The Washington times., 1916-04-24
IN c. 0. P.
|NARROWS DOWN TO
HUGHES AND 7. R.
Showdown Between Jurist and
coIorel at National conventlon|
Is Political Prospect.

A showdown between Charles E.
Hughes and Theodore Roosevelt ut the
Republican national convention. now
scarcely six weeks away. begins to
loom up as the big political prospect.
The signs ell point today to an elimi-
nation contest at Chicago. from New
York city. the hotbed OF politics for the
present. there came today q story that
politicians there do not now believe the
Chicago convention will be a free-for-aiil
AFFAIR. The wise ones say the ''favorite
sons" will have their brief day. and that
II will become hight between the
Roosevelt and Hughes adherents.
Gov. Charles y. Whitman. OF New
York. In out today In statement de-
clarinF that hughes IL the overwhelm-
ing choice of the rank and file OF the
Republican party. He urges that the
uninstructed delegates OF New York
support the Supreme Court Justice.
some test OF the Roosevelt strength
will be afforded In Massachusetts to-
morrow. Delegates to the Chicago con-
vention are to be named. and. although
Colonel Roosevelt declined to permit the
use of his name on the ballot, Congress-
man Augustus =. Gardner. Charles
sumner Bird, Grafton ID. Gushing, and
Robert NJ. Washburn seek to be Massa-
chusetts' big Four" on a T. r. plat
form.
The opposition candidates. who would
20 uninstructed, are Governor Mccall,
senator Weeks, Senator Lodge, and for
mer Senator Crane.
A Hughes Roosevelt Duel.
Aside from State contests. the most
remarkable thing about the Republican
situation today Is that practically
everyone seems to concede that Hughes
and Roosevelt are the dominant names
In the field. Neither OF these gentlemen
Is a candidate for tie nomination. which
makes the. situation all the more re-
markable. IL either IL nominated IL viii
DE n matter OF the nomination being
handed to one who has not been an ac-
tive aspirant or seeker after dele
The New York Press today prints q
resume OF the Hughes Roosevelt situa-
ton. New York Republican Is
auoted as saying that: l., -. .,
be . melee involving a dozen or more
participants. as at ART supposed. but a
duel between two men,"
A majority OF the party leaders In
New York and other States. he said.
situation opened six months ago with =
large field OF candidates, but one by
one these have dropped out Of the pub
lie eye until today attention is concern
are recognized as the big figure.
Figure Root As Factor.
There In general agreement among
tho party leaders, the New York Re-
publican raid. as TO the candidates
who virtually nave been eliminated
from series consideration. Opinions
differ. however, as TO the final con-
testants. "nN "a
Perhaps the most widely held view.
he said. Is that the nomination In Chi
cago lies between Justice Hughes and
Colonel Roosevelt. That the colonel
and his friends regard Justice Hughes
doubt, he declared. Hughes Repub-
licans on their rart are frank to- adj
init that their only cause OF worry 10
here are Republicans. though. who
believe the contest in its dnrl phase
Will be- between Elihu RIOT repre-
senting the Old Guard opposition to
radicailsm either in the platform or
Roosevelt. standing for he extreme
or anti-Old Guard politics.
But this much common ground 10
held by the advocates alike of Roose-
Welt men believe their fight will be
against either Hughes or 2oot-lIughss.
"a most OF them say: the Hughes men
are convinced that should Roosevelt by
eliminated. they will have to fight Root,
and tho Root men arc suspicious Of
both Hughes and Roosevelt and aprar-
entity equally hostile TO one as to the
other of thcst two candidates.
Cummins Boom Punctured.
As for the candidates who started for
| the Presidential goal six months ago as
'favorite sons" they still are perform
Ing In that role. but without an excep-
ton they belong In the class known in
sporting terms as long shots"
| One OF them Is pretty certain to be
nominated for Vice President.
The list Of these eliminated ones Is
| formidable. and they are all able citi-
| zens, testifying In their persons to the
| capacity OF the Republican party to.pro-
duce big men. Every one OF them VIII
have delegates In the national conven-
tion who win 20 there prepared to give
loyal support as long as there Is even
| a glimmer OF hope. and who. after the
| first ballot or two. will switch to one or
| other OF the two or three candidates
| around whom the battle for the nomi-
nation will be waged in earnest to the
| end.
In the field OF outsiders" Senator
| Cummins Of Iowa II the one making the
/ hardest campaign for delegates. He Is
| a primary candidate In five or six States
west OF the Mississippi The result In
Nebraska the other day. while compli-
| mentary TO the Iowa Senator's popu-
| larity. indicates to the party politicians
! that his claim to the Presidential nomi-
| nation safely may be dlsregarded.
Cummins was compelled to share the
1 vote OF Nebraska Republicans with
| Henry Ford. the pacifist. and the real
honors OF the primaries in that State
were won by Justice Hughes, about
one-flfth OF the voters going out OF
their way to mark their ballots In his
| favor.
Contest In Massachusetts,.
The Massachusetts, primaries tomor-
row will determine the relative strength
OF Gov. Samuel W. Mccall OF that
state and Senator Weeks. the choice of
a biz force of Massa chusetts Republic
| cans. Tie Massachusetts primaries also
| will Indicate how many Bay State Re-
| publicans want Colonel Roosevelt
Senator Sherman OF Illinois will get
the complimentary vote OF his state