Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-07-31
State Committee Decides to Hear Contest
and Make Temporary Roll.
ACTION IS CHALLENGED BY cUWNNs
Letter from the Governor Says Committee
Has No Authority in Matter
EVIDENCE HEARD IN SEVERAL CASES
Report that Committee win Not seat
Enough Perkins Men 60 Control
Convention with Intention
of Avoiding n Bolt.
lFrom a stan corre.pondentl

(From a stan Correspondent)
DIES MONIES, July 3O-(Special Tele-
gram. )-There was n rumor here late to-
night that an effort will be made to give
the nomina ton for governor to Senator
Dolliver, with the intention OF preventing
a division in the party. When questioned
regarding the matter, the senator said
there was nothing in It, lie said that 1t
is entirely without his authority and is
utterly ridiculous.
The republican state central committee
met today and decided by a vote Of to
8 TO sustain the action OF the chairman
of the committee in notifying Governor
Cummins that the seats OF a number OF
delegates to the republican convention
were contested. BY the same vote the
action of Chairman Spence in calling the
present meeting of the state central COM
mittee was ratified. In both cases, It ap-
pears, the chairman acted upon his own
responsibility. He received a petition from
adherents OF George II. Perkins, q candi-
date for governor, giving notice that the
seats of large number OF Cummlns' dele
gates were contested. The chairman there
upon sent notice of this fact to Governor
Cummins, who seeks a denomination.
Authority of Committee Denied.
The governor replied in a letter denying
the authority OF the state central committee
to take up the matter of contests, asserting
that II had no Jurisdiction. The chairman,
however, sent notices to several news
pa pers calling the state central committee
to meet in Des Moines today to consider
the contests. His explanation TO the COM
mittee was that two or three OF the mem
bers were in Des Moines at the time ana
II.
approval he felt justified in taking the ac-
tion 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 he had called the COM
mittee together and submitted TO II the
petition and the question of a call for to-
days meeting. The vote of to was
regarded as an indication that the COM
mttee intended to assume jurisdiction OF
the contests and 20 hear the contestants
and the Cumming delegates, II the latter
a1tered an appearsnoas ~
. There are 1910 delegates entitled 70 seats
in the state convention from the ninety
nine counties in the state. When the COM
mittee met today there were ten Of the
eleven members present. Chairman Spence,
Of course, did not vote on the motion to
sustain his own action.
Contest by Perkins.
Thomas +. Bevington, an attorney repre-
seating the friends of George d. Perkins,
gave notice of contests in ten counties,
making PSF delegates objected to.
In Boone county, with twenty delegates.
1t was claimed that the call for the county
convention stated that delegates TO the
judicial and congressional conventions were
to be eleven, no mention being made Of
the state convention. although the Cum
Minis people assert that this allegation is
not founded on the facts. As to Polk
county. with seventy-two delegates. It
was claimed that It, as well as Boone had
no legally elected delegation. In the Polk
county convention a motion was made tha I
Governor Cummins be authorized TO name
the seventy-two delegates. An amendment
was offered looking to division OF the
delegation between 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. II was
urged that the tabllng OF the amendment
carried with It the original motion and,
therefore, the delegates selected by Gov
ernor Cummins to represent Polk county
| in the state convention were not entitled
to seats.
Cummins Delegates Appeal.
The committee took up and heard a num-
her of the cases but reached no con-
clusIon. Cummns representatives from
Scott, Dallas and Boone appeared before
| the committee and stated the Cummns
side OF the contest question in those coun-
! ties, but were careful in each instance tO
/ inform the committee that while perfectly
willing to lay the facts before the commit
| tee they would not bind themselves to
I abide by the results Of the committed
decision. Numerous affidavits in Dalla,
| county Of democrats voting for Cummins
were filed and the Cummins men filed am
davits by the same men saying that the,
were not democrats but lifelong republi.
cans and had signed the first afidsvits be.
cause paid to do so.
Committee Becomes Cautious.
The talk late tonight indicated that tn,
| committee would decide not TO let In al
OF the Perkins contesting delegates. II IS
quite possible. 1t is said, that some may
be put on the temporary roll. but no
enough to give the "stand-patters" contro
OF the temporary organization While
ma ajority of the committee are understood
| to be stand -patteTs" II was asserted tha
they are not inclined to take any actloI
which may result in two republican stat
tickets and possibly endanger not only bo0
tickets, but probably two or three clos,
congressional districts The friends OF Per
kins, however. are still seemingly conhden
that they will be able 20 control the situa
tion. They count on ninety delegates. In
structed for Captain Rathburn for COVER
nor. after the first ballot.
I Such "A situa.,on as that now existing "
Iowa Is new 10 the republicans OF thi
state. The party il apparently divideS
into two factions-one known the pro
gressives" represented by the friends o.
Governor Cummins, and the other cslle,
the "stand-patters'' who are adheTents o
George ID. Perkins. The feeling on botl
sides is very bitter and II Is not unlikell
that there may he two republican ticket
in the field in Iowa after next wednesday
Although the state central committee hal
as yet taken no action looking 10 the max
ing up OF a temporary roll. the Cummin
followers say n the contesting Perldn
delegates are authorized 70 participate Il
the temporary organization Of the con