Omaha daily bee., 1916-06-02
HUGHES GAINING
STRENGTH INSPITE
or HARD KNOCKING
Supreme Justice Against Field Is
Consensus of Opinion at Chi
cago, With Roosevelt Talk
Prominently Heard.
NOT sTAMPEDEABLE MEETING
Prospect Is Delegates Will Select
Candidate With Clear Judg.
ment.
SETTLE CONTESTS BY OLD RULE
By VICTOR RosEWATER.

Chicago, Ill., June Especial
Telcgram.)-" Hughes against the
field" is still the epitome Of opinion
expressed about the relative stand
ing Of candidates before the repub-
lican national convention. Some mar
row it down to Hughes or Roose-
yelt" Hughes sentiment is plainly on
the increase and gathering strength,
Notwithstanding the constant knock
ing by all the big and little satellites Of
the other camps,
The Weeks crowd have the biggest
and best organized promotion cam
pagn, but the scenery is being ar
ranged 10 throw few spectacular
changes for T. K. .=..
A man who heard the latter's speech
in 81. Louis yesterday told me they
had scattered thousands Of portrait
buttons inscribed Roosevelt and
Amreicanism", and that the shower
Of buttons was 10 spread over the
convention crowds at Chicago. The
concensus Of opinoion, however, is
that this is not to be a stampedable
convention any more than was the
last one or the one before that, and
that the final choice vii represent the
real judgment of the standard-bearer
best calculated to cement the reunited
party and make victory at the polls
certain.
Same Rule as Before.
The center Of acticity shifted today
10 the meeting OF the national com.
mittce at the coliseum which quickly
settled down to the contest cases, al
though it did not work up the usual
speed in disposing Of them.
While the disputed seats total sixty
two. no great excitement is aroused
by them, but ! have a measure Of sat-
isfaction out Of one thing III that the
procedure is under the very same
rules that governed four years ago,
and that al the request Of Secretary
Reynolds ! dictated the draft this
morning from MEMORANDUM Of the
asst sessions rules, and this draft OF
mine is the one adopted Unanimously
by the committee. So what we fought
oyer-befre whole day, with reference
10 requiring a demand by twenty
members 10 justify a roll call and to
the time INIT for presenting the cases,
and 10 the exclusion of the outsiders
except representatives of the press
associations, and for which | and my
colleagues on the old committee we're
so roundly denounced, was accepted
as a matter Of course and without a
dissenting vote.
Previous Action Confirmed.
And further than that, so far as the
contests passed on today have gone,
they have confirmed unanimously the
delegations sent by the selfsame or
ganizations which were recognized at
regulars four years ago, and then oc-
casioned so much outcry and vitup-
Grafton Now the rules are accepted
as perfectly proper and eminently
righteous, because absolutely neees-
sary for the transaction OF business.
| ooked in on the committee session
for lite while to hear the presenta-
ton OF the Georgia case by VIII
Hayward, and things were going
smoothly and peacefully. No explo-
sons by Henley and and no epithets
by anybody.
Nebraska's S member, Brother Howell,
who showed up at noon, made his
presence known by asking few
questions oi the lawyer on points that
seemed TO puzzle him, as did also
some OF the other committeeman, and
all was serene and tiresomc.