Evening star., 1915-05-20
Process of Elimination to De-
termine Republican Choice
for the Presidency.
DISCUSSING THE MERITS
OF MANN AND SHERMAN
Former Regarded as Possessing
Great Strength-Man Selected
Will Have United Support.
BY N. o. MESSENGER.

CHICAGO. Ill. May 2O.-Not to bother
xou with the details of factionalism in
republican politics in Illinois, for fac
tionalism is ever present here. the
broad features of the general poh'iea'
situation may be outlined.
Illinois is to have two favorite sons
IN the presidential race, Representative
James r. Mann and United States
senator Lawrence Y Sherman. These
two gentlemen will be presented TO tne
-anrbl;c.n national convention by Hi
nois with the admonition TO iooh 'he"'
over and take your choice
Republicans of this state have
.horough understanding OF how the
game is to be played in the national
.a,,,.n,ion and how a candidate is to
he selected. They know that the con
yention will be Embossed; that the uei.
gates will come to the convention with
"open minds" intent only upon p'ckins
tbe man to make the best race against
President Wilson.
They know also that. in case the CON
vsntion should be held in Chicago, say
there would be a meeting some ms
afternoon in a private room at the LIZ
cago Club or a sequestered coIhei
the Auditorium Annex Hotel-ot "
nublicans from the big states VINO VIII
turn their cards face upward on tue
table and look over their hands, po-
litically speaking
Basis of the Decision.
Then will be disclosed whether MT.
Mann has more friends in Ohio. Indiana
Pennsylvania, and SO forth, than Sena-
tor Sherman has, and II SO. Senator
sherman.s supporters will throw their
pasteboards in the discard and say
Gentlemen, you win. We are TOT MT.
Mann" Whereupon they will stack MT:
Mann's chances up against those OF
other candidates, such as MI Fan,
banks, Mr.. Burton. Senator Weeks ana
others. until. by process OF enmina-
tion, they come to the man who has the
most friends in the greatest number OF
states, and before the day is over the
Embossed delegates will know who that
man is and will find that he is the man
they were thinking about all the time.
In Chicago, when one starts In TO
talk republican politics. il not wary.
he is likely to find himself soon IN a
crystal maze of local issues that range
all the way from selection Of judges
who will hold in their hands the rate
of indicted bosses to the aspirations OF
candidates for governor; to control OF
the republican organization, to ma
tional committeeman and other polit-
ical baubles over which strong men
squabble.
Mann's Strength Conceded.
1t is a proftless journey an excursion
into local Illinois republican politics,
and l wouldn't advise you to take it.
The main fact is that Representative
James r. Mann is to be strong in the
presidential race. He will not. as stat
ed at the outset, be the declared choice
of Illinois. for Senator Sherman will
have his following. and there are rea-
sons relating to the aforesaid factional
feuds, ambitions. jealousies and safety
first" interests why II should fall out
this way.
But keep your eye on Mr.. Mann. He
will have to be taken into considera
tion in the final calculation and there
are elements at work in local repub-
lican politics which back him up with
substantially. He will give Mr..
Fairbanks in Indiana and Mr.. Burton
in Ohio many an anxious moment.
Some friends Of the newly elected
mayor of Chicago. Mr.. Thompson. think
that he may share with Senator Sher-
man and Mr.. Mann the "favorite son"
strawberry shortcake, but the old time
republicans don't see it that way. New
York will not present it's governor;
Willis of Ohio lacks the nerve on one
short gubernatorial term to reach for
the White House.