New-York tribune., 1918-07-20
Will
End Political
Doubt Monday
r State Convention
Closes After Rousing
Talk by Taft
'Stot Correspondence of The Tribune

NSfat Correspondence of The T,ibunc)
SARATOGA, July 19.-Colonel Roose
velt has promised the anti-Whitman
men who want him to run in the pri
mares for the Republican nomination
1or Governor that he will give them
an answer Monday. Until they get
that answer. both they and the Gov
ernor and his friends will be on the
anxious seat
Francis Hendricks. of Syracuse, who
has stood with the Whitman men dur
ing the primary canvass, announced
before leaving Saratoga for his home
that he had signed the round-robin
petition to the Colonel, asking him to
become candidate. His detection
from the ranks of the Whitman men
is the most serious setback they have
suffered, and lends color to the proph-
ecy of the Barnes Lewis men that
others will follow, and that by Mon
day Colonel Roosevelt will be for
mally in the race for Governor and
the Whitman leaders will be in
panic.
For Roosevelt Only
The detection of Hendricks to Roose-
velt does not mean he has left the
whitman camp for any one but the
Colonel If any one but the Colonel
is Governor Whitman's opponent, Mr..
Hendricks will be for the Governor.
He was close personal friend of
the Colonel before he allied himself
with the Governor, and his detection
means that he does not love the Gov
, crnor less, but the Colonel more.
have made nv decision and
signed the petition asking Colonel
Roosevelt to become a candidate" said
Mr.. Hendricks. "There is nothing to
it now but Roosevelt"
All day long the refrain of the
Barnes, Wadsworth and Brown men
was "1f Roosevelt will run," and the
answer to the refrain from the friends
OF the Governor was Roosevelt will
not run"
There was fresh rumor every half
hour, but the situation was all tied at
Sycamore Hill in the bosom of the
Colonel, who has not authorized any
one to speak for him.
81 have talked with the Colonel's po-
litical representative within the last
half hour" said Theodore Douglas Rob-
inson, Attorney General Lewiss cam
paign manager, this afternoon "He
told me the Colonel has not authorized
any one to speak for him, and that he
will not answer the request of those
who wish him to enter the primaries
until Monday"
Talked With Colonel
Cornelius V. Collins, of Troy. an old
friend of Colonel Roosevelt, and w. w.
Cocks, Governor Whitman's campaign
manager, sponsored typewriter
statement to-day that Colonel Roose-
Welt will not be candidate for Gov
ernor. But it was an opinion and moth
ing else, and did not fill the political
aching void. Mr.. Collins talked with
his way home from Saratoga yesterday.
"My talk with Colonel Roosevelt"
said Mr.. Collins, "was entirely salts
factory. He has no desire to be can
didate against Governor Whitman, and,
judging from our talk, he will not be a
candidate, despite the statements of
some of the Lewis people to the con-
trary."
The following telegram was sent to
Colonel Roosevelt by Gertrude Fran
chot Tone, delegate from Niagara
County:
Think you should know that the
Whitman sentiment among women is
very real and strong. and that Sena-
tor Wadsworth, William Barnes and
Elon R. Brown can never command the
allegiance of the women voters. AS
their candidate you would lose much
of the strength that otherwise might
be yours"
William A. Orr, the Governors sec
retary. after talk with the Governor
over the telephone, said:
II have just had a talk with the Gov
ernor. who is in Albany. He is in the
race to stay"
Text Not Disclosed
'The text of the round robin will
not be made public until the petition
to Colonel Roosevelt is received by
him." said William Barnes, in answer
to request for the text of the pc
tition. When asked about the possibil-
ty of the anti Whitman men having
misconstrued the Colonel's attitude
toward the Governorship matter, Mr..
Barnes said:
"You don't suppose you can get old
birds out on the end of a limb and then
have the limb sawed off under them
without their knowing it, do you?"
1t was said by member of the
Syracuse delegation that before Fran
Continual o,a onnoe c;,.