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16
The' Commoner.
Volume 12, "number 21
.
and aro pormlttod to apeak thoir fcol
inga freely to each othor. Statea aro
divided by narrow alaloa, and thoao
antagoniats soo oach othor at cloao
range Mr. Barnos, who la not ablo
to produco a cortlficato o character
from Mr. Roosevelt less than a year
old rubs agalnat Mr. Fllnn, whom
Prosldont Taft can not regard with
any degree of allowance, and yet
thoro ia no physical combat. The
Massachusetts delegation Is dlvidod
half and half; eighteen "dema
gogues" and a group of eighteen
more made made .up of "bosses,"
"corrupt politicians," and '.'represen
tatives of predatory wealth," and yet
thoro has not beon a light. Sovoral
of the delegations are divided, some
In the middle, and somo on the edge,
but tho best of decorum prevails.
Even Senator Bradley of Kentucky,
and Mr. Honey of California, can ap
poar upon the same platform with
out disturbing tho peaco. They havo
thoir differences, and thoy are fight
ing them out, but they aro doing it
in a most creditable way. I am hot
now passing upon tho morits of tho
decisions rendered', neither am I in
dorsing tho parliamentary methods
employed, but I congratulate tho re
publican party on the splendid proof
It has given of tho ability of a largo
number of pooplo, intensely in earn
est, to discuss thoir dlfforoncos calm
ly and settle tho questions involved
without recourse to violence. It not
only indicates self-restraint, but faith
in the incorruptibility of the people,
tho court of last resort, in a republic.
This report must bo put on tho
wires before the convention opena
at 11, and it is impossible at this
time to forecast tho action that the
convention will take.
Mr. Roosovelt's statement has not
changed tho attitude of the Taft
forces in tho least. The credentials
committee is entirely in tho hands
of the administration and the "Taft
delegates aro- being seated as rapidly
as tho cases can be disnosed of. The
'contest over the length of time to be
given to oach case was really "much
ado about nothing," because tho ac
tion of the committee is sure to bo
the Bame whether much or little time
is given in each case. The facts are
thoroughly understood by both sides,
and tho hearings are merely a mat
ter of form. Unlesa something un
expected happens, the Taft delegatea
will be seated, and it looks now as
if the regular convention would
renominate tho president. Some of
his delegates, It is said, would pre
fer a compromise candidate, but tho
amiable gentleman in the White
House is showing that he can sit
tight when necessary. His fighting
blood Is aroused, and If anybody says
"enough" the word is not likely to
come from anyone living west of the
Alleghanles.
, At present Mr. Taft has the best of
the situation, and it looks as if ho
naa maao up uis mind to run the ex
president out of tho republican party,
or make him swallow his words.
Mr. Roosevelt is apparently facing
the crisis in his political Career.
Bolting is easy whore one is not a
candidato, but jit is a more difficult
thinT Where followers nr TirtPAaonmr
If Mr. Roosevelt could take his dele
gates with him, he could organize a
convention that would represent a
majority of the republican voto of.
the country, but he can not do so. A
considerable number of his delegates
will not bolt and his convention,
therefore, would not carry with it
tho moral force that goes with the
majority, Ho can not tell until the
split comes exactly how many will
walk out, for somo are unwilling to
decide the question until the time
arrives for action. If the president's
followers bolt-and nominate him, he
can not tell whether to accept or not,
until after the regular convention
aots, and even thou he will likely be
' Influenced by the action pf tjio demo
cratic national convention. Ho may
be put in tho attitude, theroforo, of
refusing to lead a bolt after ho has
encouraged It. If tho democrats aro
guilty of tho criminal folly of nomi
nating a reactionary, thoy will sup
ply Mr. Roosevelt with tho ono thing
needful, in case ho becomos an in
dependent candidate, namely, an is
buo, and with two reactionaries run
ning for president, ho might win, and
thua intrench himself in power. This
convention, therefore, may exert a
powerful Influence upon the Balti
more convention. W. J. B.
CALIFORNIA has its day
Chicago, Juno 21. This was Cali
fornia's day. Tho state occupied the
center of the stage and came nearer
breaking through the Taft line than
ariy other stato has done. Governor
Hadloy had charge of tho case for
California, but ho yielded to Mr.
Heney to open and to Governor John
son to close. Mr. Honey's speech
was a strong, clear argumentative
appeal and he raised the Roosevelt
followers to thoir feet when, after
describing the president's participa
tion in tho selection of tho delegates
In accordance with the letter of the
primary law, he charged him' with
treason to popular government when
ho attempted to re'pudlato the law
for tho sake of two delegates.
Governor Johnson, 'however, was
the hero of the day. His speech was,
all things concerned, the gem of the
convention so far. He is a young
man, prepossessing in appearance, all
of earnestness, and his speech has
the ring of sincerity. He made a
plea for the progressive cause that
surpassed In effectiveness anything
heretofore presented to the delegates.
His prophecy of victory for progres
sives this fall, thrilled his hearers.
Ho , dealt with all phases of the
subject, condensing what he had to
say on each point into a sentence.
Ho told how the predatory interests
had controlled his state for genera
tions; how at last tho tide of re
form had swept them out of office
and driven tho progressives into con
trol; how the progressives instead of
using the party machinery to secure
a delegation to the national conven
tion, passed a primary law that
vested control In the voters; how the
reactionaries, to escape from the in
fluence of state organization then in
the hands of progressives, unitedly
supported the primary law; how
both- sides selected a list of dele
Kates in accordance with ia inw.-
how President Taft himself gave to
his list of delegates the written ap
proval required by law; how all these
steps had been taken without objec
tion and without protest, and then
how; these two delegates, after hav
ing been defeated by '77,000 in the
state, sought to repudiate their own
act and tho action of the president
and claim election in a district in
spite of the fact that it was impos-1
siuio to ascertain tne exact number
of votes cast In their district because
of fourteen precinct's which wore
partly in one district and partly in
anothdr.
He convinced the auiHonoA timf i,
had justice on his side, but the
audience was not iu a position to
follow its convictions. A number of
delegates told me that they had to
vote for tho two Taft delegates In
order to save the Taft forces from
the mortification of defeat, but that
the contest ought never to have been
made.
Governor Johnson had the satis
faction of seeing the Taft majority
whittled down to thirteen, and the
administration will find thirteen a
very unlucky number out in California
this fall. It Is surprising that men
as intelligent as the leaders of the
Taft forces would make tho tactical
mistake that they have in this case.
In some of the contests they have
guch a strong showing that even tfie
Roosevelt members of the committee
havo voted with them, but one case
like tho California case imparts its
weakness to all tho others.
If it had been purely a question
of principle, there would havo been
standing ground on both sides of tho
issue. Governor Johnson emphasized
the right of a state to regulate its
own affairs, and insisted that tho
stato law should take precedence
over a rule of. tho national conven
tion. Mr. Watson of Indiana, represent
ing the Taft forces,, laid great stress
onvtho rules adopted' by the national
convention recognizing the congres
sional district as tho unit. There -is
strength in both arguments, and it is
notfdifllicult to reconcile the argu
ments. If I were dociding the case,
I would say that tho state law ought
to be respected, but that the state
made a mistake in substituting a
state wide delegation for tho district
system.
Tho California caso really estab
lishes a unit rule by law, whereas the
republican party has come near to
the people in giving each district a
chance to name ,and instruct its dele;
gates. It is no argument against
the primary system to say that. a pri
mary law ought to recognize a dis
trict system' other' than a state wide
system in the selection of delegates.
While the Taft men were strong in
asserting opposition to the unit rule,
they were t weak in attempting to
overthrow 'the law after they had
acquiesced in it and secured the
president's approval of it, and they
were weak also because of their in
ability to show with exactness the
number of votes cast in the district
which they claimed to. have carried
by a very small majority.
..The convention wasin good humor
today. The roll call was demanded
only in tho case of a few states, and
the delegates who wore being de
feated seemed to enjoy themselves
about as much as those who were
winning. Sometimes all delegates
would jdin in shouting "aye" on a
viva voco vote, and then all would
join in shouting, "no," when the
question was, put. It was Impossible
for Chairman Root totell on which
side tho majority wajtijbut he knew
what it would be onMl call and so
declared. M,
"The ayes have and then
tho audience would bidak out into
laughter. ' "M:
. The machine has worked beauti
fully today; it has noMipped a cog.
When it, was runnin&kt- full speed,
tOOt." f'tOOt." WOllld;'. nnnaaUnnllTr
.. ' r - Tr.Tin wwwMHivuuii.r
come from the audleMfcfe Sometimes
spends, aroso that rambled escap
Ingsteam, but I am gri&sfied that no
steam escaped. It isjfcll being used
and 'at all pressure, jfoov
The platform is stfffito be ready,
but 'there is very littlq discussion of
the platform. The figM has centered
in men rather than,in;tmeasures.
Rumors have it thaVthe Taft men
having won out on pverything else
are inclined to make some conces
sions to progressives in the wordlnc
of the platform.
From present indications Mr. Taft
will be nominated on the first ballot
or upon the second, If not upon the
first. The president discountenances
compromise and seems prepared to
stake his all upon the result, it is
probable, therefore, that the plat
form will be to his liking, and that
ue wui nave tne privilege of trying
the realities of an election.
Nearly half of the convontlon will
feel like concluding his nomination
as a judge concludes the death sen
tence of a prisoner, "And may the
juoru uuve mercy on your soul."
W. J. B..
THE FINALjpAY
Port Wayne, Ind.fJune 22. -The
break has come and tho progressives
wore happy in their selection of the
time. They waited until the -creden
tials committee Had made its last
report, until the committee-made ma
jority had voted itself into the con
vention, until it was .demonstrated
that no amount of fact or argument
availed to reverse the decisions based
upon tho exigencies of tho caso
rather than upon tho merits of tho
contests and then Delegate Allen of
Kansas read Mr. -Roosevelt's state
ment and enforced its. pungent para
graphs with pointed remarks of his
own.
As Mr. Roosevelt's .statement will
bo published in fall I need only re
fer to it here. It. will prove an his
toric document. Never before, in
American politics has a' committee
witnessed such a scene: a man, ono
of tho most forceful figures of his
time, twice a president, once by tho
accident of death and o.nce by tho
largest majority ever given to a
president, contending against, an ad
ministration that he created, for tho
honor of a republican nomination.
In spite of patronage, in spite of tho
powerful organization of the dominant
party and in spite of great -commercial
influences he actually secures an
undisputed majority of the republi
can vote. . Contrary to all precedent
ho goes &) the convention city and
conducts his own fight'. Ho' find3
himself hedged about by a force with
which he can not cope. If he' may bo
likened to a caged lion confined in a
cage constructed of regularity, for
mality and orderly procedure, it
must be admitted that he' was un
able with all his Samson like
strength to bend a single bar. But
here the simile ends.
Man is more than an animal; ho
lauglis at tho limitations of the
flesh," He can 'appeal to a power
greater than tho political and Mr.
Roosevelt has made his appeal. Ho
brings against the convention such
an indictment as no party has, ever
had to meet before. Ho appeals
from leaders inebriated by prolonged
power to the voters who can dispas
sionately weigh policies and meas
ure methods from Philip drunk to
Philip sober.
Tho platform, as might be ex
pected, is for Mr. Taft.; It- points
withprlde to what'haas done and
V.ie$Hvith' alarm alt'ifkt Mir. Rooso-
YSKMtands for andtltreatens to do.
TttSurious may read
may,,a very small
palgn. In the repi
TOiranas como to
p&Hirm and Mr. Rdl
$$tvism and thdfj
nMiWfc any nice cal(
eidrag between theim
j republican $
thrOUeh tho Bnmn Hn'i
tKffd'emocratic part3
?i$feeii years ago, wl
democracy was bornP
oun, party the moth
present both a nhvai
j- - ..-.. v.
geon are in atte:idaff and it will
be gome months before'- the fate of
the patient will be known. I was
compelled to leave just before for
mer Vice President Fairbanks con
cluded reading the platform .but
from what took place,4he renomina
tion of the president Seemed a fore
gone, conclusion. 'If'
As was to be expeci$dthO Chicago
convention will exera marked in
fluence upon the democratic conven
tion about tO be held in RalHmnffl.
The fact that more than hatf of, tho
republican party .has been shownv to
be militant in its progressivenesa
would seem to make it even more
Imperatively necessary ' than before
that the" democratic convention
should in its platform and with its
nomination respond to the demands
of the progressives of tho nation,
and -thus make a ttfird party un
nccessary, , This- is way ifr-ldolc
from va distance. I can make a bet
ter'ffforecast after reaching Balti
more. " W. j, B? -
But it will
pn the cam
kan mind Mr.
ulj for stand
jfelt for- pro
pter will not
iittone at do-
'i f - 1
Yj is pusamg
usions which
Kssed through
Ijrofji eaaivo
the caseof
ftiVefl.' In the
tn, ana a sur-
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