The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-22
ROOSEVELT BOOM
 HAS COLLAPSED
Makes No Progress in Get
 ting Delegates
TAFT IS SUCCEEDING
Many Democrats Had Been Pulling for Roosevelt Because They Con-
 sidered Him Easier to De- feat Than MT. Taft
By WALTER HARPER

Washington, March N Especial. )-The- odore Roosevelt's presidential boom seems to have collapsed at the starting post.
 He is making absolutely no progress in getting delegates Nothing counts but fdelegates in the political game that is now being played and MT. Taft is getting the delegates.
 It becomes more and more evident that when Roosevelt thought he heard the popular call of the people he was listen 1 ing to the sighs of his own inward smbi- l ton. The popular clamor somehow does not materalize. At least 1t Is not sus- tained.
 His managers are active enough. There seems to be no limit to the jingling sinews of political war In the washing ton office there is a small army of well paid campaigners. There are subdivisions of this great campaign propaganda in al- most every section of the country. But delegates who will vote for Roosevelt in the Chicago convention are few and far between.
 1 There is great elation in the camps of President Taft's packers. There is confu- sion and frenzy in the camps of the Roosevelt followers. | If Roosevelt fails of the nomination. and that appears to be settled, the ex- planation will be that the people were not given an opportunity for the popular expression of their choice. But then Roosevelt's sun will have set, robbed of | its glory and darkened by the clouds of selfish design.
 | Theodore ,Roosevelt is enacting a chap ter that will down in history as one of the greatest political tragedies of the American government | Clothed in all the purple of the highest | American honors he refused to be satis- fled and in an evil hour of selfish design he laid all the glory aside for the inglor- ous persuit of honors that could add nothing to those he already possessed As it appears now the Napoleon of American politics is destined to expire on the island of a political Helena alone and uncontrolled.
 And the f1uking of the Roosevelt cam paign Is cause for regret in the demo- cratic camps. The democrats had hoped
 
 bitter and that his defeat would be so closely contested that the republican party would be split irreparably. The split is there and will remain but it will not be as broad and sore as has been expected.
 The majority of democrats desire the renomination of President Taft He de- serves renomnaton according to all the ethics of the game. He is deserving. He is great man. He is the real repre- sentative of the republican party today. He represents it's true policies It would be unjust in the party to desert him at this time. It would be cruel. It would be unfair
 But Taft will be renominated. There are many leaders in the republican party who greatly desire the nomination of a third mana man with new record-a man on whom all factions could com bine. but the possibility of this has dis appeared
 Taft is making the record for the party He is forming the issue on which the party must and will go to the people No other man could logically take up the fight and meet the issue that will be carried to the people-that is already being carried to the people by oscar Un- derwood the real leader of the democratic party. MT. Taft and his party must face the issue-the issue that was raised sev- eral years ago and on which the people have spoken when they had the oppor- tunty. They will speak again next November and the leaders cannot side step that issue.
 Just President Taft represents the republican side of the question upper most in the minds of the people so does oscar Underwood represent the demo- cratic side of the question. If Oscar Underwood is not chosen to lead the democrats in their final struggle on the issue hat he has made they will make a great mistake. I do not believe that they will make that mistake. The insignificant matter of his residence In this great union of states will have absolutely no weight in the public mind when a much greater issue is at stake | It is absurd to insist on the point and will not be except by those who are politically ambitious. The people have no regard for it.