Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-03
Taft Men Are Confident Of
Delegates Loyalty.
HOLD NOMINATION ASSURED
Have No Fear of Roosevelt Disre
garding Primaries.
INVADES MARYLAND TONIGHT
President May Begin Speaking Tour
at Hagerstown-To Enter
Ohio Next Week.

In and around the White House today
there was unlimited confidence in the
nomination of the President by a safe
majority This is based not only upon
the results in Massachusetts,, which
brought the President a string of dele
gates, but because he has every advan-
tage in the large number of states yet to
act and that he has comparatively few
delegates to get, while Mr.. Roosevelt
must win nearly all the remaining states
TO even get near the majority Of votes
necessary.
Under no possible circumstances can the
Taft people around the White House see
anything else than big majority for the
President in the Chicago convention
1t is pointed out that the comparatively
few southern delegates who have been
tampered with and are said to be ready
TO go over to Roosevelt will be breaking
their necks to get back into the Taft fold
so soon as they see the fight settled
There are only two southern states where
traitorism to instructions is possible
South Carolina and Mississippi. In both
states the instructions for Taft were IRON
bound. The other southern states have
elected high-class lot of men, who can
neither be bought nor traded and who
will stand by Taft. The disaffection in
South Carolina SO far amounts to two
delegates only.
Can Rely on Delegates.
The President has no fear as to the
southern situation, which is much talked
of by the Roosevelt managers to bolster
up their claims that the Taft people cam
not rely upon the number of delegates
claimed by them.
President Taft and Senator Crane had
conference prior to the cabinet meet
ing, and this developed the fact that the
President has not the slightest doubt that
he will receive the votes of the eight
delegates at large from Massachusetts,.
Having carried the preference primary by
a safe majority, he is sure that public
sentiment will demand that the delegates
vote for him. But a phase that has es-
capped public attention in connection with
all this is that il the Roosevelt people
begin disregarding preference primaries
they will be the losers. as there are
thirty or forty Taft delegates from Illi-
nois who are bound to Roosevelt by the
primaries there, and a number OF Taft
men in the same fix in Pennsylvania and
elsewhere.
Roosevelt would lose ten delegates
where he made one If the primaries are to
disregarded. Throughout the country
preference primary is supposed to bind
the delegates to the man who gets ma
jority Of the votes in the state.
Invades Maryland Tonight.
President Taft may begin his speaking
tour Of Maryland at Hagerstown tonight.
while 1t Is certain he will speak at sew
eral points in the state tomorrow. The
original plans were for the President to
open his Maryland campaign tomorrow,
speaking first at Havre de Grace, then at
Aberdeen and other points. and complet-
ing the days speechmaking at mass
meeting in the Lyric Theater at Balti-
more tomorrow night.
This morning, however, Director Nc
kinley. in charge Of the Presidents cam
paign, advised that the campaign start
one day earlier, and that the President,
instead Of waiting until tomorrow. leave
Washington this afternoon, making his
first speech at Hagerstown this evening,
and following il tomorrow with the tour
previously planned.
Next week the President will spend sew
eral days in Ohio. He is due in Cincin-
natl Tuesday at the May festival He
had not determined this morning what
other places he will visit in that state,
but he will leave here either Sunday aft
ernoon or Monday morning for Ohio.
Cabinet in Session.
President Taft reached the White
House at Q o'clock this morning from
his southern trip. but did not go to the
executive Offices until time for the
regular cabinet meeting at IL o'clock.
Those cabinet officers VINO are in the
city were on hand promptly for the
first cabinet meeting that has been held
in nearly two weeks. A number of de-
partmental matters that have come up
since the last meeting were considered.
Our man is practically nominated.
and 1T looks as IL President Taft will
have 1t easy from now on in the col
lection Of delegates" said ex-senator
Dubois. campaign manager for champ
Clark, at the White House today.
Mr.. Dubois called to Introduce Gov.
Hawley. Attorney General McDougal
- -
Idaho penitentiary. saying that they
were good friends of the President.
although Gov. Hawley is democrat.
the r other two being republicans: ,, leans <ou
President Taft among democrats of the
country said the former senator.
This. too. is not because they think
that he would be any easier to beat than
Roosevelt. but because they feel that
he has not received a square deal at
the hands of certain people OF his
party. The much-talked-of square deal
ought to apply to all alike"
Senator Dubois said he was confident
Clark would sweep Maryland Monday.
His advices from there indicated as
much, he said.
Moving Picture Man squelched.
A moving picture man. who is said to
have more nerve and gan' than any
other living human being. got turn-down
at the White House today. This expert
conceived the idea of getting pictures OF a
supposed crank entering the White House
and being held up by the officials. He
dressed one OF his employees as a ''rube. .
carrying a cheap suit case. and had
everything cooked t:p for the alleged rube
10 act the part. He had not gotten every
thing fixed for the machine to grind out
the pictures when he was told that he
could not work the game around the
White House. Pictures were taken of
the rube gaping at the Sherman monu-
rent and other important places in the
city and being chased on the grass by
park policemen.