The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-11
Hughes Against the Field Is the Way They Now Analyze the Situation
ROOSEVELTS BOOM
 FALLS FLAT IN WEST
 BY PRIMARY ROUT
Democrats Spending NJ : : Time in Trying to Fif g Out Mental Attitude or Hughes
By BILL VINES

Washington, May 1O-, Special Like the general public the politicians in Washington draw their conclusion quickly, passing them upon the passing show, and as quickly change them for new conclusions if changed conditions warrant.
 A month ago, seasoned veterans in the political world did not hesitate to express the opinion--if not in fact the conviction that the rupblican convention in Chicago would nominate Theodore Roosevelt To- day there are few, unless they be the active partisans of the Sage Of Oyster Bay, that believe he has the ghost of a show to become the republican standard bearer.
 That the rank and file of the repub- lican party in the country is as whole apathetic is evidenced by the compara- lively small vote registered in those states that have held primaries, and that Hughes is choice of the majority of those who have registered their opinion is also matter of public record.
 FALLS FLAT IN WEST
 Roosevelt's much heralded invasion of the west fell flat to the deep chagrin of the progressive element-and instead of the expected result-the bottiing up of the Hughes boom. it seemed to give new impetus to the campaign to nominate the jurist. The politicians of the G. o. F. do not want Hughes-the Old Guard do not want Roosevelt. The progressives do not want Root, and Burton and Weeks are now regarded as practically out of it. unless there is created 2 deadlock in the conv
 So today the Richmond of the republican party-the real leader to respond to their clarion call Amy body to beat Wilson has not made his bow to the audience, and he is as much man of mystery as ever As the matter stands at this writ ing--it is the field against Hughes, and not the field against Roosevelt, as it was apparently a month or six weeks ago.
 Politicians here declare that if Hughes would break his silence and acquiesce to HIS nOullIld tlOu lllelS WOulu De lOtiilIlo else to it. Many believe that the asso- cate justice sincerely prefers to be let alone and does not desire the nomira- tion Neither does he want to be placed in the attitude of announcing that he will not accept the greatest honor his party could bestow upon him before it is ten dered Others believe that he is playing the shrewdest kind of politics; they be- lieve that if he were to become even passive candidate it would weaken him. and that he realizes it. He is Mo hammed who refuses to go to the noun tain, because he believes it is easier, and surer, for the mountain to come to him.
 TO STYLE HUGHES
 There has been a strong and united eff fort to stifle Hughes sentiment. The pro- gressives have fought Hughes because they believed he was the strongest of all the opponents of Roosevelt. Many of the old guard politicians have fought the Hughes movement because Hughes, if elected. will not be an ideal president from the politicians viewpoint. Through it all the Hughes movement has risen supreme, and in spite of his discouraging attitude toward it-or because of it--today it looks like a two to one shot that Hughes will lead the opposition to Wilson-or set a
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