The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-06-10
IDLE POLITICAL THREATS

!
! Colonel 3 friends got up in his inter
/ est in the Southern States. These con
: tests have been uniformly decide
against him, and for the most part b.
unanimous vote. They were plainly
imposture, and the possibility Of the
seating of the fake delegates has beer
hopeless from the first 1t is note
worthy that even Col. Roosevelt, al
though his friends were claiming a lo'
OF delegates from Alabama, had on his
list only two where there WINS the
slightest possibility of gaining the
seats, In the case of these two, there
was Just that, possibility only, ana
the committee set aside that possioll'
ity by emphatic vote.
And now wall goes up from the
Roosevelt headquarters that the Ma
tional Committee is assassinatlng
the party and this when the commit
tee has in most cases, the Roosevelt
men thereon coinciding, decided
against the Roosevelt impostures. In
the case of only two delegates has
there been even the shadow of rea"
son for contest, and because these two
Roosevelt delegates are after fair
hearing set aside by the committee,
"thc Republican party is assassinat-
od.'' Undoubtedly the committee in
the case of these two delegates decid.
ed Justly, on evidence presented.
Yet because the committee is decid
ing fairly and in most cases unani"
mously, but still against the Roosevelt
delegates, we have the threat, first of
all, that Roosevelt is going TO Chicago
himself to ''sce about this 1t is i'm
possible TO understand what Roosevelt
can do in Chicago by way Of intimi~
dation, or changing the decisions of
the Republican National Committee;
nor for that matter what he can do to
help himself in any way. Still, of
course, it is all right for him to 90 to
Chicago if he wants to do so, and he
can make Just as much Of spectacle
of himself as he chooses after he gets
there: but, how shall he help his cause
by so doing?
Another threat is to bolt. But of
all threats made or to be made in
Republican Convention, the threat to
bolt is the weakest and most disas-
trous to the side that makes it; for
such threat is confession of weak
ness and is the announcement of a
not to abide the result
of the Convention s acts, Therefore,
the one making that threat. has no
standing in the Convention; but
throws himself out of the running by
the very threat that he makes. No
convention could possibly SO stultify
itself as to nominate man who holds
over it threat to bolt if he does not
win.
Another threat is that the delegates
will be met at the trains as they ar
rive in Chicago, and the Taft dele
gates will be assured that the only
chance for the Republican party TO
win in November is to nominate
that if Taft is nominated
defeat Is sure. This is practically the
same thing as the threat to bolt,
brought directly home to the delegates.
To make such threat shows the hope
less and desperate feeling that pre-
walls in the Roosevelt camp. No self
respecting delegate could do otherwise
than to resent such a presentation as
this. It would seem as though fair
minded Roosevelt delegates would
themselves resent it, and would refuse
to have anything to do with such a
pusillanimous proposition, even if it is
the last desperate resort of a losing
fight.
Another threat is to make a public
and popular demonstration in Chicago
In the hope of intimidating the COM
or the convention, or both. This
is something that is perfectly open to
the adherents of either side. Either
the Roosevelt men OF the Taft men are
at perfect liberty to make such dem
onstration as they choose. They have
a right to get up professions, to hold
TO have torchlight parades,
and all that sort Of thing, in the inter
est of either candidate, or Of all three
candidates, counting La Toilette as one
1t is free country, and every set Of
adherents Of any candidate has right
to make such demonstrations, enthusis
astic, public, and even furious as they
see fit, always provided that they do
not precipitate a riot or in any other
way break the peace. But it is i'm
possible to imagine demonstrations Of
this kind having any real effect upon
the work of the committee or of the
convention. Still, if it will ease tue
feelings Of any set of delegates to
make these demonstrations, it is per-
fectly sure in advance that nobody will
object.
Another threat is that if the Roose.
velt contcsting delegates are so gener.
ally defeated as to deprive the colonel
of any chance Of nomination in the
regular convention, Roosevelt conven.
tion will be held fright here' that
will put him in nomination as third
candidate This also, is the same thinp