Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-06-06

the problem would be easier. But ID
that possible?
I don't know. Nobody else does.
Some folks pretend to know, but they
don't.
Each convention comprises widely
differing factions interests, ambitions,
purposes. At least one man who voted
four years ago for Roosevelt, will be
a candidate with mighty reputable
bunch Of support, in the republican
convention next week. He is Senator
Cummins Of Iowa. Alongside him will
be other candidates and other lead
ers, to whom the very name of Roose-
welt was anathema four years ago,
and to whom it isn't much else now.
among themselves is task for SUI
preme diplomacy. To get the pro-
gressives to harmonic among them
selves will be just as big an operation;
maybe bigger.
And after you've got the republic
cans to agree among themselves, and
the progressives to agree among them
selves. You still have ahead the prob
lem of having the two crowds agree
together. Some performance, that!
Some JOB Ahead.
Imagine what the situation may be
about week hence, with the great
rank and file of delegates in each con-
vention getting irked and Disguised
over the delays; the conventions kill
ing time with oratory-which is al
ways dangerous, because nobody
knows what orator may prove fire.
brand when he gets on his feet-con-
ferees sent out, like doves of peace
from their respective arks, to seek
not only where they may light, but
where they can dwell together in har-
mony, the town full of surging mob
that fills hotel corridors and lobbies
and parlors to suffocation.
Why, have seen three men start
from one room in the Congress Hotel
that's the real political capital of
the country, anyhow-to go to another
room in the same hotel, and spend an
hour doing it; simply because they
couldn't get thru the corridors,
couldn't get into the elevator couldn't
reach stairways. It's easy enough to
talk about quiet little conferences"
but there is no such thing as quiet
little conferences when the world and
This henchmen and the hoi poloi of
this town turn out to block every
ipassageway.
And the time may comet has
come in many another convention
when an hours delay in getting a
conference together may mean the
turning of nations political tides.
Cool Heads May Rule.
There's one thing that augurs, at
this time, for the program of recon-
Citation. 1t is the fact that 80 many
cool-headed men are already realiz-
ing these difficulties. They are talk
ing about them, quietly planning to
cope with them. But destiny uses
queer little implements to switch the
channels Of great events. A SPELL
binder, a phrase, an inauspicious mo-
ment, may unite to da, or to undo the
whole business. who has forgotten
the bimetallic charm Of Bryan's sill
yer tongue and golden cross at the
convention of 80? It requires only a
longer memory to recall that right
here in this same old Chicago, nearly
sixty years ago. the Illinois adherents
Of Lincoln packed the convention hall
with q claque while somebody else
was holding a parade on the streets.
'aAlN SuoS tllbI S1dAuC pO"Ci AuAAy
helped to jam the Lincoln nomination
thru!
This is intended as Just a suggestion
Of some difficulties which hedge
about the efforts. OF leadership to lead
I'm such a time and place. To an un-
wonted extent. both conventions are
composed of men chosen without ref
erence to their "deliverabi1ity' later
on. The popular primary has put the
business Of delivering" solid delega
tions pretty much on what the gamins
call the blink, wherever that is; and
a big majority Of delegates in both
conventions are the products of pri-
maries. There never was a conven-
ton in which, at this stage of pro-
ceedings, 1t was harder to put your
finger on the men that could deliver
the goods. Doubtless, in retrospect,
a fortnight hence, we will be able to
tell accurately enough who were the
big, dominating, directing personalit-
les of this bifurcated heterogeneity of
conventions; but at this moment the
man who guesses he can name 'em
is either a fool or the seventh son of
a seventh son.