Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-08
HARD TO TEACH
OLD GUARD NEW
TRICKS S-BLYTHE.
If Republicans Win With
Justice Hughes, They Lose,
He Says
ROOSEVELT "BoGEY MAN"
Candidates Cling to Moldering
Chances and might Was
Dark and Dreary"
By SAMUEL G. BLYTHE
tCopyight, 1915. By tho Central Press As.
socidtionJ

copyright, 1916, bv tho Central Press As
sociGtiof.J
CHICAGO, June s.-The Republican
Platform Committee last night fought bit.
terly over the results that are expected to
bring peace and harmony to a sadly
tangled party. The shattered remnants OF
the veteran Old Guard sobbed softly in
their sheltered retreats in the big hotels
along Michigan Boulevard the Progressives
sought eagerly to convince each other that
the yapping and yampering of twelve hun
dred extremists confined within four walls
meant one clear call for an adoring people
for their hero, T. Roosevelt; the favorite
sons made their final floppings and flap
pings; the rumormongers came forth with
fresh juicy rumors every hour.
The strategists extolled their own STRAIT
egies and deprecated the activities of all
others except the Hughes men, who were
5ubilant in decorous and digniied man.
ner, as beftted the austerity of their can
didate. The ultimatums came luttering
from the photographs in stern and uncom-
promising multitude. The claimants made
their irrevocable claims, and it rained.
It rained and the press agents were
very. very weary. The candidates clung
20 their moldering polls and the night was
dark and dreary. Moreover, last night was
the end of a dreadful day, and today is just
as unpromislng. For, to tell the truth
the Republicans are on the verge of nomi-
mating for President Mr.. Justice Hughes of
Washington, D. c., and gosh, how they
dread 1t.
CoLoNEL'S ROLE.
The versatilities of Colonel Theodore
ROOaavplt that the Cata-
sogue of them would take a hands breadth
of space, but never in his varied career
has he appeared in q more adroitly con-
ceved ingeniously developed or impress
sively executed character than that he is
displaying now of 'bogie man" for the
shattered and shivering Old Guard of the
Republican party.
He has frightened them into panic of
self-sacrIfce for what he has made them
do and none knows 1t better than they do,
as 1t will get them nothing, save the slight
satisfaction of retaining sufficient control
of a convention they were three years in
putting together to refuse the Colonel
nomination.
This will be a Pyrrhic victory that will
linger long in our political annals. They
have sternly set their faces against the
nomination of the Colonel, but in order to
defeat that nomination they have acqui-
escSd in the nomination of Hughes. II
they win they lose. They do not intend to |
allow themselves to be humliated by TAX
ing Roosevelt, which would be very great |
humiliation, indeed, from their viewpoint, |
and in order to escape that they expect to |
put themselves at the mercy of man |
whose record as a humiliator of machine |
politicians is surpassed by few.
NO FAITH IN MACHINE.
They are doing it because they are
scared, frightened over the possibility of |
Roosevelt movement they might not be able |
10 STEM They are doing 1t because they |
have no faith In the lasting qualities of |
their deliberately constructed machine. They |
are doing 1t because they feel they have no |
other recourse. They are doing 1t because |
of all the candidates for this nomination
there have been only two who have been of
calibre great enough to warrant consider
alton. They have two evils to choose from,
and they took desperate chance.
They were In panic all day yesterday
and are in panic this morning. They
think they must hurry, else Roosevelt will
undo them The sentiment for Hughes |
that will enable them to get their men
together in sufficient number for the JUS
tice gives them their chance to escape the
'sBogie man" And they have wavered /
into line behind the Justice, There is no
use wasting words over it, The Republican
consenting TO the nomination of Hughes.
And Roosevelt was the medium of their
scare.
NOTHING FURTHER TO TRY.
There Is talk here and there this morn.
Ing that the Old Guard may pluck up
enough courage to hold off a bit and try
for combination on some other, but the
talk does not amount to much. 1t is hard
TO teach an Old Guard new tricks. They
exhausted their little bag full in getting
this convention together, and now they have
nothing further to try. 1t was beautiful
machine they built. on paper, but they
never have been sure that 1t would work
when the power was turned on. and they
cannot escape the feeling that as soon as 1t
is running, Roosevelt will throw a monkey
wrench into IT, So they intend to hurry |
use the machine for Hughes and await re-
suits. hoping for the best, but expecting the
depIorable worst
They do not know whether the Colonel
viii indorse Hughes or not They are
afraid he win not; they are afraid the Pro
kressivs convention will nominate Roose-
velf and this fear is well grounded. They
are afraid OF dozen other things and one
u the chief Of these Is that Mr. Hughes |
himself may step in and refuse what they
have planned 10 offer him. unless they can
make IL appear spontaneous and Verging on
shs unanimous
imaginative persons are rushing about
preaching ana pointing out where comblna-
li1na may be made to stop this There is /
: ram0r OF adhesions between favorite /
soma There are candidates proposed who |
are sure their hackers say. TO have the /
genial Endorsement OF Roosevelt. The most /
fantastic Of these Il General Leonard |
Wood
Bnf the Old Guard Is through. This
morning they are aisconsolateIy admitting /
zAal Hughes Il likely TO be dominated. They /
usa4 ehErk Up and try to turn another trick |
but aa this i written they are sadly pre- /
naEias 2 resnond % the popular demand
=. TAFT DENIES REPORT