The Washington times., 1912-03-23
c. O.P. BOSSES IN
PENNSYL LYAN|A ARE
NEAR PANIC OF FEAR
Penrose and Aides Fear Taft
Will Be Repudiated by
State.

The panic of the State bosses, who
constitute the backbone of the Taft
machine in the North as the office
holders do in tho South, and who
realize that If Mr.. Taft is nominated
his election is extremely doubtful, has
reach cd the point where 1t is COM
muricating itself to the immediate man.
ayers of the Presidents campaign.
Sensational details became public to-
/ day, concerning political dinner held
2 in Washington Thursday evening, by
Pennsylvania machine leaders. Nomi-
nally It was a social affair; dinner by
Senator Oliver at the Willard in honor
of Governor Tener. and his staff In
fact, It was a political conference of
high significance, and the Significance
was most disturbing.
About forty prominent Pennsyl-
vanians attended, all big guns in the
State machine of which Senator Pen
rose is lead. After the dinner the
senior Senator planted himself on q
lounge and his lieutenants gathered
about him for conference, reports, and
exchange of views.
Disturbing Reports.
The reports were of such disturbing
character as to. justify the belief that
the Pennsylvania organization will de-
eide not to insist on instructions for
Taft, but instead will be contented to
get delegation that will be willing to
survey the situation at Chicago and
deal with it as may seem best for gen.
eral party interests.
The main difficulty is that many
Pennsylvania people with memories
long enough to go back to the Berry,
and especially the Pattison, campaigns
are fearful that the State will sc
Democratic this year If Taft is nomi'
mated. Conversation about Pennsyl
Vania going Democratic, of course
sounds a good deal like discussion oI
the imminent peril of Santo Domingc
capturing Gibraltar and overtrrning
the British empire; but these seasoned
Pennsylvania veterans talk about just
that thing, and they look worried wheI
the are reminded of it as a promising
Cor ersational theme.
Sisson Fearful
1t seems that Auditor General Sissor
made a sorry report to Penrose OF
conditions in the Erie-Crawford dis
trict in northwest Pennsylvania. lie ha
been given general charge OF the Stat
machine fight there. and he told Sena
tor Pcnrose very frankly that the thinl
looked bad The farmers simply woult
not listen to Taft talk. The conditions
in the industrial centers would be n
better but for the chance of coercion o
employees by employers.
State Treasurer Wright. who come
from the northeast part of the State,
farming section, made like report
]Ie didn't see how the farmers were [
pe lined up for Taft They wante
Roosevelt. and were determined to sen
Roosevelt delegates.
Then came the state Commissioner o
Highways F.. NJ. Bigelow, who ha
charge OF the fight in enc Of the Pitts
burgh districts. The Oliver machin
there is trying to defeat William Film
and his colleagues, who are running fo
delegates on the Roosevelt ticket.
Ribelow told the big boss that he ha
the fight Of his life on his hands. Th
Roosevelt organization has the supper
Of Mayor MageG' arp there seems
forcing employees of big industries I
Vote as their bosses demand is presse
With more vigor and success than eve
Several Philadelphia districts were al
mitted to be in very bad shape, with tn
chances against Taft; but the evening
discussions turned on the question {
using the power of the city machin,
employers, to save the day for Taft
preventing an expression of real sent
ment.
Hit by Challenge.
The organization throughout the stat
has ben embarrassed by the challenge c
the Roosevelt people, who proposed tha
each delegates ticket be labeled; til
Roosevelt nominees to be marked "F'C
Roosevelt" and the Taft nominees "Fo
Taft" The machine didn't want any
thing OF the sort, and had opposed, a
over the State, the effort to affix labels
However,, out in Washington county a
anti-Roosevelt bench, when the questio
came up on application for a court OF
der, directed that the For Roosevelt
label should be attached. This is tn
first decision on this question, and
added to the worries of the organize
ton forces.
Out of these considerations of bad col
ditons, the Penrose organization
evolving, according to report, a plan fl
getting uninstructed delegates who wi
be loyal to the machine, and then, {
the national convention, going into
deal with New York, Massachusett
and q big group of the oftice-holdin
Southerners, to ditch Taft and nominal
some compromise man. This plan doe
not contemplate the possibility of lie
ting the nomination go to Roosevelt;
does look to the idea of Hughes, Gun
minis, Borah, or some other man know
as a progressive, who would have aVoi'
ed the asperties of the pre-conVentic
contest, and who would be regarded {
having a chance to win. Taft, the mi
chine leaders fear, has about no chan'
at all.