Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-06-06
HUGHES AFFORDS
COMMON GROUND
FOR ALL TO meet
Delegates to Republican Convention
Regard Him Candidate on Whom
They Can Build Up Party
Harmony.
NO MORE THIRD TICKET TALK
Bull Moosers Standing Back to
Let Republicans Take
Lead.
NEBRASKA HAS OPPORTUNITY
BY VICTOR RosEWATER.

Chicago, June S.-(Special Tele-
gran) )-Whlc the air is full Of ru-
mors. claims. counter claims and pre-
tended ultimatums, the confusion is
more on the surface than beneath it,,
II is fair TO say that nearly all the
delegates are now here, but their main
activity has been in attending delega-
ton meetings and visiting from one
headquarters to another What I'M
presses all Of them, and | have talked
with many from all parts OF the coun-
try, is the outstanding fact that the
Hughes movement offers the common
ground for them to meet, and that
while under different circumstances
various "favorite sons" would make
splendid men for the White House,
they are subordinated in the popular
mind or unavailable to assure party
harmony. 1t is noticeable, too, that
the harmony talk is growing strong
er and more general as the convention
day approaches.
Third Ticket Talk Vanishes.
The disposition OF the bull moosers
10 hold back and let the republicans
lake the lead reflects this trend, and
The suggestion of another third party
ticket has practically vanished. The
national committee of the progress
sves constitutes really the whole or
ganization and has itself put all its
authority in a steering committee
whose makeup is OF the harmonizing
rather than the antagonizing type.
incidentally let il be observed that
the bull moose national committee
has certified the temporary roll OF
their convention, corresponding ex-
actly to the action of the republican
committee in making up the tempo
rary roll-something that used to be
denounced as rank usurpation OF the
lights Of the delegates themselves as
against any and all self-empowered
committees. Perhaps the absence Of
contest and unseemly scramble for
seats in the bull moose convention
elps to explain the easy sailing on
what might be troubled sea.
Ure May Vote for Ford.
When it comes to estimates on the
presidential balloting all the con-
vention calculators place Hughes far
in the lead. More than that they all
figure accessions to the Hughes
column as soon as the favorite sons
pass the complimentary vote stage.
In every table Nebraska has been
put down on the first ballot as sixteen
for Cummins, but speaking this
morning to Mr.. Ure one of the two
delegates representing our Omaha
district in which Ford led the popu
ar vote, | discovered that he is seri-
lusly inclined to believe it his duty
o vote for Ford and if that idea holds
with his colleague too, Nebraska will
answer first roll call as fourteen for
Cummins aud two for Ford. How
long the vote would be so recorded
will depend on developments. Both
Minnesota and Montana, which have
similar preferential primary instruc-
tions for Cummins, come ahead OF
Nebraska in the list, and should they
at any time break, il would become
question whether Nebraska's obliga
ton would not also be fully dis
.harged and the delegates be free to
vote their real choice,
Nebraska May Be Unit,
One Of the Chicago evening
papers quotes Howard Baldrige as
retefating that his personal favor
for Hughes had been publicly pro-
claimed before he was elected to be
delegate. and that a good majority OF
the Nebraska dcleagtion are like
minded The inside report is that not
less than twelve aud possibly four
teen. " not all sixteen, may be eN.
pected 10 60 20 Hughes after the Ia
vorite sons arc nut ot b. 1t is reeog
uifed generally that the handsome
"wflttrnin' vote given 90 Hughes ln
tht Nebraska primary has been a
potent factor m crYsiallHlng thc
popular demand ior bis nomination,
and the Nebraska delegation has
gafe opportunity CO make itself count
ia lht completion oithe work tor the
winning iNket