The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-05-18
HOW THE FIGURES STAND.

The time has now arrived when rea-
sonably accurate estimates OF the vote
as between President Taft and Col
Roosevelt in the Chicago Convention
can he made. Accordingly, we sec that
President Taft has put forth state
ment that he already has Il majority
! Of the whole number OF delegates
pledged to him, $40, being three more
than clear majority Of the conven-
ton. President Tart would hardly be
! likely TO make a public statement OF
| this kind on his strength unless he
WAS well assured that that statement
is accurate. for President Taft is not
a man to indulge in vain dreams or
mistaken estimates. His habit OF mind
is judicial, and he is not putting forth
figures unless those figures are ac-
curate statements OF fact.
President Taft also showed that Col.
Roosevelt has no more than 309 dele
gates, counting California. II is quite
impossible that Roosevelt should be
able 10 obtain the additional 23l dele
gates necessary to nominate him. On
the contrary, President Taft already
has the full number. and his strength
is being added to all the time 1t is
probable that the Utah delegation was
counted in the Taft column in the es-
innate which gives him 543 votes; prob
ably the Montana delegation was also,
And Taft is also certain to get dele
gates from Ohio, and he expressed his
qualification Of the prospect that the
Ohio delegation would decide the ques
tion in his favor This must mean that
he is well assured of that delegation, or
at least of a sufficient number of 1T
to insure his nomination, this state
assurance of mis- nomination without
Ohio had been received. Every vote
that President Taft gets from now on
will be in excess of the number re"
quired TO nominate him.
On the other hand. the Roosevelt
Senator Dixon, optImistically
claims for Roosevelt all of the con-
tested delegations, all Of the baFollette
delegates, and everything that is not
a absoutely mailed down. for Taft. He
also claims delegates that are pledged
TO President Taft, and this apparently
without the slightest reason in fact.
Even so, the Roosevelt totals decrease,
and there is no foundation even IN the
the Roosevelt claim that he is to be
nominated on the first ballot, or on any
ballot. Even counting all of his own
delegates, counting the LaFollette dele.
to him than they arc TO Taft, count
ing all the contested delegations as
won. and counting the unInstructed
delegates all for Roosevelt. he has but
sol votes; but, when it comes to the
actual vote, he viii probably have less
than 800 votes all told
1t has been easy in the past TO make
fictitious estimates and inflated claims,
but now that the delegations are nearly
all elected. and their affiliations can be
definitely determined, there is less op
poftunitv day bv day 10 indulge in
claims end optimistic dclu.
SONS.
The fact is that Roosevelt is beaten
man and that he knows it. There are
but TWO alternatives offered TO him:
thc first and most decent (and there.
fore the least likely for him 10 take,
il TO confess defeat and get out Of
The way; the other, destructive and an
archistic, is TO persist in his claims
that he is rightfullv entitled to the
nomination, call his delegates ont OF
the regular convention, get up rump
Of his own composed of fake
added TO his delegations
and declare himself the Republican
nominee as from tho people. - This
as VIC ssy, is the most likely outlook
but It is possible that the gravity OF
the situation may sober him down, and
that before taking so party wrcckiug
a step, he will pause and consider the
effect of il, not only upon tho party
and the country, but upon himself; for
il vii be plain case that if he does
anything of that kind. he will not only
eliminate himself from all possible
chance Of election this wear, but for
all time.