The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1912-06-21
negro HOLDS KEY.
BALANCE OF POWER AIT REPUBLICAN
CONVENTION In HIS HANDS.
All Black Delegates Believed TO Be
PufchaSabIe- MiIIiOnaifeS Spend
Money Right and Left.

A staff correspondent in writing for
the Baltimore Sun, from Chicago, ILL.,
has much to say in regard To the ne
grOes at the Republican Convention,
who hold the balance Of power, and
possess the key to the situation. The
condition is such as to disgust every
decent white man, and III il thought
that stringent means will have TO
be used to purge the Republican party
of prevailing conditions. To quote
the Suns correspondent:
Every hours developments show
the party leaders and the rank and
file that, after all, the balance OF pow
er in this convention Is held by 30 TO
so negro delegates. Every one OF
these negroes is looked upon by both
sides to be an uncertain quantity ana
every one IL looked upon a. q voter
who may be Influenced by money. Not
a negro delegate that comes to this
convention from the South represents
any thing in party strength; not one
of them can hope to aid in the cleo
ton OF a Republican member Of the
Electoral College. Not one in every
ten even represents the best element
Of the race.
Here is a situation where the bal
ance of power OF great political
party il held by half hundred negro
voters. Both sides in this conflict are
playing for the favor of these dele
gates. They are playing frantically,
desperately, too. That money and
money in large sums f. being used
ID no longer matter OF doubt or OF
euuivocation. Both sides have open
ed their barrels" and negro dele
gateJwho is willing can command his
own price.
That a Presidential nomination is
about to be purchased, not with sentl-
ment, not with party welfare, not
with patriotism, but with cold cash,
is the opinion of every man who is
willing to tell you exactly what he
thinks. An attempt il being made
to auction off the honors Of leading
the Republican party in the coming
fight to the highest bidder, and hun
dreds of thoughtful party leaders are
sick Of the whole business.
Nobody now doubts for a minute
that William Finn, of Pittsburgh, was
sent to Chicago for the one purpose
of handling the financial end ofRoose-
velt'sl candidacy. He arrived and in "a
hours assembled around him 15 or ~
Of the most rabid, but most trust
worthy, Roosevelt followers he could
find. With them as aids he went into
the market for every doubtful voter
who sets his foot in this city.
Since then the money men Of the
Taft campaign have shown up. Sem
ator Guggenheim, with his millions,
has come. Senator Crane, with his
millions, has been here from the be
ginning. William @. Mckinley, q
man Of many millions, l. on the Job.
There are score or more Of Taft
miilionaires in Chicago. Charles P.
Taft, who has held the pocketbook in
every campaign which hi brother has
made, came today.
But it is something new, even In
the Republican party, for the Presi-
Dental nomination to be made by
wholesale vote buying. The party's
delegates i'm the past have, except in
individual cases, perhaps, been above
the acceptance of money for their sup
port Here and there there might
have been voter who was willing
to sell out, but the delegates have
never before deliberately offered
themselves, for sale by lots, by dis
tricts and by delegations.
Just what the party will do to pre-
vent any repetition Of the discredit-
able conditions il not known. Tt il
known, however, that a. step i'm that
direction the movement for the reduc-
ton of the Southern delegations is
gaining ground every hour. If some
Of the leaders have their way, South
ern representation will in the future
be based on the Republican vote in
those States and not upon their
Congressional representation.