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Show Vice President Sherman May Turn Proffered Honor Back to Roosevelt. SITUATION IN NEW YORK AFFECTS WHOLE NATION Split in Republican Party Not Improbable Under Present Pres-ent Conditions. BY EAIiPH JOHNSON. By T-eascd Wlro to The Tribune. NEW YORK, Aug. 20. More thau one Republican leader of national prominence prom-inence predicted today that beforo many days Vice-President James S. Sherman would resign tho position that he has been placed in the interests of harmony, rofuso to allow his name to go before the New York state Republican convention as temporary chairman. In this event the honor would go to former President Theodore Roosevelt; Roose-velt; but in view of current political events in the Fmpiro state, it is believed be-lieved ColoncrRoosevlt would spurn the offer as his name has been turned down by tho stato Republican committee once. At Oyster Bay Colonel Roosevelt denied de-nied with his characteristic vigor that he had sent an ultimatum to President Taft, demanding that tho president break with Vice-President Sherman. Colonel Roosevelt branded the story as the invention of politicians. According to the rumor, Colouol Griscom, chairman chair-man of the New York county Republican Republi-can committee, was to go to Beverly next week as the envoy of tho former president. "I am sending no ultimatum to President Taft; I havo sont none and I don't intend to send any," said Colouol Roosevelt at Sagamore Hill. "That report is a tissuo of falsohood from beginning to end and has no war-runt war-runt in fact." Story Will Not Down. Despite tho colonel's emphatic denial, de-nial, thero wore some of tho lesser leaders in this city who pr.ofessed to bo-lievc bo-lievc that Colonel Roosevelt is attempting at-tempting to establish a truco with tho administration. Tho public adherenco of William Loeb, collector of the port of New York, to Colonel , Roosevelt, places him in a delicate position, and "wonderment is expressed whether or not he will soon be called upon to play his role of "Tho Goat." Collector Loeb is undor obligations to both President Taft and former President Roosevelt, and it would not come as a great surpriso if Nr. Loob should announco his rotircmcnt from politics. Collector Loeb has made a namo for himself in his present office. Ho has administered it without foar or favor and in so doing he has brought down on his head tho wrath of many rich Americans, who have heretofore managed man-aged to ovndo the red tape of a cus: toms offico in making European trips. In Difficult Position. Collector Loeb is making periodical .tourneys to Oyster Ba.y, where ho confers con-fers with his former patron, and Mr, Griscom has also announced publicly his affiliation with the Roosevelt standard. And so the collector finds himself between tho devil and the deep blue sea, so to speak. A report camo from Washington today to-day that Mr. Loob soon will bo called upon to chooso deflnitcly between his two masters. Ho must aithor renounce tho Roosevelt standard and take arms with tho administration followers, or else ho must renounce the administration administra-tion and take the consequences. Mr. Loob gels $12,000. Ho is bound by tics of personal friendship to the prosidonl and the ox-president, and ho is, as 1 havo already said, undor obliga-tionsrto obliga-tionsrto both. Mr. Loeb has been mentioned as a crnor of this stato upon tho Republican ticket, but Jia will rot speak of this matter to intnrviewors. So far as I know, ho has not discussed it with hia friends. Whether ho has aspirations to sit in tho executive chair at Albany, few men know. Colonel Roosovolt knows, but ho won't tell. May Split tho Party. Tho strained relations between Colonel Colo-nel Roosevelt and President Taft indicate indi-cate that a national split is possible in tho party, but friends of Roosevelt declare de-clare that ho would retire from activo life rather than jeopardize, the chances of success of the party with which ho is affiliated. Tt id not too much to expect that Prcsidont Taft will make a statomont regretting that tho attitude of tho administration ad-ministration has been misunderstood. In Now York stato there are malcontents malcon-tents in the Republican party who are angry to think that President Taft should align the administration with tho "old guard" in tho Empire stato. Mr. Sherman, in short, is expected to bo convinced that the dignity of his post demands a refusal to appear as a loader of a discredited faction. For hia enlightenment thoro will be cited thousands of protests from, all over tho country that a man of his important, official statues would associate himself with tho triumvirate composed of Wood-ruir, Wood-ruir, Barnes and Aldridgo. Root Out of tho Game. Tt is pertinent to note that, while political afi'nirs aro babbling and soothing, sooth-ing, "Senator Elihu Root, formerly known as boss of Now York stato, fs away in Europe, nrguing at Tho TTaguo tribunal. Apparently Senator Root's tenure as boss was short-lived. IIo is not cutting any figure at tho present time, at any rale. Governor Hughes is kcoping his hands off, although it is said that his svm-nathies svm-nathies arc with Colonel Roosevelt. The faction that dct'eated Colonel Roosevelt Continued on Page Two I- STRIVING HARD ' FOR "HARMONY" Continued from Page One. for temporary chairman of the Republican Repub-lican state convention have fought Hughes tooth and toenail ever since ho ! was first elected. In fact, the Barnes- "Wdodruff-Aldridgo faction has been tho head, and front of all the interests inimical in-imical to Hughes ever since lie took tho executive chair at Albany. Mr. Griscom was out of town today, and it was impossible to learn what plans are under way for chastising the anti-Roosevelt element. 4 Colonel Roosevelt leaves on his west ern trip oil Tuesday and will.be ah-sent ah-sent from tho state about a month. |