The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1912-04-18
PRIMARIES BLAST
TAFT'S CHANCES
Popular Vote In Pennsylvania and
Illinois Aids Roosevelt.
BY ALLEN e. BEACH.

bAdNto vi AAllllOlSs NAlios ~ anna W 10
consin and North Dakota a total of
40 delegates to the Chicago conven
tion have been elected by popular pri-
mary vote OF this number President
Taft secured but ~. the ratio against
bim being more than IA to /.
This popular pronouncement against
the president in states in which the
people had chance to express them
selves without hindrance. forced from
Senator Crane of Massachusetts, the
real Taft leader the admission. THE
result of the Pennsylvania and Illi-
nois primaries will have a most de-
plorable effect on the candidacy OF
the president. It cannot be other
wise. The president still has the
Jump on the number of delegates.
That is the best that can be said"
Big party leaders who have been
for the president. and the public gen
orally, were convinced the president
would rot be nominated. The Penn
sylvania primaries. following those
of Illinois. blasted Taft's chances.
Smashing and wreclting the Penrose
machine, Roosevelt swept Pennsyl-
yania, scooping in 65 to 81 of the 76
delegates and capturing control Of the
state convention, which for the first
time since the rise Of Quay will not
be run by the machine.
Final returns from Illinois give a
special significance to Roosevelt's
victory there Tuesday Roosevelt's
total vote. 252,625 Taft's vote, 1872
97S; LaFollette's vote. 40,9s3. Total
Republican vote. 4l6.562; total Demo
cratic vote, 2S9,59O; Republican ma
jority. 126.972
This proves the solid Republican
strength of Illinois Champ Clark,
leading Democratic candidate, re-
ceived 11,SO9, a majority of Ss,S3t
over Taft. This shows what Illinois
would do If Clark and Taft were OPP
posing candidates in the presidential
campaign. Clark's vote was 40.S17
less than Roosevelts This shows
what Illinois would do II Clark and
Roosevelt were the candidates in the
presidential campaign.
Swiftly as the wires flashed the
news from Illinois came realization Of
the significance of that stupendous
verdict. Theodore Roosevelt made a
cyclonic sweep of that prairie state.
garnering SO of the 5S delegates.
President Taft clinging 20 the Lori.
mer machine as his only hope there,
went down in an irretrievable defeat
BY 10000 plurality Roosevelt was
declared presidential nominee of the
Illinois Republicans, That is the
referendum verdict Of this third larg.
est state of the Union and the larg-
est state which chooses its delegates
under a statewide presidential pri-
mary law. In Illinois the people got
a chance. They seized II and said
their say. They said Roosevelt.
The contest was dramatic. At
Louisville, Colonel Roosevelt had ar
ragned the president as unprogres-
sive. What the anti-Rooseyelt papers
called "a bitter personal attack was
but a clear, emphatic setting forth
that Taft had been elected by the
progressive Republicans, who had
nominated him against the opposition
of the reactionary leaders, like Al
drich, Penrose and Cannon; that he
was now supported for denomination
by the same reactionaries and OPP
posed by his former friends. This,
he said was due 10 the presidents
leaving the progressive camp and TAX
Ing up his abode with the reaction
aries He drew the attention of the
voters to the company Taft is keep
ing, He said: "The president is be-
coming known by the company he is
keeping"
The president had tied himself 10
Lorlmer, taking for his campaign
manager Congressman Mckinley,
Lorimer lieutenant in Illinois or
the Taft Republicans in the United
States senate, only four Smith and
Townsend of Michigan, Brown Of Ne
braska and Jones of Washington,
had voted to unseat both Lorimer and
Stephenson.
Lorimer, Mckinley and Cannon
were &c deliver Illinois to Taft. The
president counted on them TO do so.
Even on the day Of the voting Taft
adherents in Columbus had the tip
from Washington that illinois is all
right. because the Lorimer machine
Is impregnable." Roosevelt went 70
Illinois, where Lorimer Mckinley
and Cannon were stronger than they
we're anywhere else, and told then
constituents of the company Taft Is
Keeping. The Taft-Lorimer-Cannor
alliance was open admitted, fiamboy
ant, defiant. 1t was an illustration
in flaring colors of Roosevelts ar
raignment of Taft as an unprogres
sive, supported by all the reactionar'
crowd
With that strong machine for Taft
what would have happened in Ill
nois II Governor Deneen had not cal
ed an extra session OF the Legislature
which enacted a presidential prefel
ence primary law? What did happe
under that law is significant, not
the number of Roosevelt delegate