The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-09
Spectre of Roosevelt at Chicago Still Haunts
 Him, However
SOMETHING IS SURE
 TO DROP AT CHICAGO
Taft Supporters Will Sacrifice Any thing, Even President Himself, to Defeat Roosevelt-Will
 Roosevelt Go to Chicago?
By C. F. STEWART

They are gathered in groups of two and
 three to a dozen or more here in Wash
 ington chewing it over
 The Taft people are now enjoying
 the sensation of the feeling best as
 eribed to the bush leaguer, who. when
 he first comes to bat in the big show, l knocks home run--he can hardly be- lieve his own good fortune. This is the first moment since the colonel
 threw his hat In the ring that they have had a single chance to smile, and while they have one coming to them they are. not just sure whether they had better turn 1t loose or not. They
 are apprehensive that they might re- gret it.
 Every now and then a dull thud is
 heard in Washington and every one
 heard counts for a contesting Roose- welt delegate who has been gracefully
 and thoroughly thrown out of the win dow in Chicago and landed on the
 sidewalk where he Is permitted to con- template at leisure the genuineness
 and convincing force the steam roller.
 In Better Spirits
 The administration forces, therefore, are. in better spirits; they have re- ceived the necessary stimulant to make them look upon the situation in a light more favorable to their candidate. They are fully aware that the real fight is yet to come and they know the enemy
 we'll enough to realize that he will not submit tamely to a cut and dried pro-
 gramme, and he Is sllrewd enough and strong enough to put ID nerce fight and no one who knows him but what
 believes that there will be develop ments startling enoug.. to furnish thrills for even Crane i4ad Penrose be- fore the affair Is over.
 Everybody believes that Roosevelt himself will go 10 Chicago. His friends here declare that when he goes his chances for the nomination will be increased two fold. They have the ut most faith in the coloners political sa gacity and that he can turn the tide of battle immediately when he arrives upon the scene.
 They urge that no real contest of merit
 has yet been heard before the national
 committee. but when there is and the
 committee throws out the first Roosevelt delegate who is clearly entitled to his seat
 then something will be started in Chicago
 that will shake the very foundations of
 the republican party. Anyway, it goes 1t is frankly admitted. even by republic
 ans, that there is going to be a rough
 house in Chicago, but just whose political heau is going to be cracked there seems
 to be wide difference of opinion.
 Is Their Funeral
 "If is their funeral" say the democrats The way has already been paved for den ocratic victory this year. and nothing can stop it, and this is the opinion here even among some lifelong republicans, and the opinion is that Chicago's conven- ton or conventions will only tend to make a democratic victory absolutely certain It is conceded by Tafts supporters that the main object is to defeat Roosevelt at any cost. Tafts nomination Is secondary. Roosevelt must be eliminated as a candl- date If this can be accomplished and Taft nominated. well and good, but if Taft's nomination must be sacrificed In or der to defeat Roosevelt it will be sac- riiced. all right, and it is believed with the full consent of the President Party success will not stand in the way either for moment Nothing will stand in the way. No one here now doubts but what if the machine can beat Roosevelt his doom is sealed. On the other hand, after the steam roller has done it's work the speculation still remains as to what the delegates themselves will do after they get upon the floor of the convention. There is where Roosevelt is feared the A'f'.Te eA'N' a ff@ 'fiif' ft 10 tutft ne must
 do so.
 Taft Has Club
 But this argument is met by the very plausible one that for years there has been more or less talk of reducing | the southern representation and that 1 the national committee holds this as l a club and a very effective one over l any doubtful or wavering delegation I from the south. With this reduction as | ~ I1- Al l. 1-F- 1 he held in line, even if there was any evidence of them weak kenine. and the. colonel stands no show to break down I the defense from that quarter. On the | other hand, Roosevelt people say: The | colonel has shrewdly calculated all along that the committee would be | against him and has cut his cloth ac- cordingly, and that when the conven- l tion is opened for real business, that
 of nominating a candidate for Presi-
 dent that the real genius of Roosevelt will deevlop and the supposed Taft l forces on the floor of the convention will disintegrate and Roosevelt will l get enough of them to put him over" 1 This idea is scoffed at by the Taft
 people. They declare that Roosevelt | is drunk with f-emulation," and I has relied upon bluff and bluster to in- timidate the committee into seating enough delegates to nominate him. and if they didn't then to try to create pop
 ular sentiment in his favor by deciar- 1 ing that he had been sandbagged and
 run Independently, as the peoples can ddate. They contend that if he does this he will not hurt Taft, for they affirm that the republican party and its adnerents are regular" and will
 not support bolter, even If that bolt | CT he Roosevelt All of this talk in Washington may be. after all. romano 1 ing. and as the greatest living romance r of them all-Henry James-is fond of observing. There you arei'
 RockefeIler's Taxes Reduced 1 Columbus, Ohio, June s.-By reduc- l ing the appraised valuation on Forest l Hill. John D. Rockefellers Cleveland
 estate, from sl,121.27o to ssss.55o. the