The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-07-31
PLAN AFOOT TO
DITCH CUMM|NS
= Iowa Governor Likely to Get
Short End of Delegates to
State Convention.
CONTESTS I'M TEN COUNTIES
STATE COMMITTEE ASSUMES
JURISDICTION.
CONTESTS IN TEN COUNTIES

Des Moines, Ia, July SO.-The Republi-
can state central committee met today
and decided by vote of to to sus-
tain the action of the chairman of the
committee in notifying Governor Cum
minis that the seats of number of dele
gates to the Republican state convention
was contested. BY the same vote the ac
ton of Chairman Spence in calling the
present meeting of the state central
committee was ratified. In both cases,
il appears. the chairman acted upon his
own responsibility. He received a petit
ton from adherents of George d. Per-
lSins a candidate for governor, giving no.
tice that the seats of a large number OF
Cummins delegates would be contested.
The chairman thereupon sent notice of
this fact TO Governor Cummins, who
seeks a denomination.
Beyond Its Authority.
The governor replied in a letter deny
ing the authority of the state central
committee TO take up the matter of con-
tests, asserting that il had no jurisdic-
lion. The chairman. however, sent no.
tees TO several newspapers calling the
central committee to meet In DeS Moines
today to consider the contests. His ex-
PLANTATION 10 the committee was that two
or three OF the members were in DeS
MOineS at the time and after consulting
them and receiving their approval he felt
justified in taking the action he did. in
order that the delegates whose seats were
contested might have two or three more
days notice than they would have had il
1 be had called the committee together and
submitted TO II the petition and the ques
| ton of a call for today's meeting. The
Mote of s to was regarded as an indi-
cation that the committee intended to
assume jurisdiction of the contests and
10 hear the contestants and the Cummins
doll -, ,r,er@ h To-
appearance.
Nearly 800 Seats Involved.
There are 1,6iO delegates entitled to
seats IN the state convention from the
ninety-nine counties I'm the state When
the committee met today there were ten
of the eleven members present. Chairman
Spence of course did not vote on the mo-
ton 10 sustain his own action.
Thomas f. Bevington, an attorney rep
reSenting the friends of George D. Per-
lNins. gave notice of contests in ten coun-
ties which have ninety-two delegates,
making PSI delegates objected to-. In
Boone county. with twenty delegates, it
convention stated that delegates to the
judicial and congressional conventions
were to be elected no mention being
made to the state convention, though the
Cummins people assert that this allega-
ton is not founded on the facts. AS TO
Polk county with seventy-two delegates,
ii was claimed that it, as we'll as Boone,
had no legally elected delegation.
Polk County TechnicaIity.
In the Polk county convention a mo-
ton was made that Governor Cummns
be authorized to name the seventy-two
delegates. An amendment was offered
looking to a division of the delegation be-
tween Cummins and Perkins, based on
the votes cast when the delegates to the
county convention were elected. This
amendment was laid on the table but the
original motion was carried. 1t was urged
that the tabling of the amendment car
ried with it the original motion and there
fore the delegates selected by Governor
Cummins TO represent Polk county in the
state convention were not entitled to
seats
The committee took up and heard a
number of cases, but reached no conclu-
sion Although Governor Cummins had
given notice that he would not be repre-
scented before the committee. the chair
men OF three Cummins delegations whose
seats are questioned appeared. They stat
ed, however, that they denied the juris-
diction of the state committee. which
they contended had no authority to go
behind the returns. simply coming be-
fore it for the purpose of furnishing such
information as may be desired.
Two Tickets Probable.
Such a situation as that now existing
in Iowa is new TO the Republicans of this
state. They have never known anything
like IL before The party is apparently
divided into two factions-one known as
the ''progressives, represented by the
friends of Governor Cummins. and the
other called the "stand-patters" who are
adherents of George d. Perkins. The
feeling on both sides is very bitter and
1t is not unlikely that there NAV be two
Republican tickets I'm the field in Iowa
after next Wednesday. Although the
state central committee has as yet taken
no action looking to the making up of a
temporary roll, the Cummins adherents
say If the contesting Perkins delegates
are authorized to participate in the tenn
porary organization of the convention the
action of the state central committee will
besignored and the legally elected Cum
Minis delegates. who claim TO have the
majority, will organize the convention as
soon as Chairman Spence calls the dele
gates to order Wednesday morning.
Committee Hesitates.
The talk late tonight indicated that
the committee would decide not to let in
all of the Perkins contesting delegates. 1t
is quite possible, il was said, that some
may be put on the temporary roll, but not
enough 10 give the ''stand-patters" con-
troll of the temporary organization. While
the majority of the committee are IN
derstOod TO be "stand-patters, il was as
serted that there are not inclined to take
any action which may result in two Re
publican state tickets and possibly en-
danger, not only both tickets but prob
ably two or three close congressional dis
tricts The friends of Perkins, however.
are still seemingly confident that thew
be able 10 control the situation They
count on ninety delegates instructed for
Captain Rathburn for governor after the
first ballot. At a mass meeting of Per
kins adherents tonight the speeches were
all favorable to keeping up the fight to !
secure control of the convention and con
the nominations. as the con- |
SSsYction was expressed that the opposition
TO Cummins has a majority of the "Ie |
gally elected delegates
"A large number of the delegates to the /