Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-29
May Possibly Overcast Presi-
dental Candidates. at the
Chicago Convention.
GERMAN N-AMERICANS SEEK
VOICE IN G. O. P. PLATFORM
Publishers, in Session, Prepare
Statements Construed as Slapping
at Wilson and Roosevelt.
BY N. o. MESSENGER.

CHICAGO, May 2s.-The hyphen is
already casting a shadow over the re-
publican national convention. At pres
ent, 1t is the shadow of the proverblal
cloud no bigger than a mans hand. but
it threatens to darken the political
horizon and possibly to overcast presi-
Dental candidates..
Republican managers are not only
worried, but indignant at the threat
ened injection into party platform of
elements that they hotly assert have
no part in the declaration of party
principles Efforts are being made to-
day to avert precipitation of an appre-
hended vexatious. unpleasant issue.
The German-American Newspaper
Publishers Association is in session
here and has drawn up statement
embodying the views of German
Americans on candidates and platform
It is stated that an effort will be MADE
to have the republican platform en-
BODY some of these declarations. as
representative of the demands OF the
of this country.
The statement as prepared goes FUR
ther and without mentioning names is
ca ma Die of being construed, it is charg-
ed, as slapping at President wilson ana
Col Roosevelt. The republican manae.
ers here resent the idea OF cltlzens oi
ality. English, Irish. Scottish. Italian,
French or what-not, presenting planks
for adoption in an American party
platform.
declarations appear before the COM
mittee on resolutions with the sugges-
ton they will be rebuked, 1t is SAID
by republican leaders here. me
criticism, which is construed as aimed
at the democratic national administra-
frank diplomacy and international
good will as opposed to the double
standards in foreign relations, which
judges with harsh acerbity the mis-
takes of one nation and condones with
academic disapproval the offenses Of
another"
Thrust Thought For Roosevelt.
The thrust, which is taken as having
the colonel as its object. reads thus: "A
deaf ear should be turned to all dema-
gogues who trade upon national an
tipathies and seek to extol their own
loyalty by impugning that of others"
The authors Of the document, however,
insist that they represent loyal Ameri-
canism and sum it up in this epigram-
matte statement: They may be hy-
phenated Americans. but their Ameri-
canism is unhyphenated." By coinci-
dence. just as these declarations are
made public, there also appeared a let
ter from Col Roosevelt addressed to
Frederick H. Bates. in which the
colonel says. in part, referring to Ger
man. Americans:
mt f1nir cfyYny RI At ms
and II they expect me to stand by their
fatherland. as you say they phrase it.
when I believe their fatherland to be
wrong then they are entirely entirely ,s right in
not acting as Americans-they are acting
as adherents Of foreign nation residing
in America. And I don't want any sup
port and am not entitled to any support
| except from straight-out Americans
But I will not in any way. shape or
form countenance the efforts of any sec
ton Of our citizens to vote. not as Amer
leans. but with regard to the real or fan
cied interests of the land from which they
or their parents came. l regard such sup
port as profoundly immoral and as pro-
foundly un-American.
Il would promptly repudiate your
support if you were for me as an Eng
lish-American. and I would repudiate
any one else's support who would vote
for me as a German American"
Acrimony and Bitterness Shown
Acrimony and bitterness is begins
Acrimony and bitterness are begin
ming to mark the combined attacks of
the field and Roosevelt adherents
against the suggested candidacy of
Justice Hughes. No concealment is
made Of this drive on Mr.. Hughes. and
the fighting is being done in the open
The allies want to prevent his nomi-
nation, so that they may parcel the
mum to one of themselves. The colonel,
of course, finds Mr.. Hughes stone wall
in his path to the goal.
If the efforts, undertaken separately.
but having the effect of unity. should
succeed, the allies say they are not
afraid Of Roosevelt. and the coloners
friends say that with divided camp
of Jealous allies he would eat them
up alive" and carry off the prize
The attitude of the allies is outlined
in statement which one of the lead
ers in a favorite son camp made to
The Star correspondent. He said:
Convention of Organized Party.
This is an organization convention
that is to say, IL will be controlled by
states which believe in an organized
republican party. We do not recognize
Justice Hughes as an exponent Of or
eanization We have men who do meas
ure UP to the standard-Weeks, Fair
banks, Root Sherman. Burton, Knox
and others. Why should we swing our
forces into line for man who is not
regarded as an organization man. when
we. have this field to choose from? /
tell you. this feeling is going to pre-
vent a stampede to Mr.. Hughes. and
CONTINUED on Second Page)