Evening star., 1912-04-13
The Taft-Roosevelt Fight.

Taft headquarters gave out the follow
ing statement last night:
THAT Theodore Roosevelt is not the
candidate for President of the united and
militant republican party, but of the dis
organized elements in it, is shown abso-
lutely to be true by a study of the table
of delegates elected for him. That he
has been the beneficiary of factional
fighting in only a few states where the
outs have made him the head of their
contest against the ms as against the
magnificent showing of President Taft in
all those republican states where the par
ty is now ready to go to the polls in No
vember with it's face to the democratic
foe, is Indicated beyond all doubt. The
few bad spots in the republican ranks
are also shown by the Roosevelt table
and indicate clearly that in only two re-
publican states is the situation within
the party bad enough even to warrant
making Mr.. Roosevelt. for local purposes
only, the candidate of the outs In
other words the rank and file of the re-
publican party is in better shape today
under the leadership of President Taft
last national election, and the prospect of
q smashing victory in November with
President Taft as the party standard
bearer is assured.
Three Roosevelt States.
ITO date Mr.. r-oosevelt has carried only
three states against President Taft.
~In Maine the party is undergoing re-
organization following the dropping out
of leaders who have prevailed in the state
for more than a generation. AS result
there are three republican factions in the
state which has unsettled conditions
Progress in Maine toward a safe and sane
rehabilitation Of the party is indicated by
the large vote cast for President Taft,
which gave him two-fifths Of the dele
gates to the state convention That Maine
will be in line in November nobody
doubts.
Conditions in Illinois were we'll Illus
trated IN the recent primaries, when eight
republican candidates, representing eight
different factions in the party, were in
the field. The presidential preference pri-
mary was brought about by the Taft men
In the state, letter to Gov. Deneen from
the Taft Club of Chicago, inviting him to
call the legislature into special session
to pass presidential preference primary
Dill. being the first request Of its kind
brought to his official notice The result
or the combined primaries has been to
wipe most of the local issues off the map
In the state and to reunite the party after
bitter contest lasting eight years.
while Mr.. Roosevelt profited most in
the primary contest as a result of his
personal participation in the state cam
paign on purely local issues. there rs no
doubt that Illinois will cast its vote for
President Taft in November.
The only other state which Mr.. Roose-
welt has carried is Oklahoma. This VIC
tory was achieved under the caucus and
convention system and not by the primary
system. Dynamite Ed Perry and
'Catch-'em-alive Jack Abernathy swung
the state for Roosevelt. Oklahoma casts
no republican electoral vote in November
The eight votes received to Gate by
Mr.. Roosevelt in Indiana indicate the ex-
tent OF republican factional fighting in
that state. 1t shows clearly that the re-
publican party in Indiana is for Taft by
vote OF at least two to one and that the
President Is twice as sure of carrying 1t
in November as any other candidate now
In the field.