Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-07
HOPE TO BEAT
2 SOMEBODTES
WITH NOBODY
Republicans Seek Man to
( Defeat Colonel and Hughes,
Says Blythe
ID GUARD IN LEAKY BOAT
BY SAMUEL G. BLYTHE

Sopht7pHts 1870 ou the Centrdi Press Association
CHICAGO, June 7-They are gluttons
for trouble, these Republican leaders. Elk.
perience teaches them nothing. Many
years ago they learned the extreme diff
Guilty, not to say the utter imposslbllty, OF
trying to beat somebody with nobody, and
yet today they are opening a convention
wherein they fatuously hope to best two
somebodies with nobody. Not, of course,
that the man they think to find for their
instrument will be a nobody, but that he is
nobody vet. and isn't likely to be some-
body for some days, II, indeed. he ever
emerges from the nebulous stage.
There has been large amount of dlclSer-
Ing and lodging, but the fundamentals of
this Chicago situation haven't changed.
MAN ISN'T IN SIGHT.
The Republican leaders came to this city
fianSed by a phalanx of minor candidates
and faced by two major candidates. one
being Roosevelt and the other Hughes.
They have fused and figured for seven
days to find man with whom to dispose
OF these two major candidates, and the man
isn't in sight yet, nor the combination made
that will produce him.
The Old Guard is out at sea in a leaky
boat, and there isn't q friendly stretch OF
shore in the offing, They know what they
want, but they haven't the faintest idea
what they can get, except the broad general
knowledge that IL they do not hasten and
get something they will achieve either Mr..
Justice Hughes or Colonel Roosevelt, and
the thought that either of these will be the
beneficiary of their carefully planned and
put together convention is harassng to
their minds and grinding to their spirits.
They are desperately seeking for a cam
didate who will help them in their endeavor
No candidate has yet emerged. No COM
bination has been effected.
GALAXY OF FAvoRITE SONS.
On one side is a galaxy of favorite sons
and men who hope to be the ultimate solu-
ton, and not one of these, If selected, has
strength enough with the people to make
a campaign that will be more than a ghost
OF contest. On another side is a raging
and rampant faction Of the Progressive
party threatening to spill the carefully gar
nered beans by nominating Roosevelt and
letting 1t go at that.
And on a fearsome third side is the Col
onel himself and Hughes. 1t is n situa-
tion fraught with danger and holding little |
hope of succor for the leaders. They are |
between a flock of devils and congeries
of deep seas They cannot nominate Roose- |
welt, because Roosevelt is responsible for
the very situation in which they find them
selves. They do not want to nominate
Hughes, because. IL they do, they know |
that they will continue as they |
are, outside the breastworks, no matter |
whether Hughes wins or .oses, and If they
choose another they will start with the cer-
Eainty that they have little chance to de-
feat Wilson
PLIGHT IS DEPLORABLE"
Thus their problem resolves itself into
this: II we don't take Roosevelt we may
De forced to take Hughes If we don't
AXE Hughes we probably will get moth
Ing. and If we get nothing. what has been
the object of all the toll and travail dur
ing the last four years. Their plight
really is deplorable. They want to win,
they know that the naming of any of the
minor candidates means losing, in party
sense. They know that winning with
sither OF the two major candidates means
osing in the Old Guard sense. 1t is pitt.
,ul.
Some of them are In cold shivers over
he Roosevelt recrudescence. They fear
hat unless they make hurried solution |
Roosevelt will overwhelm them They
5ay that once they begin their shifts and
transfers for winning combination on
/ candidate they are sure that Roosevelt
will jump in on them and defeat them.
Thus. painful as It is to them, they are
to think there is no escape from
he Roosevelt cyclone, except the Hughes
cyclone cellar and they know that that
cellar Is refrigerated to a degree of
gelidility that makes them shiver to con.
lider getting into 1t. They have plans, but
'hese plans are not mors than tentative
rhey say boldly they n control it until
hey have some person oa whom to centre
hat control. and that person has not vet
been evolved from any of their confer
snces or conspiring, As the convention
opens this morning. there are but two Sc
ioua contenders for the nomination, Hughes
and Roosevelt, and neither of these viii
nave many votes on the first ballot. All
he planning and plotting of the first week
las not changed a fundamental.
This is the situation;
The leaders claim they can hold the con-
1ention against Roosevelt and that Ia can
rot be nominated. This is true. undoubt-
IDLY, as a first promise. but not leader
Snows how long the convention can be held
against Roosevelt and not a leader will
snow until the attempt has been made.
They say that they can control the con
gentlon against Hughes. This is true only
10 lar as II is demonstrated. Until show
lown comes It Is only opinion based upon
reported Affiliations and references They
10 not want 10 nominate Hughes They win
dominate Hughes rather than Roosevelt II
hey can control the convention against
both Roosevelt and Hughes they viii nomi-
az1s some man acceptable to them and
anenabie to their dietation. This man
EiII be decides upon later in the week.
ne man they have most Ia mind Is Sena-
|or Warren q. Harding, Of Ohio, who Is
10 make tbs keynote speech.