The Washington times., 1912-04-15
ALARM AND PANIC
IN TAFT CAMP AT TER
SMASHING DEFEATS
Shouting to Keep Up Cour-
age, Managers Going
After the South.

In the Taft camp over the results of
the succession of smashing defeats for
the President last week, especially In
Illinois and Pennsylvania.
Shouting to keep up their courage, and
declaring they are not yet defeated the
Tart managers are desperately trying to
keep the South from going headlong to
Roosevelt: to keep Ohio, the home State
OF the President. from dealing him a
blow that will be even more hufniliating
than the one administered by Illinois
and Pennsylvania, and to prevent heavy
losse selsewhere
Chairman Mckinley of the Taft
campaign management realizes that
the tide has set against his candidate
and that the efforts to save the Pres
.dent from being swamped are we'll
nigh hopeless
The most desperate efforts are plan.
ned to save him. S. o. s. calls for
help are being sent out to every
derly held Taft following is becomine
convinced the ship is going down and
Is getting Heady to take to the life
Leaders In Panic.
The state of mind OF the Taft leaders
over the South is literally one of panic.
This panic is intensified by the fact
that Colonel Roosevelt is going to make
a campaign In the South. He is going
there personally. where he is known
and liked, and where he is no less pop-
ular than he is in the West and North.
It is easy to imagine wnat will hap
pen. With the Southern delegates gone
from him. the President will have no
more snow or nomination than IL he
rnd fla
That all the herculean efforts of the
Iart Administration to force, through
use OF Federal patronage and by other
methods, % the selection OF Taft dele
ucally to nothing because of the moral
erect OF the tremendous slumps in
Illinois and Pennsylvania. was asserted
.oday oy the Roosevelt leaders. They
! TO the South would clinch a victory that
was already practically gained.
Colonel Roosevelt is now heading for
mepfIaska, mepIss a. where WI err the Presidential pri-
OF the fact the progressive strength
there is a split between Roosevelt
ana La Toilette, the Indications point
to the fact President Taft will get a
small vote In that State.
Crisis Is Reached. '"'1
Even the close friends of the Presi-
dent are admitting today that a crisis
has been reached in his political for
tunes. They do not conceal, in fact,
cannot that at no time since the cam
paign opened has the outlook for him
ments put out by Chairman Mckinley
there Is an assumption of courage and
an insistance that President Taft will
pc nominated anyhow. Such assertions.
of gloom and panic to be seen about
Taft headquarters and in the Taft camp.
The latest returns from Pennsylvania
bear out the earlier news as to the
crushing nature of the defeat of the
President. President Taft will not get
to exceed nine delegates out of the
eevepty-sx in the State. In fact, there
is good reason to believe he will not
get over six and that Colonel Roose-
welt will have seventy out of the
seventy-six delegates.
OF great national Importance, too, is
the fact that the completed returns
shows the smashing blow struck at the
Penrose machine. Senator Penrose has
been repudiated and probably will be
driven out of the Senate. Indications
this morning were that that eminent
rea ctionary, Congressman John Dalzell,
had been beaten for denomination in
his district: lg
Senator. Dixon. manager of the
Roosevelt campaign, renewed his
Pennsylyania had settled the fight
and that Roosevelt would be trium-
phantly nominated and elected.
that ths tna or WorS wsnd
be undertaken in Nebraska and Mass
achusetts.
Roosevelt Itinerary.
The details Of the swing Of Colonel
Roosevelt into the South were given out
this morning by Senator Dixon. Col
cnel Roosevelt starts on his trim West
today, and will speak i'll Nebraska two
days, "wednesday and Thursday. He
will speak in Omaha ard Lincoln.
among other places. He will then 20
10 Kansas. speak at Wichita Thursday
and then viii swing into the South.
Little Rock Ark. will be one of the
most important stops On the trip. Col
ing there. Roosevelt sentiment in the
state is strong. From Arkansas COL
or1el Roosevelt will head for North
Carolina FsonE through through AIa6a 6s.r an, and
lima. he will return home.
Congressman Wilson of Illinois will
travel with Colonel Roosevelt and be
talked wcA senator Dixon this morn!
ing about final details OF the swing
into the West and South.
The advices from Arkansas are sc re-
that they expect to make y strong
showing theres In spite of 4 the Powell
So far as North Carolina is concerned
that State is hopelessly lop-sided for
Roosevelt. The talk about there being
division of delegates In North Caro-
lima between the Roosevelt and Taft
forces, Senator Dixon characterized this
morning as ridiculous, He said the AS
ISOLATED Press had carried such story,
which he declared was absurd on Its
face.
In North Carolina.
''North Carolina" said he. rs the
strongest Rooseveltll State on the Union.
Out of fifteen counties that have voted,
we have 1877 3-5 delegates and the Taft
forces have 22-5. The other fellows
have nothing worth mentioning and how
could there be a division?"
The fact the South is ready to break
from President Taft Is confirmed in
various ways. Not the least significant
of these is the numerous letters coming
into the ofice of Senator Dixon from
delegates in the South supposed 20 be
instructed for Taft. These delegates
are saying they are not for Taft, that
they were deceived by the Mckinley
management. who told them Roosevelt
would not run, and that they do not
consider themselves bound by their So
called instructions, A score of dele
gates from the South have written Sem
II. E.G ne aWN