Taft's  small  vote  in  North  Dakota,  due,  in  part
at  least,  to  the  resentment  felt  by  the  farmers
on  account  of  his  stand  upon  the  Canadian  pact,
nevertheless  disclosed  his  great  personal  weak-
ness as  a  vote  getter.
The  North  Dakota  result  thoroughly  alarmed
the  special  interests,  who  were  backing  Roosevelt
in  order  to  capture  or  to  divide  and  checkmate
the  Progressive  movement.  It  is  a  cardinal  prin-
ciple with  the  interests  to  so  manipulate  national
politics,  if  possible,  as  to  bring  about  the  nomi-
nation of  satisfactory  presidential  candidates  by
both  political  parties.  Either  Taft  or  Roosevelt
would  be  quite  to  their  liking,  but  North  Dakota
disclosed  to  them  an  amazing  situation.  If  the
middle  western  states  were  to  vote  as  North
Dakota,   then   there   was   the   gravest   danger


THE  CAMPAIGN  OF  1912  635

that  a  real  Progressive  might  be  nominated
by  the  Republicans  at  Chicago.  If  Roosevelt
could  not  break  down  my  strength,  and  Taft
were  to  prove  so  weak  as  not  to  be  counted  in
the  contest  throughout  that  section  of  the
country,  then  it  was  obvious  that  I  would
enter  the  convention  with  enough  votes  either
to  be  nominated  or  to  force  the  nomina-
tion of  some  pronounced  Progressive  candi-
date.
