The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-05-13
CAMP A|GN IS NOW
ENTERING UPON
LAST STAGE
California, Montana, North Car.
DINA, and West Virginia
200 DELEGATES THIS WEEK
Roosevelt Carried Minnesota With a
Rush and Taft Appears to Have
Won in Montana

| won III montana
Washington, May 13.-As the time
for the Chicago convention draws
nigh. who shall preside over it and
how long it will continue in session
is being given thought. Usually by
this time it is known who shall be
the chairmen, the temporary and the
permanent, the national committee
attending to this, so that there may
be ample time in the preparation OF
the keynote speech. But so much
depends upon who controls the con-
yention. and this remains as yet IN
doubt. that little thought is being
given to this matter, although 1t Is
most important-all the more SO
since remarkably few men nave so
far been elected to the convention
who possess the qualifications max
ing them fit to preside over the gain
ering Indeed, the Washington
statesmen are amazed at this TACT.
The chairmen selected ought to De
men of national prominence and Oh
tried ability to preside over nat
ional convention, a hard post at It's
best, and here convention Is ap
preaching which threatens to be the
stormiest in the history OF the party
since 1880.
From this morning until the dawn
of the primary election the Zlst'
there is scarcely a cross roads sta-
ton in Ohio so unimportant numerr
cally that IL does not expect TO en-
terrain at least one presidential pos
sibility. Four seekers after the no
mination for the presidency, Presl-
dent Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, GOV.
Harmon and Senator La Toilette VIII
tour the state, while lesser lights
United States senators, cabinet mem
hers and department heads, are plan
ming to campaign and speak al
points where limited train facilities
and the inability of the candidates
TO be in more than one place at one
time will prevent the appearance OF
the presidential possibilities.
In the coming week state conveh'
lions will be held in Wyoming, Ten
nessee. Maryland, to ratify her re-
cent primary, Washington, Utah,
North Carolina, West Virginia, Mon
tana. Idaho and Minnesota, and the
Roosevelt forces will hold conven'
ton in Florida to select rival del
egation to the one now instructed for
Taft The California primaries VIII
be held tomorrow Delegates Will
also be chosen by district conven-
lions in North Carolina, Minnesota
Kansas. Michigan, Texas. Arkansas
and Oklahoma. These conventions
and primaries will choose an aggre-
gate of 172 delegates. After Satur-
day night there will be only 12O del
egates to be chosen, the bulk from
i Ohio. Texas and New Jersey.
The important primary election OF
the present week is in California,
! where &c delegates will be chosen by
each of the parties and where the
republican result is very much IN
doubt with the chances fayorlng
the Roosevelt forces, the Pennsylva
MIA result having had profound ell
feet there as elsewhere, changing
according to the California congress
men here, a certain Taft victory &c
one of uncertainty. Possibly the oil
vision among the progressives may
occasion pleasant surprise to the
Taft people, for La Toilette mas peer
speaking up and down the state iol
weeks and mas had better audiences
than either Taft or the RooseVel
people. but Oregon showed that NJ
was not effective there and Callior
MIA may duplicate that primary
Roosevelt has had the benefit OF TN
! Johnson machine in the state and TN
patronage of the governor and nj
! has not complained, so that all toll
he is expected to come out aheau'
IL La Toilette loses Caliiorhi
! there is no hope for him In the cor
vention. but If he wins the 26 dele
! gates he will have 62 in the nation
nj convention and this may prove
. large enough number to hold the pa
I ance of power in the convention D'
4 tween Taft and Roosevelt. AS l.
Toilette hates both Taft and Roos'
] welt and Cummins as well, 1t woul
} be tremendously interesting to Sc
\ how he would meet the SITUATION
4 Doubtless he would try to turn II I
his own personal advantage and g
feet his own nomination and Will
y this now seems so improbable stl
i fate has been behaving very strang'
L ~ in politics lately and, loving e.
cessively the dramatic, 1t may a
range, that the rejected stone sha
L become the head of the corner.
The California primary Is ordere
good deal after the manner OF u
y Maryland primary The preferenC
i vote of the whole state governs tf
d whole delegation. SO who wins thu
carries off the whole 26 delegate
The arrangement was specially G
4 fective. II is said, at the instance
4 Gov. Johnson, who knew the Sa
y Francisco districts would be again
the progressive cause and to don
nate them any In the event OF pr
gresslve victory the arrangement d
scribed. which IL another apple
ton of the unit rule. was made la
And after California, comes OH
n The struggle will be even more
u tense than that in Massaohusetl
u Taft and Roosevelt will again I
n conclusions. sparing nothing.
should seem that Ohio would stat
II substantially behind her favorite al
native son, but New York did not