The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-04-11
The Chief Factor in Result in
Illinois
EARLY WORK BY ROOSEVELT
Feeling as to Lorimer Seen in Senator
Cullom's Defeat--Reciprocity Has
Worked Somewhat Against
President Taft.

Washington. April lit would not
have been polite for the managers OF
the Taft campaign TO say in advance
of the Illinois primaries that they ex-
pected Roosevelt to win in that state,
but that is what they would have said if
they had expressed an opinion. As it
was, they made no claims" Illinois
was recognized from the start of the
pre-convention campaign as Roosevelt
territory. There were several reasons
for so considering it. In the first place
the Roosevelt organization went to work
in that state before any active steps
were being taken anywhere to promote
the candidacy of Mr.. Taft, and before
any but the insiders knew that Roose-
welt was to be in the field. A so-called
national Roosevelt committee was es-
tablshed in Chicago, so it was literally
financed, and two months ago thoroughly
organized the state for the third-term
candidate.
The men in charge of the Roosevelt
campaign were wise enough to foresee
that Illinois was a promising field. It
was this foresight that led them to con-
centrate SO much effort in that state
They wanted Illinois for the "moral eff
feet" it might have on other states,
and they have succeeded in getting what
they wanted. Whether there will be any
echo from the Illinois result in other
states remains to be seen. The general
trend of comment among public men here
is that the outcome there will not have
any particular influence on the contests
that are being waged in other sections
of the country. The Roosevelt people
elected to make their big contest in Hi
nois because of the peculiar local condi-
tons in that state.
They saw the possibility of obtaining
results by taking advantage of the up
heaval in the Republican party in that
state over the Lorimer affair. The rank
and file of the party in the state had
been showing signs for many months Of
general unrest The Lorimer investiga-
tion had stirred up a widespread feeling
of resentment against the so-called Lor
inner crowd in the state. The time was
ripe for housekeeping. In conducting
their campaign for delegates, the man
ayers of the Roosevelt candidacy took
every advantage possible of the situation
that had been created as a result Of the
The managers of the Taft campaign
found ten days ago that the situation
was such that the third-term candidate
would in all probability gather in the
delegates. Without any Justice, as all
fair minded men believed. the Roosevelt
managers. even the candidate himself,
attempted to show that President Taft
was a part of the machine that was
bent on standing by Senator Lorimer.
To be sure there was not the slightest
justification for this plan of campaign,
but it was persisted in just the same,
and undoubtedly was effective.
1t is pointed out here that the defeat
of the venerable Shelby Cullom for
United States senator is ample proof
that Lorimerism was behind the results
of the primaries. Undoubtedly the peo-
pie of Illinois have great regard for the
venerable Senator CullOm, who has rep
resented the state so long and so well,
but according to the information re-
ceived here yesterday the people every
where in the state were determined TO
strike at Lorimerism, and in doing so
thy struck down Cullom. One prominent
Illinois Republican put it this way yes
tcIud9 Ht lNSpubiltdis VI l4it Stdbe
feel that they are misrepresented by
I,orimer. They like Cullom, but they
felt that he is too old to be of any par
ticular service in the Senate, and so
they decided so to vote as to send |
young man to the Senate. They wanted |
at least one active man from the state |
in the Senate man who would not |
them"
Information received here indicates
that while reciprocity might have taken |
some votes away from President Taft, /
in the country districts, it was not the
chief cause of the Roosevelt victory. At /
the bottom of the outcome, according to
the best information obtainable here, I
was the resentment of the Republicans
of the state against Lorimerism The
voters wanted to hit somebody, and in
their miscellaneous hitting they struck /
both the president and the United States
senator from the state.