Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 150, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 June 1912 — TAFT SEEMS CERTAIN CHOICE OF CONVENTION. [ARTICLE]

TAFT SEEMS CERTAIN CHOICE OF CONVENTION.

Compromise Talk Has Died Away and Everything Points to Renomination of the President. The political game that has been played with such vigor at Chicago for the past week has not resulted in material changes in the line-up of delegates that are to vote for a nominee for president on the republican ticket and to all present appearances William Howard Taft will be renominated. - His friends have stuck to him just as Roosevelt’s have to him and there is every prospect that he will receive the nomination on the first ballot and that the convention will be able to close its spectacular career this evening. What the effect of his nomination will be on the part of the backers of Oolonel Roosevelt is difficult to determine and it is possible that the colonel may lead a third party movement and either nominate at this time or await the result of the Baltimore convention and possibly call a convention to meet at St. Louis on August 15th. There seems every prospect that the fight which began at the time Roosevelt tossed his hat. in the ring will not subside with the nomination of Taft and that the selection of a compromise candidate would hardly result'in the pacification of the warring factions.

It seems probable that a number of the delegates who have been sent for or are pledged to support one or the other of the leading candidates hare fore some time realized that the selection of a compromise candidate constituted the hope of the party for success at the polls in November, but both sides hare feared that the inauguration of an effort to effect a compromise might result in the delegates slipping from one of- the leadto the other. The Taft men feared that Roosevelt might get enough to nominate him if the compromise plan was entered into. This is believed to have caused the determination to nominate Taft, although it is probable that it will be done without the political sagacity that has usually characterized the republican party at national conventions. The Rgosevelt forces claim all the virtue and denounce the Taft forces as thieves. They shout steam roller and machine politics. They employ every scheme of organization to further their ends and denounce the majority for doing the same thing. The result is a bad mess and means continued trouble throughout the campaign. Republican succeas can not ensue with the house divided against itself. None know this so mnch as the politicians that are leading the assault from both angles, but there is a lot of the “rule or ruin* tendency and indications point to its holding np until too late to amend. Tito convention met at 10 o’clock

this morning to finish the contest cases to be reported by the credentials committee. Indications are that Roosevelt’s name will not be placed before the convention. The platform committee will recommend a compromise tariff plank. Women suffrage is to be ignored.