The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-01-03
ROOSEVELT
MAY RUN
Washington Believes He is a
Candidate
SOME KNOW HE'D ACCEPT
This Is Why Ohio Did Not Indorse La
Follette-Reports to Taft from
Oyster Bay Are Not
Satisfactory.
SOME KNOW" HE'D ACCEPT

Washington, Jan. 3.-That Theodore
| Roosevelt is aiming to be the Republi-
can candidate for the presidency OF the
United States was the practically unani-
nous opinion OF political Washington
yesterday While the strenuous efforts
of Clifford Pinchot and James X. Garfield
to prevent the Endorsement of any can
didate in the Ohio progressive conven'
| ton Monday have exhibited the latest
symptoms indicating ambition in Oyster
Bay, these have been preceded by other
occurrences which politicians here regard
as forming chain of evidence that Mr..
Roosevelt is willing to 90 before the
Chicago convention. His friends have
been saying for some time that he would
make no statement taking himself out
of the field so completely that he could
not get back. Progressive Republicans
here have even gone further and used
the word "know" in connection with the
surmises concerning Roosevelts attitude,
They have expected him to be a candi-
date and were not surprised that Messrs.
Pinehot and Garfield should have moved
heaven and earth in order to prevent
an Endorsement for Senator La Toilette.
1t is believed here that President Taft
is fairly well convinced that he must
contest with Roosevelt before the cam
paign is over, This belief, it is asserted,
is not based so much upon exact in
formation from Oyster Bay as from fail
IRE to learn, after specific inquiry, just
where the colonel stands. In other
words, it is the opinion here among
the friends OF Mr.. Taft that the reports
from Oyster Bay have been "unsatis
factory thus compelling the inference
that the colonel would step into the field
if the signs were right
As the political experts here frame
it up, the Roosevelt campaign is at the
stage of trying it on the dog" No onr
alleges that the colonel, even in his own
mind, is actually candidate to succeed
President Taft, or surely intends to be,
but it is firmly believed by his enemies,
and is not denied by his friends, that
the colonel is willing to test the senti-
ment of the country as TO his candidacy
Should he conclude that the anti-third
term idea, the resentment of the Taft
men and secret knitting by disappointed
disciples Of La Toilette would tip the
scales the wrong way, he would announce
that he was not a candidate and would
not be- On the other hand, should the
stories affirming his candidacy which ara
now being sent out from Washington
and elsewhere provoke an apparently
spontaneous demand for his services. he
would consent to listen to the "eall Of
the people"
The effect upon the Republicans of the
South of even half belief that Roose-
welt might be voted for in the convention
doubtless would be TO cause the southern
states to send unpledged delegates to
Chicago Roosevelt probably is as strong
in the South as Taft, for he has played
politics there like master, while Taft
has not played it at all. except through
Postmaster-General Hitchcock, With the
Taft strength in the South broken and
the eager support of his thousands Of
admirers in every northern state, Roose
welt could probably come near stamped
ing the Chicago convention In any
event, the possibility of his candidacy
would swell the list of unpledged dele
gates from all over the country and
make the denomination of President Taft
difficult.
With its fine political imagination now
actively at work, Washington already
has selected Judson Harmon as the
logical candidate of the Democrats if
Roosevelt is nominated by the Repub
Leans. 1t is calculated that the pro-
gressive Democrats then would have no
object in bidding for progressive Re-
publican votes and would seek middle
of-the-road man as their most promis-
ing candidate. Harmon, it is figured,
could carry the solid South, would be
almost sure of New York, would stand
a chance in Massachusetts, New Jersey
and Connecticut, and certainly could
carry Ohio and perhaps Indiana.