The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-15
Majority of Minnesota Repub-
licans Are for Him.
INSTRUCTED FOR CuMAIhS
Many Experience Change OF
Heart in Few Weeks.
Result of Calm Consideration
of Existing Conditions.
BY WILLIS j. ABBoT.

Minneapolis. Mimi. May 15.-Nomi-
naliy, Minnesota has "a delegates in
structed for Cummins. Practically,
the delegation is not for Cunmins at
ALL The instructions are not held
binding by the delegates, nor, for that
matter, judging from conversations l
have heard, by the average citizen
with political interests.
The great majority of the delegates
are for Roosevelt, four or five are said
to be for Hughes. A well informed
observer of politics said that not more
than two or three would De for Cum
minis to the end.
In this city L find Roosevelt senti-
ment strong and continually growing.
1t parallels the condition which L OBJ
served in Detroit. The business COM
munity, and particularly that part of
it which has financial relations with
the east, is mostly for him. / am told
that this situation is one of recent
growth. Four months ago there was
little Roosevelt sentiment Among the
old line Republicans the resentment of
1912 still burns brightly. The Pro-
gressives were asleep. While they had
but a gubernatorial ticket in the field
in 1914, they had polled a peggariy
vote-only 1858 in a total vote of
nearly 100000.
The Socialist candidate polled five
times as many. In the primaries OF
this year the Progressives, as party,
! took no part, though as individuals
! they succeeded in putting many
| Roosevelt men on a nomfnalIy Cum
minis delegation, but up to the begin
ming of last month Roosevelt senti-
ment if not negligible. was almost in
audible.
Changed in Few Weeks.
! About that time the owner of one
| of the most influential Republican
newspapers of the northwest, on leav-
i ing his office for somewhat pro-
| tracted stay, said to his managing ed
itor: BE careful not to get the pa
per into too hostile, a position toward
/ Wilson. If the party is idiotic nough
| to allow itself to be bu1ldozed into
nominating Roosevelt. we may have to
support the Democrats"
| Returning two or three days ago, he
said to his lieutenant, II see you have
| been criticising Wilson pretty sharply
| on his Mexican and European policies
nominate Roosevelt. He is the one
man to correct the situation Wilson
/ has created. c. course, we'll support
/ him.
t The other day a gentleman left two
| others and came to join me. 'See
! these felIows?" he said. They are
/ the presidents of two of our biggest
! financial institutions. In 1912 they
| were great Taft men, personal friends
as well as political supporters. Until
a few weeks ago they were bitter
! against Roosevelt for what they
/ called his party treachery. But they
! have just been assuring me that he
would be nominated and that in ex-
! listing conditions they considered him
! the most fit man for the presidency"
! In the newspapers of these western
cities that 1 have been visiting there
appear almost daily dispatches from
Washington to the effect that both
Roosevelt and Hughes have been
i eliminated. The people here dismiss
such reports with shrug and COM
ment that Washington is a notoriousIy
i bad judge of the temper of the coun-
/ try. Congressman George r. Smith
who represents this district, gravely
! informed the editor of local paper
! the other day that Jim" Mann had
said that Roosevelt, Hughes and Root
had killed each other off like the cats
/ of killlenney and that the convention
would now sanely roceed to nominate
{COutiulled on Pare 81