
Ex-Gov. Dawson is the West Virginia
signer for the call for the third party
convention at Chicago next month, and
Adjt. Gen. Charles d Elliott openly pro-
claims his allegiance to the Rough Rider.
There has been no word from ex-Repre-
sentative ". P. Hubbard, another promi-
nent member of the West Virginia group
that helped carry West Virginia for
Roosevelt against Taft, so that specula-
ton must rule in his case as with other
Roosevelt men until future events give a
definite line on the situation.
1t is, perhaps. significant that Taft
scouts report serious trouble in Kanawha
counties. large
counties. kanawha is the seat Of the
state government, and there reside
Messrs. Edwards. Glasscock and Dawson,
while Cabell is the home of United States
Marshal Frank Tyree, one Of the most
ardent and aggressive Roosevelt men.
Tyree was marshal under Roosevelt, and
acted as his personal bodyguard during
his administration and at the Chicago
convention.
The new republican state committee
is TO meet shortly, and at its meeting
there will be an effort to smoke out
the Roosevelt sympathizers Particu-
lar attention will be directed toward
the presidential electors. The majority
of the new committee Is largely for
Taft, or, at any rate. is disposed to in
sist on regularity.
Hatfield Threatens to Withdraw.
DR.. Hatfield. the party candidate for
governor. threatens to withdraw from
publican tickets put in the field In
West Virginia, and he has taken his
stand for the regular or Taft faction.
few days ago Gov. Glasscock at
tended a banquet given by the Hebrew
Republican League of Welch, McDow-
| ell county, in Hatfields interest. and
he made an address. which was ex-
pected to outline his views. but he
studiously refrained from committing
| himself as to what position he would
take in the party split.
The governors failure to declare
himself has aroused general criticisms
among the Taft followers, which does
not agree with the scattered reports
that the governor has decided to be
regular. In fact there are grounds
for believing that the reports sent out
as to the governors alleged regularity
are designed for public consumption
and to bolster up the Taft cause.
most remarkable feature of the
| situation is the entire absence of COM
initials from more or less prominent
obtain expressions have been disap-
pointing. The failure Of the leaders to
| speak out may be credited to their
| desire to ascertain the direction OF the
| wind. As for the rank and file, they
| are entirely bewildered. OF course, the
appeals to party regularity will have a
certain force. but there is no denying
the absence Of anything like Taft en-
\
| Whether the Roosevelt ticket will COM
| mand much popular strength in West
| Virginia will depend on the organization
! eX-Gov. Dawson can form. The former
| governor has been called ''the sly old
| fox of the republican party in this state
| as tribute TO his generalship. He has
| always kept an ear to the ground and
| finger on the popular pulse. 1t is be-
| heved he has good reasons for confidence
| or he would not have entered the bull
! moose party. but in the face of the gen.
| eral regularity of the press and the stand
/ taken by Gubernatorial Candidate Hat
| field plus the stand for regularity the
| state committee will take, 1t is hard at
this time to figure on majority for his
/ cause.
| A probable significant thing is the fact
that the Huntington convention which
| named the six delegates at large to Chi
| cago adjourned 70 meet again ''at the call
| Of the chair" Such an adjournment was
| never taken before by a state conven-
! ton. The chairman was Dawson. 1t has
/ developed also that when this convention
| adopted resolution providing for the ad-
| dition of seventeen members to the state
| committee. the members being named in
the resolution. it took this action as a
compromise for the more radical plan
| urged privately in conference by w. p.
| Hubbard, which was that the convention
| should declare the existing committee un-
| seated and recognize the convention choice
as its successor This was too strong for
| the other leaders, it is said.
Fail to Elect All.
The upshot of the committee business
was the acceptance of the suggestion to
| double the membership but the rule that
/ the extra ones should be elected the same
| as the others at the primary June 4. The
Hubbard-DawSon bunch failed to put be-
| fore the primaries the same men they
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