The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-05
LORIMER CROWD
NOW SEEMS At SEA
Representative Taggart Repudi-
ates His Signature Indorsing
Miller for Speaker.
SIGNS PLEDGE TO SHERMAN.
Illinois Republican Ring Is in Des-
perate Straits to Procure the
Needed Vote to Control
the House.
SIGNS PLEDGE TO SHERMAN.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Springfield Ill. Dec. 4.-The Lorimsr-
Hinman claim of Representative James f.
Taggart for Miller for Speaker of the
House of Representatives is disputed by
MIR Taggart himself. Counting Taggart. the
Miller end of the Republican party has ex-
actly majority. forty-five votes. on its
paper pledge. There is no telling how
many of these We're signed by proxies. like
.Six-Shooter'' Edwards and how many
others are conditional. But TagSart says
they have no right to Use his name, that
he is for Sherman. He gave Sherman a
note to that effect. When the Miller fort
was notified of this break in its ranks
it unlimbered a piece of heavy artillery
in the form of a letter from Tageart to
Chairman Rowe.
1t is evident that Mr.. Taggart has been
on both sides of the fence within four
days. and beginning with his first pledge
the story runs this way:
MIR. Taggart signed the following state
ment" said Chairman Rowe of the Repub
lican State Committee and attorney for the
State Insurance Superintendent. .'in which
he pledged himself to support Mr. Miller
for Speaker. Here is the statement Mr..
Taggart Sgned.'' and Chairman Rowe
handed the paper to a reporter. II read as
follows:
1 hereby request John II. Miller of McI-eans-
boro TO become an active and avowed candidate
for the Speakership of the Forty-third General
Assembly, and pledge him my hearty support.
hereby authorize F. II. Rowe TO attach my name
to the general petition signed by other members
piedging support to Mr.. Miller.
J. E. TAGGART
Continuing. Mr.. Rowe said Mr.. Taggart
signed the statement in the presence of ].
X. Cowley, member of the Republican
State Committee. who lives in the same
county tStephensonl as Taggart. Said Mr..
Rowe:
He did this voluntarily. without the least
pressure or promise. Mr.. Taggart is an
honorable gentleman, and very highly re-
spected in the community in which he lives
He said that he did this because h" knew
that in doing he was carrying out the
wishes of his friends and constituents. l
have not the slightest doubt that Mr.. Tag
gar; will act In accordance with his writ
ten pledge. and any statement to the con-
trary Is so opposite to MIR. Taggdrt's repu-
t:tion that refuse 10 credit Ii for one mo-
ment"
The pledge signed by Taegart was writ
ten on a Freeport Hotel letterhead. the
writing. and MIR. Rpye's name is filled in
by another person with ether ink and pen
the same pen and ink and by the same ser
son who wrote RoTe's name Mr.. Ro|e
says lie drove some twenty miles TO Tag
CARTS home. Ridott. last Sunday in order
to obtain his signature. He SAID he offered
Taggart no inducements TO sign the Miller
pledge.
Taggart was in Chicago Wednesday. and
as soon as MIR. Miller announced the names
Of those who had signed the pledge 10 vote
for him. including the name of Ta.cart.
that gentleman emphaticaliy repudiated the
signature: He was in Shermans headquar-
ters at the time. and. calling for pen and
ink he wrote the follow ing. which he u
dressed to Judge Sherman and handed TO
him:
ANOTHER PLEDGE
have been foT L. Y. Sherman heretofore. and
notwithstanding anything that may be said .,r
any list given out, ! still for Sherman and
will remain for him TO the end.
J. E. TAGGART
The TagGart signature on the Rowe power
Or attorney does not look like the signature
OF the Sherman letter. Mr.. Taggart after
writing the !ette., to Sherman Immediately
left for home. Those who know him be-
lieve he Will stand by Sherman. This de-
fection reduces the Miller list to one short
of a ma jCrity.
To friends Tacgart declared he in
formed Rowe he would be for Miller If the
latter secured forty-five without him. and
explained that he meant by that that he
would he for the caucus nominee The
Sherman faction insisted that the myste-
rious "forty-third' signature to the Miller
pledge. mentioned by Mr.. Miller, whose
name he could not make public yesterday,
was myth. and had no real existence.
Late tonight A. G. Murray of Springfield