Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-06-13
CANNOT DEFEAT ROOT
Roosevelt Fails to Find Strong
Candidate.
His Friends See Mistake In Starting
Observation-Disclosures That La
Toilette May Hold Balance
of Power.

A Chicago special to the Boston Tran
script says: The republicans are point
ing to what they regard as two serious
political mistakes made recently by the
usually astute Roosevelt. One Is his OPP
position to the selection of Elihu Hoot
as temporary chairman OF the national
convention and the other the demand OF
his followers that r. Il. Howell OF Ne
braska, elected TO the national committee
IN the State primary. be permitted 'o
take his seat Immediately. A canvas
of the national committee shows no sen
timent whatever in favor OF the seat'ns
of Mr.. Howell before his time, even tho
Roosevelt supporters privately conced"
that tie colonels demand on this poin
Is a little too raw" Victor Rosewatcr
Of Omaha, vice chairman OF the national
committee, whom Howell Will succeed.
predicted to-day that when the committee
mot no melton would he made by any for
the seating Of Mr.. Howell.
Rosewater. by the way. is not instruct
ed by either side. AS a ptesiding office
he visited Washington recently and had
an interview with Tart bureau LAWYER.
who are in charge Of the contested cases.
1t was said afterward that Rosewatcr
IN going over the points of law involved
was fairer in his view than any prom
inent republican that had been consult
ed. 1t Is the purpose of the natonui
committee. as stated by ali the mem
bers seen here, to give the friends Of ;h
| contestants no reason to complain
their treatment. The men.bers knov
that the Roosevelt men are looking wit!
searchliehts for chances to cry "Mur-
| derv and find an excuse for boiling ana
| they are doubiy on their guard.
THE GUARDIANSHIP MIDDLE
The temporary chairma nshp mud1le i,
ore of the problems that has even the
third termcrs guessing. Their cat Is lie
out OF the bag by the knowledge. which
became current here to-day that Sena
tor Dixon and the other Roosevelt lead
| ers have no idea whom the colonel vii
finally determine to support in opposi
ton to Root II he decides to make an,
contest at ell. The colonel first oppose,
Root, then withdrew his opposition OF
the plea that the issue was not vital,
and then, discovering it to he vital. h.
! started in again and II was announcot
that he would support Governor Herber
S. Hadley of Missouri. At this time
is not known in the Roosevelt cam
whether the third-term candidate vii
stand pat on Hadley or turn to some
one else There is an interesting insid
in this situation which has caused
good deal of talk in the corridors to
day.
The colonels sudden duckinE of tn
Root fight was taken, and correctly, t
mean that he could not muster enoug
votes to defeat the New York senator
1t was too startling an admission of tn
uncertainty of the Roosevelt cause to b
let pass without action of some kind. s
some of the colonel's supporters who rea
lized the important bearing of the cas-
on delegate sentiment made sugges
ton. They said that Governor Hadle
was a very good man and a capable pol
tcian. but that he could not comman
all the nnti-Taft support possibly n
one could. except perhaps Governc
, Francis c. McGovern of Wisconsin
Why not try McGoye rn? 1t was pointe
f out that practically all the last-ditc
I Roosevelt vote could be turned to NJ
Govern. and that, in addition, it might
very hard to keep the thirty-six La Fo
| lette delegates from Wisconsin fro
voting for the governor of their ov
D State particularly as he was the rigl
l kind of a progressive. 1t was limited. TO
2 that the ten Cummins delegates fro
4 Iowa might be interested. and that Wi
this accession of forty-six votes this a
i vice was given that there came n suddt
silence from oyster Bay and no Of
seemed to know who the Roosevelt ca
u dldate opposed to Root would be.
far no one has found out yet
r ROOSEVELT NEEDS VOTES.
The hesitation of the Roosevelt m
is significant, the politicians believe, f
e it suggests. first. that the colonel al
his counselors, while treating the cou
try to their strenuous predictions tn
"Roosevelt will win on the first ballo
they can elect an anti-Taft man tel
porary chairman of the convention. II
y hesitation Is eloquent moreover, In gu
costing the possible potentiality of t
= La Toilet te- Cummins vote. In 9th
t words, II is tacit evidence. to the min
l. of many republicans gathered here. tn
q the Roosevelt forces have crying need
e forty-slx votes. and what Is ten tim
Is more important, ii points to the pos
It bility of La Toilette actually holding I
q, balance OF power in the convention,