The Washington times., 1912-05-18
TAT 7 FORCES SAID
TO Be PLANNING TO
SPRING DARK HORSE
Sweeping Victories of Roose-
velt Has Made Presidents
Managers Despair.

That underground conferences Of re-
dictionary leaders, men of whom the
Taft campaign has depended, are al
ready going on for the purpose OF
trying to find some way to head off
the nomination of Theodore Roosevelt
by use of a dark hcrse, Is the highly
interesting story that became current
at the Capitol today.
Nothing could be more Significant
Of the real state of the Taft campaign
than this. 1t means that Taft leaders,
despairing and pesslmistic over the
prospects of renominating President
Taft, are so far getting ready to quit
y him that they are figuring on a third
candidate. ...
This movement for third man on
the part of the reactionary bosses is
the beginning of the end of the eff
forts to prevent the denomination of
Roosevelt.
Today and Monday will witness the
wind-up of the Ohio campaign. 1t
will close in whirl of furious fight
: Ing, with Roosevelt, Taft, and La Fol-
klette in the field, making appeals to
the voters. Never before in the his
tory of American convention poll
tics has a struggle like this in all re-
spects been presented. Never before
has q President felt 1t necessary to go
into his home State and go to such
lengths in appeals to the voters of his
own State not to desert him.
On every hand the talk continues
today that If Ohio goes against Pres
ident Taft his fight for the nomina-
tian is practically at an end. Repub-
licsns and Democrats realize this
fully.
.-...s Ready To Change.
Fearing that Ohio is going to turn
.Mr. Taft down, many of his leaders
are getting ready to try a new tack.
This explains the revival of the talk
Of third man, which is being heard
today.
Every practical politician about WASH
ington understands that the third-man
talk Is born of the despair of the Taft
leaders of heading off Roosevelt with
President Taft. And it is we'll understood,
too, If President Taft is beaten, or
hard hit in Ohio, the opposition to
Roosevelt will cave in completely before
the Chicago convention.
President Taft continues to say that
he will fight to the last ditch, But
many Of the men who have been lead
ing the fight for him are not so minded.
fight. They have their own political
futures to take care Of.
q, Already, Director Mckinley, of the
Taft campaign, is in a most embarrass-
ing situation. His own State has re-
pudiated him and Lorimerism by rolling
up huge majority for Roosevelt. And
the Republican Congressional commit
. tee and Republican members in the
, House are stirred up because of the
2 manner in which Mckinley is using the
4 Congressional organization to foist the
nomination of President Taft on the
, country.
...... Members Indignant.
Republican members OF the House
, who are seeking reelection are both
concerned and Indignant over the sit
uation. They fear the unexampled and
Inscriptions use of the Congressional
organization. to defeat the public will
will redounb on the Republican Con-
gressional candidates. They fear the
difficulties of the Republican Congress
sional campaign next summer and fall
will be greatly multiplied. They wonder
how the people will swallow next sum-
mer and fall the campaign medicine
which Mckinley will mix for them for
the purpose of saving the House for
That the deep seated public resent
ment toward Mckinley which fair-mind-
ed voters all over the country cam
not help but feel toward Mckinley for
his methods in conducting the fight for
President Taft. will not soon pass and
will hurt the Republican cause from top
,pubhcans in the House. Republican
Senators who are up for reelection are
not free from this apprehension.
IT Is recognized, Of ,seouit, course. that as
average Republican Is to forget a
pre-nomination fight, before election
day. But the methods Mckinley and
his band have used against Roose-
Welt have been so abhorrent to many
progressive Republicans the situation
presented Is unusual. 1t will not be
the best thing the Republican leaers
who want to carry the next House
can do is to see to IT that Chairman
Mckinley conducts himself to some
calm, restful hidden retreat after the
Chicago convention and keeps himself
in seclusion until after the early days
CT November,
Otherwise, the attacks which Mr..
Mckinley Is now indulging in against
Roosevelt are likely to be kept in
constant employment by the Demo-
Gratis, as campaign weapon of value
TO them: Under any circumstance.
they will make use of them, however.
The feeling, however. is strong in
House Republican circles that the less
Mr.. Mckinley shows himself in the
coming Congressional campaign, the
better it will be for the Republicans.
Indicative of the desperate nature OF
the fight of the Administration against
Roosevelt. an attack came out of the
White House last night charging that
Roosevelt compelled the discontinuance
OF the Harvester trust prosecution in
the fall of 1907. The obvious purpose
of this attack, which Colonel Roosevelt
has already met, is to draw votes from
him among the Ohio farmers 1t is be-
leved here, however, the result in Ohio
will not be affected by 1t and that the
voters have already made up their
minds as to whether Taft or Roosevelt
is the more progressive.
All the advices that came to Senator
Dixon today from Ohio were that the
situation there was hourly growing bet
ter for Roosevelt.