Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-07
way affiliated with that corporation,
was explained.

way affiliated with that corporation, it
was explained.
Taft delegates were elected yesterday in
the fifth and sixth Tennessee districts
and the sixth Iowa
At South Bend, Ind, yesterday support
ers of President Taft, including repre-
sentative of a Taft newspaper, were
forced to leave Roosevelt organization
meeting called for the thirteenth congress
sional district
The request for the Taft men to leave
came just after Fred w. Keller, st. Jo-
seph county chairman, and Perry Smith,
chairman of kosciusko county, had been
elected chairman and secretary.
The efforts of Gov. Osborn Of Michigan
In behalf of a law for presidential pref
erence primaries was thwarted yesterday
when the lower house Of the legislature
laid aside the governors bill providing
Lord bill, that provides for a primary
next June, eight days before the meet
ing of the national convention.
If the Lord bill is passed by both
lature to adjourn Friday, in order to pro-
vide the required ninety days period be-
tween adjournment time and June 10, the
date fixed for the primary.
The Lord bill provides for a ballot which
will simply allow the voters to express
their preference for President and Vice
President. Delegates to the national. con-
yention are to be selected by state con-
ventiOns as usual, and these delegates
are expected to vote in accordance with
the preference expressed at the primary.
The senate Of the Massachusetts legisla-
tdre yesterday passed without debate
the presidential primary bill by q vote
of Is to 3. The bill provides for direct
election of district delegates to national
conventions and for popular preferential
voting on presidential candidates.
Clifford Pinchot last night ended
three-day tour of North Dakota in the
interest of Col. Roosevelt, addressing
large audience in teh auditorium at Grand
Forks. Mr.. PinchOt denied that Gov.
Johnson of California had deserted La
Toilette because he Johnson) had been
promised the vice presidential nomination
in case of Col. Roosevelt's success. Il
have personal knowledge that the story is
untrue" he said. Mr.. Pinchot left for
ST. Paul and Minneapolis.
'virginia's twenty-four delegates at the
Chicago convention will be for the re-
yah H. Martin, republican national COM
mitteeman for Virginia. THE state con-
vention will be held at Roanoke March
r. Five congressional districts already
conventions instructed their delegates for
Mr.. Taft. There was a contest in the
fifth district One side is instructed for
Taft and the other side is uninstructed.
The second district. at its convention. did
not have single delegate who was a
federal officeholder."
Seth Low, former mayor of the city Of
New York, said yesterday:
obliged to choose between President Taft
and Mr.. Roosevelt for the republican
nomination, because 1 have the highest
regard for both men. Under all the cir
cumstances, however. I think that Presi-
dent Taft fully deserves a denomination
at the hands Of the party. l am among
those who want to see the republican
party a progressive party, and am very
much in sympathy with Mr.. Roosevelt's
way of looking at things. Especially |
agree with him in thinking that the short
ballot is among the most important of re-
forms.
Il recognize, however. that it is much
easier to be progressive out OF office,
without responsibility, than to be progress
sive in office, with responsibility. Judged
by any fair test of accomplishment. l
think the administration of President
Taft fully deserves to be called progress
sive, as was pointed out by Secretary of
War Stimson last night in Chicago. II,
however the test of prOgressiveness is to
be the Willingness to accept the Initiative,
submission of the decisions of the courts
on constitutional questions to popular
vote, l am unable to meet the test.
1.-The initiative seems to me device
for getting the crudest kind Of legisla-
ton There is no opportunity given to
discuss the form of such legislation, a sit
uation which makes 1t as easy as possible
to put jokers into bills. the effect OF
which is understood only by those who in
sert them for a particular purpose. AS
to the referendum, I am Indifferent. In,
New York state we resort to it every
now and then. not only on constitutional
amendments but upon purely legislative
questions, such as bond issues for the i'm
provement of highways. AS to the recall,
if applied to executive officers with short
terms it seems to me a device to make
the average official more timid than he is
already.
long term of office some provisions for re-
call might be devised that will not work
badly. When 1t comes to the recall OF
judges. however, think that the system
will work badly. I doubt whether justice
is better had by the poor and insignificant
in the states where the judges are elected
than in the states where the judges are
appointed for life. / fear, therefore, that
be to substitute for the administration of
justice the administration Of the popular
whim of the moment"
Col Charles Mifilin Hammond, a BROTH
er-in-law of Theodore Roosevelt, is lead
ing the fight in California for the renomi-
nation of President Taft. In an interview
in the Evening Post In San Francisco
Col. Hammond declares in plain Ian
guage why he is for the President and
against Roosevelt. The interview is as
follows:
81 am supporting Taft as against my
brother-in-law for the very best of rea-
sons" said Col. Hammons. II do not
agree with the recent statement Of poll
cies made by Roosevelt. / believe that
this country needs Taft in the presi-
dency, and that 1t would be great mis-
take to elect Roosevelt, brother-in-law or
no brother-in-laW. Every man has
duty to perform toward his state before
he owes any duty to his brother-in-law.
And I am discharging my duty to my
| state and to my country first, last and
always
1.-THE administration of President Taft
has marked him as one Of the greatest
men that have ever been raised to high
position in this or any other country. He