The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-04-29
BAY STATE FIGHT
| CLOSES TOMORROW
Primary Will Probably Mark
Turning Point in Repub-
i lican Campaign.
(National News Association)

tNational News Association)
BOSTON, Mass, April 29.-After
one of the hottest political campaigns
Massachusetts has seen in years. the
statewide presidential preference pri-
mary will be held tomorrow. The pri-
maries will be confined to the selec-
ton of delegates who will represent
Massachusetts in the coming national
conventions of the Republican and
Democratic parties. The names of
Taft, Roosevelt and LaFollette will ap-
pear on the Republican ballot. On the
Democratic ballot will appear the
names of Wilson and Clark. Governor
Foss withdrew his name from the
ballot, though he still remains recep-
tive support of the Massachusetts dele
gates when the first ballot is taken at
the Baltimore convention. Tomorrow
primaries will determine who is to
have the support of Massachusetts
when it becomes apparent that Cover
nor Foss has no chance for the nomi-
nation.
Early as last November astute pol
iticians predicted that Massachusetts
would be as interesting politically this
year as some of the other states that
have been known in the past as doubt
full. In verification of this prediction
1t is only necessary to point to the
fact that both President Taft and Colo
mel Roosevelt have paid three visits
each to the Bay state since the con-
test between the two began in earnest
Encouraged by the reelection of
Governor Foss and the defeat of the
regular Republican candidate last fall
the Progressive Republicans deter
mined months ago to make hard
fight in Massachusetts this year. AT
first they hoped for nothing more than
to prevent a solid delegation being
sent to the national convention for
President Taft But developments Of
the past two months have so encour-
aged the Progressives that the leaders
will. be disappointed if they do not
capture the entire delegation for
Roosevelt at tomorrow's primaries.
No Local Conflicts.
Since the Massachusetts primaries
are not complicated with local fights
of any kind they will offer test of
sentiment different from any that has
gone before. 1t Is straight-out con-
test between Taft and Roosevelt, on
the Republican side, and not single
state of county office will be affected
by the results. They will not even be
indicative of sentiment affecting the
governorship, or national issues, for
that matter, for the state convention
Nj, ~
law and the Massachusetts, delegates
to Chicago and Baltimore will not be
governed even by platform.
IL Cololel Roosevelt succeeds in car
rying Massachusetts it will mean, in
the opinion of his managers, that there
will be no chance to check his trium-
phal march toward the nomination. AS
the situation stands, the Taft people
feel comparatively safe, but at the
same time they realize the moral eff
feet of a Roosevelt victory in Massa-
chusetts. They think that if Roosevelt
carries the state the delegates from
Southern states, always an uncertain
quantity, will very likely flop over to
the Roosevelt band wagon and create
trouble, II not disaster, at Chicago.
While the situation in Massachu-
sets Is not so crucial for the Demo
cratic candidates, both Speaker Clark
and Governor Wilson are anxious to
get the Massachusetts, delegates to
the Baltimore convention. The Clark
campaign got under way several weeks
ago and has gathered great momen-
tum. The Clark managers express
themselves absolutely confident that
the Speaker will defeat Governor VIII
son in Massachusetts by.a three-to-one
vote. While they are not making any
definite predictions as to the outcome,
the Wilson managers apparently are
not worried over the situation here.
They say that Governor Wilson is GER
tain to get his chare of the Massachu-
sets delegates. At the same time they
have taken nothing for granted and
have sent some of their strongest cam
paigners into the state during the past
week.