The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-06-14
This Indicated by the Chicago
Conditions
MAY PREVENT swimming
Victory ON the First Ballot Is Very
Important--The Colonels Chances
Are Hurt by Films Bolt
Proposition.

Chicago, June 1.-THE great presiden-
tial contest appears to be taking on a
new phase. A determination of the anti
Roosevelt men to defeat the third-term
candidate at all hazards, whether Taft is
Irenominated or not, is the latest appar-
ent Development of situation which is
growing more tense and exciting every
moment.
Since William Barnes, ir., came here
from New York, his time has been spent
in making the most thorough canvass of
the actual standing of the delegates that
possibly could be made. The result is
said to show beyond all reasonable doubt,
in the minds of the Taft managers, that,
whether or not the president can be
nominated, Roosevelt cannot be- that the
| boasts of his lieutenants that he will
control the convention from the begin
ming are empty and that their only hope
of nominating the third-termer lies in
| the possibilities after the first ballot,
hence the rage against the national com
mittee.
| Many of the Taft men always have
believed it to be better politics to nom.
! mate a third candidate than to renom-
mate the president. Moreover, a great
many delegates are here instructed by
their primaries for Roosevelt, who are
not Roosevelt men at heart and who
believe that the worst that could happen
to the Republican party, to say nothing
of the country, would be the nomination
of the colonel of Oyster Bay. As a
result OF many conferences, which have
included heart -to-heart talks with dele
cations freshly arrived, the point is set
tied in the minds of the Taft men that
Roosevelt cannot carry the convention
for himself.
This discovery, confirmed by the lat
est figures ascertainable, would ordinari-
ly settle the nomination in favor OF
Taft, We're it not that other considera.
tons enter to affect the situation. The
national committeeman representing the
states where La Toilette sentiment was
strong have not aided Roosevelt in the
contests before the national committee;
they have stood with Taft Some of
these states have gone for Roosevelt, but
in at least one case the shift was due
more to dislike of La Toilette than love
for the colonel. These men, including
many of the delegates from the same
states, are primarily anti-Taft men;
they are not for Roosevelt more than
nominally; they would prefer a third
man and have been doing their little in
aid of Taft because that offered their
only chance to head off Roosevelt. The
events of the last few days have con-
firmed men like these, and many others, |
in their belief that Roosevelt, crowded |
to the wall for the first time in his |
brilliant career, would toss all party al |
legiance and principle aside and wreck |
the party structure beyond redemption |
in his mad desire to achieve the presi- |
1ency again.
The specific act which has solidifed the
sentiment until it |
almost to a determination to |
take no chances on betting him and to /
1rop Taft if it is found that the colonel |
surely can be whipped and Taft cannot I
surely be renominated, was that of Will I
liam Finn of Pittsburg in announcing
to the newspapers that ii |
Taft were renominated he would 90 back
10 Pennsylvania, recall the state con
Tention and instruct the presidential I
electors to vote for Roosevelt in the
electoral college. Governor Glasscock of |
West Virginia echoed this proposal for
lis own state; and it has been talked
Is possibility in Illinois for several
lays. No one very sincerely believes
hat Mr.. Finn would do any such thing,
or his announcement was inspired by
OYSTER Bay and was put out for the
xpress purpose of dragooning whom it
night into a belated support OF Roose-
'elt that might give him votes to win
The Finn statement had its effect.
However, in convincing the anti-Roose-
cit men that the most important task
hey had ahead of them was to get out
# the way man who had the supreme
udacity to threaten the Republican par s
Y that if it renominated Taft he would
set in motion machinery, Il
which, if it operated, could not fail to
lect Democrat. Films announcement ]
i'd more, unwittingly, to lessen the
hances of Theodore Roosevelt for the
domination than anything the national
ommittee has done