The Sentinel=record., 1912-06-13
REPUBLICAN, SITUATION oEVEL. oPEs INTO INTO SERIOUS
 CHARGES OF RooDLiNG.
MKINLEY ACCUSES COLONEL
Says Money Has Been Used to Pur. chase Taft Instructed Delegates Party Now Seems to be in a
 Serious Predicament.

Chicago, June 1p.-Apparently h- reconeiliability of differences between Taft and Roosevelt leaders in the Re- publican party, borne on d rising tide of charges of bribery, theft and Oth- accusations, tonight threatened to preeipitate decisive developments be- fore the opening of the national con vention next Tuesday.
 ~ The charges of corruption were made In an open statement given to the press tonight by Director Me- Kinley of the Taft bureau, which di- rect1y> accuses the Roosevelt managers of an effort to capture the convention by force.
 Prominent men on both sides to- night admitted the situation had be- come so acute that. almost anything might happen within the next few days. Among possibilities discussed in conference rooms, hutel corridors and party headquarters were two that continued to come up again and again
 The first of these was the possi5i- ity of a bolt by the Roosevelt forces and the organization of a progress sive' party if President Taft Is tu be renominated. The bolt talk was ever present during the day and in a meet ing of Roosevelt leaders rose to a polnt where William Flynn of Pitts burg, who was presiding, refused to let it go further
 The second possibility, and this seemed to hold the center of the stage tonight, was that of a compromise on a third candidate. A number of the leaders declared that now it was pos- itively beyond question to expect either the Taft or Roosevelt people to abide by the nomination of the o.h- CTS candidate.
 The situation was crystalized to 8 great degree by the action of the na- tional committee in the contest hear iugs, particularly the California case during the day. Roosevelt men in sisted they could expect nothing for their candidate at the hands of the ruling of the Taft majority in the na- toHal committee and criticised the work of that body with increasing bitterness.
 The question of whether or not Colonel Roosevelt would come 10 Chicago and what effect his coming would hayeT on the tense situation. came up atNalmost every turn Of the endless discussions and arguments. early all agreed that the arrival Of Colonel Roosevelt w6uld bring the situation to an immediate focus, but the outcome of such an event was disputed
 The states that loomed large in the calculations of the Roosevelt leaders in case of a bolt were California, Ore gon, Kansas, Nebraska. Pennsylvania New Jersey. West Virginia, South Da- kota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota Several other states were named also, but the former presidents campaign chiefs seemed to get great est satisfaction out of their survey of those listed
 The third candidate talk included Cummins and IaFollette and then went on to the much debated dark horse" possibility. A dozen names were mentioned in the latter connec- ton, but there was no unanimity Of opinion.
 Early in the evening, Director Me- kinley issued a lengthy statement. which, after claiming that Taft would be nominated on the first ballot, charged that the Roosevelt forces were planning more desperate meas ures to prevent the inevitable"
 The effort to corrupt Taft dele gates to the convention" said the statement, "has been under way for several weeks. It is common knowl- edge that seven weeks ago money was sent to two Taft instructed dele gates in a southern state by telegraph by well known Roosevelt leader now in Chicago.
 Within the last week two men sent from New York to a southern state have brazenly approached Taf' delegates with offers of money III return for votes for Roosevelt. Other agents bn a similar mission have made their appearance in several states recently
 That a we'll defined effort is on foot to buy the presidential nom nation for Theodore Roosevelt is be- yond questin."
 The statement then charges thai plan is on foot to influence the To- cal police free with a view to pack ing the cnvention hall with non ticket holders and to 'perpetrate 1T the hall a system of intimidation ans terrorization which might easily cur minate in a full fedged riot
 "A plain campaign lie was MT Dixon's retort to the Mckinley state ment and he refused to discuss I further
 Later in the evening the Roose' welt committee phrased it's opinion O the national cmmittee's action in | days contests in lengthy statement The Michigan case was character i2ed as "one of the most outrageous attempts at strong arm tactics per petrated by the Taft forces in a cam