All doubt as to what will be the dominating issue in the presidential election of November 1916 was swept away at the unofficial convention of the Republican party of the State of New York which was held in New York City on the 15th and 16th of February. At this State Convention a platform was adopted pledging the Republican party to the defense of America and Americans against attack from any quarter whatever, and Mr. Elihu Root made what was accepted as the keynote speech of the Republican campaign for the defeat of President Wilson. Mr. Root attacked the tariff and the Mexican policies of the Democratic Administration; but the keynote of the approaching electoral campaign was sounded when he vigorously condemned President Wilson's failure to protest against Germany's outrage on Belgium, and also the President's handling of the "Lusitania" outrage and the other submarine outrages which resulted in the loss of American lives. Without question Mr. Root is the ablest man in the ranks of the Republican party. He has held two of the highest offices in the gift of the party -those of Secretary of State and Senator for the State of New York. He is the foremost statesman of the Republican party; and in spite of his age-he is seventy-one-he may be nominated at Chicago as the Presidential candidate of the Republicans.

Popularity such as was enjoyed by President Roosevelt, and to some degree by President Taft, has never been Mr. Root's. His career before he went actively and continuously into federal politics-his career as a corporation lawyer-militated against his popularity. But his influence in the inner councils of the Republican party has long been considerable. Certainly no man in the party speaks with more caution

or with more authority; and when he declared in his speech in New York that President Wilson's policy on the war must be the dominating issue of the campaign, both parties promptly realized that the low tariff which was enacted by the Democrats in 1913 and the policy of the President in regard to Mexican affairs must fall into subordinate places among the issues of the One of the presidential campaign.

strongest journalistic supporters of President Wilson, the "New York Times," wrote on the 16th of February 1916:

"The Republicans will never win the campaign on the issues of protection and Huerta. But when Mr. Root took up the things the Administration has done or left undone, or has not succeeded in doing, in respect to the grave and urgent questions forced upon us by the European war, he placed himself boldly upon the battleground where the fighting of the campaign is to be done. In this choice of the party position he displayed the highest skill of statesmanship and of politics-he did not seek to make an issue for the Republicans, he chose an issue that is already made in the hearts of the people."

At an earlier stage there had been a development of much significance in regard to the outlook for the Republicans at the election in November, which makes it probable--indeed almost certain-that there will be an end to the division in the Republican party.

As the elections of 1912 made plain, the Republicans can have no hope of success so long as there is in existence a well-organized and persistent third party, led by Mr. Roosevelt, that can poll over four million votes at a presidential election. The action of the Progressives-whether they nominate their own presidential candidate or throw in their lot with the fortunes of