The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-03-23
Taft SUPPORTERS
GET WEAK kNEED
Already !. cooking Arourd for
Candidate, to Whom
Can Tn ow Votes
WILL KEEP ROLLER
COLLECTING THEM
If Taft Can Nominate Him
self on First Ballot, All
Right, if Not, Then
He Less Out
By J. J. MONTAGUE

By J. J. MONTAGUE
wASHAN0TOSs. Marcn at
wouiu sui PRISE no support ter OF Will
liam H. 1aIt. save Wiiitam n. TAFT
himself. II the bosses VINO are now
behind him went into the chicago
convention behind some other man.
Indeed, n there were 4 precedent In
American politics for the recall OF =
candidate, Mr.. iatt would be IN fmmf-
vious. 1t has been demonstrated be-
yonu question that the voters DO not
want Taft for President. and do NOT
intend to have him TOR fr-A,dent.
The most OF the delegates that he
wsH get are the steam rolled variety
which comes (. ON tho South.
Bar New York, Bar. TAFT " gotno.
to get less than an even break In
nearly all the Northern States. Out
OF the 1000 precinct committeeman
that name delegates In Illinois,, more
than 5000 are pledged against Taft.
He will be beaten by La roulette In
Wisconan and Minnesota, by Cum
MINIS and Roosevelt In Iowa: he will
lose all OF Indiana save two or four
delegates that have been dubbed
into supporting him. 1t seems al
most certain that he will be over
tAASVWn IA uD Wv Gt6Ac VI SAiO.
Tho only two States that have
spoken In primaries. Oklahoma and
North Dakota. went overwhelmingly
against him. Colorado. Utah, WASH
tnxton, Oregon and California will be
against him.
B0Ases Don't Like Losers.
These are known facts In them
Mr.. Taft's backers read certain de-
feat II they 60 to the polls with him.
and they have become gravely dis
quoted
Bosses don't like to back losers.
Taft suits them. and he suits the In
te-eata they represent But - q hAat-
en- candidate he would be Of NO pos
sible use to them or to their inter
estG Re4ctionAry he. may Be. COM
placent ~ he has been whenever any
thing was being put over" which
the big corporations wanted. he woula
be OF no service whatever II defeated.
Generally admitted certainty OF his
defeat has scared the men who have
been shouting the loudest for him.
Just now there 10 nothing to do but
keep him In the limelight as = dole
gate collector. His once y needed
In getting votes into the convention
Ho must be kept ignorant Of the real
sentiment OF his party towards him,
and to keep him from kicking over
the traces he must not BE- told just
how bad his case really II
But while this il ali being definitely
dc ne there In no question that his
sur porters are bustly hunting another
candidate who will be trotted ous nm
iesS TAFT CAR win on the first ballot.
This candidate will not be Hughes.
NuEfies Is very we'll satisfied where
he 10. He had nothing but trouble
when he was Governor.
Aushee No Candidate.
He quarreled with the members OF
his larty over small things, and was
kept In such continued turmoil that
he was forced to seek shelter on the
Supreme Court bench.
Even Taft. who has Hughes' prom
ise that the justice viii never again
engage In inactive play. couldn't drag
him on the bench II he tried, and
certainly Taft will never try.
The hunt Is going farther <han
Hughea There are plenty OF reac-
uonaries who would be almost a.
satisfactory as Tart to the bosses, and
who have not left such a plain trial
AZ he has
Ono Of these win be picked out with
In the next two weeks. and kept, ready,
Tor the c0s1seftiOn. Taft win Sc given
change to nominate himself. Ii he
can do Il. the Penrose's and Cranes
and Shoots who are behind him vii!
permit him to. but II he shows any
weakness they will desert him IKE q
nash. and turn the whole strength thai
has been collected through his ONCE
to another man.
II 10 no secret 10 those on tho IN.
side that TAFT and the chief OF his Ml-
lies are suspicious Of each ether. He