The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1912-06-28
Presidents Forces
Firm All Through.
CONVENTION RESUME,
Colonel Personally Nominated
by Own Delegates,
PLATFORM IS CONSERVATIVE.
Harding's Nomination Speech
Lauds the President

Chicago, June 23.-The split has
come. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt
withheld his name from the fifteenth
Republican national convention. He d.
rected his delegates to remain In the
convention, but not vote. He was in
dorsed by his followers to lead a third
party.
1t was a bolt, yet not bolt. Claim
ing the convention roll had not been
purged of alleged illegally seated Taft
delegates, the colonel would have moth
ing to do with it.
President Taft was renominated,
with Vice President Sherman.
Roosevelt's action In tossing his hat
into the "ring'' against his former
friend, the president, made the prt-
mary campaign remarkable. His with
drawal of his delegates from voting,
when his last hope was gone. and his
announcement of leading n third party
of progressives was still more remark
able in the annals of Republican con-
ventions.
Nothing Like II Before.
Nothing like this had ever happened
since the time Fremont was chosen for
president in the first convention Of the
Republican party, in 1856, in Philadel-
phia. After years of easy going sue
cess, broken by the Cleveland terms,
the G.. O. p. now faces the critical pc
Rod in its history. What Will Roose-
velt's progressive bolt amount TOT
What will the Democrats now do at
Baltimore? These are now the ques-
tons of the hour.
The Taft forces controlled the con-
vention from the start through favor
able decisions by the national commit
tee and later by the credentials COM
mittee. At no time did the Roosevelt
forces muster a majority Of the 1.07S
delegates.
The Rooseveltians shouted "Steam
rollerT throughout.
The presidents forces shouted little,
but they elected their man Their ma
chine worked smoothly.
The convention was not uninterest-
ing. Far from IL Everybody looked
for the bolt, the stampede, the strong
arm work at any moment. Roosevelt
was in the limelight until the last day.
All the "hurrah" settled around him.
1t was a fight to beat him more than
to nominate Taft
Taft Controlled All Through.
Several test votes were taken during
the FIVE days the convention was in
session, the first over the temporary
craftsmanship and the others over the
contested delegates. In all Taft main |
tanned a small majority. The first test |
stood: Taft, 55S; Roosevelt, 5O2 The |
necessary majority Of the convention |
for choice was $40 The highest test |
vote for Taft was Cos.
Barring Roosevelt no Republican as |
pirant for the presidency since Lincoln |
has ELECTED such enthusiasm from his |
supporters as James G. Blaine. He I
secured the nomination In 1884, only /
to be defeated at the polls. He refused |
10 be considered as candidate In 1883.
but In 1892 tried for the nomination. /
But the crowds in the galleries could /
not vote, and the delegates on the floor /
when the storm Of cheering had passed \
named Harrison for the presidency.
Since 1892 the Republican conven-
lions have not been memorable for
hard fought contests. Mckinley at 81.
Louis in 1896 overcame all opposition
IN the first ballot. He was renominat-
ed without a contest at the Philadel-
phia convention in 1900, when Roose-
Welt was chosen TO on second place on
the ticket The latter's nomination IN
1904 was a foregone conclusion, and
the perfectly oiled machinery Of the
1908 convention accomplished the nom
Ination Of Taft without a Jar
Il VIII be recalled that Roosevelt,
then the sponsor for Taft. had a BIT
20 do with the machinery.