South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-21
REPUBLICANS PLAY
FOR POSITION
National ChairmanShip Said to
be Plum in View of
State Leaders.

snderine just now in the ranks Of
the Indiana republicans A lot OF
II has 10 do with the coming state
convention. az which there are ru-
nors. VII! be seen some splendid
fencing for positions on the part Of
several OF the present state officers.
Another cause Of the philanderins
may be the national republican sit
uatiOn which. apparently. is destin-
ed 90 come very much TO the fore
front at the meeting Of the republi-
can national convention at St. Louis
Feb H.
Indiana. as has been said before.
has a native SON. candidate for the
national craftsmanship. 70 succeed
National Chairman WILCOX, who
will step down from the chairman
ship at that meeting VIII II. Hays.
OF Sullivan, the republican state
chairman OF Indiana. and the chair
man Of the Indiana state council OF
defense. Is being groomed for the
place IN fact the hopes OF the re-
publican organization in Indiana are
very decidedly surrounding Mr..
Hays at the present moment-and
any snag that may stick cut Of the
water for such a boat viii cause
lot Of boundering hereabOuts.
IT would seem. according 10 re-
ports arriving here out of the snow
bound east and elsewhere that such
a snag is in preparation. Mr.. Theo-
dore Roosevelt, so the story goes, Is
planning TO cast his chapeau right
through the ropes again for presi-
dent and some Of the preliminary
moves therefor will be pulled of at
the St. Louis meeting, so the story
goes.
Hughes Now for Teddy.
Charles Evans Hughes and Mr..
Roosevelt are in the saddle together
again. it is reported, and they ana
Chairman Wilcox are said TO be
so arranging matters that the man
selected for national chairman at
the ST. Louis meeting will have bur
led. somewhere deep in his heart,
an understanding that Mr.. RoOse-
Welt would make about the best pos
sible candidate for president that
ever served two terms in the white
house Everything that Mr.. RoOse-
Welt has done in the past few days
has pointed 20 the truth of this
story. For instance he has Issued
"a recent statement, in which he at
lacks the president bitterly for his
policy Of "watchful waiting" which.
Roosevelt says. has been continued
even up 20 the present time. The
statement already is crystallizing
Roosevelt sentiment into that often
recurring attitude of wanting him
for president.
OF course Mr.. Roosevelt didn't
nave anything like that in his mind
when he issued his copyrighted
views on the subject Of the times,
but. nevertheless. those followers of
the man OF oyster Bay, who yet
remain i'm Indiana are very certain
Just now that he is the only logi-
cal candidate for the presidency.
What. Ho." they say. who else is
there2''
Now there are a lot OF other re-
publicans in Indiana, who do not
feel that way about it-particular-
Is the entire group OF state admin
istration leaders, who love ROOse-
Welt about as much as If he were the
mortgage holder on their property.
Therefore. the alleged movement of
the Hughes Roosevelt forces to cap
ture the republican machinery at
the st. Louis meeting is received
among the leaders OF the state ad-
fninistra dOn about as tie corner cop
is at an Indiana av. craps game.
Goodrich Is Interested.
Then. too. the Roosevelt thing is
interfering with certain definite
plans OF the Indiana ring" republi-
cans in that they see posi- bilities
ahead OF Gov James 2. Goodrich
in n national way, in case Chairman
Hays could grab 1.-THE national
Craftsmanship. This apparent move
Tnent on the part of the Hughec-
Roosevelt-Wilicox crowd 20 forget
All about Indiana folks IN their
little game OF draw Is certainly
causing rumbnnEs herea bouts
whether there is any truth in Il;
or not. The painful fact is that
il might be true.
There also is a nice. little spring
freshet brewing among the repub-
licans over the question Of places
ON the next state ticket. Of course
the entire crowd OF state officials
that are ir office now will seek re-
nomination That is 20 be expect
ed. But there are some that can
not understand Just why some Of
them should feel entitled 10 their
old Jobs hack again. There are
some i'm the state house who. ap-
parentty. haven't turned their hands
over 90 actually accomplish any OF
the state g business since they took
office. There are others. who. 10
is remarked. have turned their
hands" over too much and too Of
ten. And there are some that have
thought SO much about their
hands tuat little else has resulted
for the benefit OF the state. after
the consideration OF just who the
.hands" should Doe has ended
There are stories floating broad
cast at the state house that all is
not well within the ranks OF the
present coterie Of state officials
themselves Ir is difficult 20 trace
these murmurings. som would have
Il believed that there f. almost con-
slant friction between the COVER
morris office and some Of the other
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