The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1916-06-12
BY ARTHUR w. DUNN.

Those Closest 10 Former President.
BY ARTHUR w. DUNN.
Chicago. June l2-tspecial. l-Roose-
welt is almost at the point where be
believes that he might be elected ms
an independent candidate. That Is one
reason shrewd politicians have for has
tening the nomination OF some other
man. They do not want the nnoun
ment that Roosevelt will run independ-
emily until there has been time for the
second sober thought of the colonel
and his supporters to have a chance.
1t has been quietly whispered about
the picnic grounds that Roosevelt viii
not oppose Hughes Ii the justice comes
GU squarely for preparedness and
stands on a platform on that line, but
the Roosevelt men making such dec
larations are generally hushed up by
their managers, who think that such a
declaration Is "A clear giveaway of the
game they are playing.
Smallest Headquarters.
The Hughes headquarters are the
smallest In Chicago-that Ii, IL he can
be said to have headquarters at all.
The two rooms occupied by Frank
Hitchcock are all there Is to the
Hughes headquarters. There Is not a
sign. no electric designs. no banners.
nothing but the rooms of Hitchcock,
crowded all day long while the former
national chairman consults with first
one man and then another.
Candidates With an az"
There have been more candidates
with an '1f' than | have ever known
at a national convention. The half
dozen men with votes In the conven-
ton have all been ready to be nomi-
mated 'fr'-and then the manager will
add whatever fits his case. LIN some
instances Ii has been because the
Hughes sentiment has been too strong
or because the Roosevelt men have had
too much pull or for half a dozen diff
ferent reasons. Almost any one of the
favorite sons could have been nomi
mated except for the III"
A Common Error.
Hundreds OF papers have printed the
story that the Republican national
convention Is run by half a dozen men:
that these men could at any time
name a presidential candidate II they
should agree. 1t has been frequently
asserted that w. Murray Crane Of
Massachusetts,. Boies Penrose OF Penn
syivania. Joe Healing of Indiana. Reed
Smoot OF Utah and Bill Barnes of New
York. with a few assistants In the
west. could get together and name
h Republican candidate. Nothing Is
more absurd. II those men could have
named the candidate they would have
agreed on any one Of the half dozen
men they have been supporting long
ago. They would probably have made
Elhu Root the nominee. As a matter
Of fact this Is a convention where the
bosses count for less than usual.
Southern States Wanted T. n.
Quite a number Of southern states,
usually considered the political prop
erty OF the machine, whether belong
ing to the Old Guard or to some other
crowd, have been out from the first
for Colonel Roosevelt 1t seems rather
curious that the states which defeated
Roosevelt four years ago should be
for him now.
The Great Second Choice.
Fairbanks Of Indiana has been the
great second choice Of this convention
that Ia. he has been the choice for
second place by the representatives OF
more candidates than any other man
In tho convention. The manager OF
nearly every boom has offered the In.
diana man the Vice. prestdency.
The Black Belt.
There Is an anteroom just OF the
room where the Republican national
committee holds It's meeting. This is
called the black belt Before every ma
tional convention that room Is filed
with negroes, most Of whom are inter
ested I'm the contests from the southern
states A Republican. national conven-
ton without fifty OF a hundred black
men ~contest1ng for seats would be
something out OF tho ordinary.
Need a.larosr Hall.
While 1t Is generally agreed that Chi
cagO Ii the best place To hold q "a
uonal convention, 1t is also the opinion
that Chicago ought to provide a much
larger hall. The room where the con
ventton meets does not accommodate
more than half of those who want to
see the big show
There was a time when talk was
heard that there should only be seats
for the delegates and necessary work
ers. but no political party would dare
bar the great army Of prominent peo-
pie who go to national conventions to
see a presidential candidate named.
J~ocksyiro, For First Place.
There was a deal OF jockeying for
first place In naming the candidates.
Alabama, being the first state called,
was sought after by the friends Of DIFF
f0rent cAn0h1atna IN mn afYort m cot