The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-11
HUGHES PICKED TO DEFEAT I. R. FOR NOMINATION Republicans Are Now Sure That Colonel's Hat Is In
 the Ring. CABINET PROMISE
 TO APPEASE ROOT Old Line Maps Out New Campaign To Thwart
 Roosevelt.

an abundance of evidence yesterday that the statement made public by Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, at Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Thursday, had been accepted everywhere as an an- nouncement that he is again in the race for the Presidency and will head the fight against the reelection of President Wilson if he can get the nomination in the Republican and Progressive conventions, which meet in Chicago on June 2.
 Reports received by Progressive and Roosevelt Republican leaders here were all to the effect that the co1oners statement had put a new punch into the campaign which has been waged for some time by his adherents. They have accepted the co1onePs statement that it would be a, mistake to nom mood something of the heroic" as an official sanction of their efforts to put him back into the White House.
 Whether the colonel will be able to prevent factfona1 fights in the pri- maries is another question. The ssachusetts Republican boosters of Roosevelt, for instance, informed the National Progressive leaders, yester- day, that they would not abandon their campaign despite what the col Onel had said. In fact they held that their position had been made much stronger by the co1onePs state ment and that the movement was too far along to check.
 Sure His Hat is in the Ring.
 These Massachusetts Roosevelt men said that they accepted the view that Roosevelt had again tossed his hat in to the ring. They held that the Re- publican combination of Weeks, Lodge. Crane and Mccall, slated for delegates at large from Massachusetts to the Republican convention, was too strongly ntt-Roosevelt to be per- nitted to go uncontested.
 The candidates for delegates at large there favorable to Roosevelt are Congressman Gardner, Charles Sum ner Bird, Grafton Cushing and State Senator Wa.shburn. They took the position yesterday, after reading what Roosevelt had said, that they were not seeking to go to the convention pledged to Roosevelt, though the col onel would be their first choice.
 Delegates who want to vote for Roosevelt on the first ballot will also run, as planned, in each of the dis tricts. A conference of these can didates will be held in Boston on Monday or Tuesday to map out their campaign. At that time a state ment to the people probably will be issued.
 What the political leaders tried to figure out yesterday was the number of states in which a somewhat similar situation would appear. They felt, however, that such contests could be avoided in many states, especially in states where there aref ayorite sons.
 New York Turns to Hughes.
 In this state the most important de- velopment was the obvious effort to shape up the situation for the noni- nation of Justice Hughes and to stop the Root talk. It was considered sig leader in the city would say a word about the Colonel. This attitude was assumed after conferences at which the new outlook was discussed.
 The reason for this, it can be said, is that the Republican leaders opposed to Roosevelt are not ready yet to rub the fur the wrong way and bring on an open fight whichm fight end the chances }of a reunion in Chicago in June. They feel sure that Roosevelt cannot get the Republican nomina- ton, but with the Colonel out in the open they realize the need for con- certed movement to get behind Hughes as the man to beat him.
 There was much talk yesterday about a growing sentiment among Re- pub1icans for Hughes for President and Root for Secretary of State. It was believed by some anti-Roosevelt leaders that such a slate would satisfy the followers of MT. Root Of course, it was admitted, no one could promise that Hughes, if elected, would make Root his chief cabinet officer.
 It has been said that these leaders feel that the aughes-Root combina- ton would be looked upon with favor by the Colonel since Root in his ad- dress at the Republican state conVen- ton took a stand so very much like that assumed by Colonel Roosevelt.
 Republican leaders who say they never doubted that Roosevelt was af- ter the nomination admitted yester- day that his statement had come as the climax of a situation which was daily growing more interesting. It meant that the public as we'll as the leaders knew that from now on the question was whether Roosevelt could win and hold control.
 New Statement Expected.
 The return of Colonel Roosevelt is awaited with concern as well as inter est He will leave Port of Spain on the Matura, of the Trinidad Line, next Tuesday and is due here on Thursday, March 23. Some further statement is looked for at that time, as it is pre- 1icted that the campaign for delegates 1 to the Republican state convention | will be such as to call for further | action on the ColonePs part.
 The Progressives and Roosevelt Re- | publicans who are attempting to | check primary contests found them | selves facing another embarrassing | situation yesterday when this telegram | was received at National Progressive | headquarters:
 Springfield, H., March g, 1916.
 John w. McGrath, Secretary to
 Theodore Roosevelt:
 cannot accept your telegram
 quoting Theodore Roosevelt as 8
 compliance with the statute. The
 law requires an instrument in
 writing signed by the Presidential
 candidate, and if executed by you
 in the name of Colonel Roosevelt,
 it must be accompanied by a suf-
 fcient power of attorney.