New-York tribune., 1908-06-18
BURKE LOSES HIS FIGHT
SOUTH KEEPS DELEGATES.
Convention, by Close Tote, Kills Re-
ductiOn of Representation.
Icy Telegraph to The Tribune. ]


Chicago, June 1.-THE basis of representation
to the Republican National Convention from
the North and South will remain the same Tor
four years more at least
This was decided by the convention this after
noon after of the most determined efforts IN
the history of that organization had been made
to bring about a change. Four hundred ana
seventy-one delegates voted to reduce largely
the Southern delegates and SOC voted that the
number be left unchanged. 1t was a majority
of only thrty-fve votes. and the Ohio delega-
ton saved the South Although this state
would have gained eighteen delegates by the
proposed change. thirty-eight members of the
delegation voted with the Southerners. while
the remaining eight took the opposite position.
1t was a bitter fight and while the vote was
being counted the hall in absolute silence
1t meant much to the contestants. and they
realized it, When the vote announced the
uproar was tremendous. Texas Rangers" and
Georgia Crackers" Virginians and mountaineers
from Tennessee, BLACK and tans' from Louisi-
ana and loyal unionists from Missouri mounted
their chairs and cheered the action of Ohio and
the Taftites shouted back at them with waving
banners.
The resolution had been previously defeated
in the committee rules by vote of "a to L.
The fight began when Senator Warren moved
committee on rules. 1t embodied practically
the rules of the last convention and contained
mention of the reduced representation
Hardly had the Senator closed when Repre-
sentative James Francis Burke of Pittsburg.
presented the minority report. which embodied
his original resolution reducing the representa-
tion of Southern States
Mr. Burke made vigorous speech in ad
vocacy of the minority report in which he de-
clared that its adoption a matter of simple
justice TO the Republican voters in all the states
He cOntended that il would be the means of
building up the Republican party in the South
and would within few years bring about a
complete rehabilitation of Southern representa-
ton He cited several instances in which he
asserted great injustice had been done to North
ern Republicans in the matter of representation
and as the most gIaring instance of this showed
that South Carolina averaged one delegate to
every>136 voters. while Ohio averaged only one
delegate 10 every $4,000 voters. The resolution
was supported by General Keifer. of Ohio: Rep
resentative James Watson. of Indiana and J.
w. Wadsworth. jr.. of New York, who pledged
the support of his delegation.
Governor Wilson of Kentucky made the first
speech in opposition. He declared that the
resolution would place the power of nomination
in the hands of the five largest states and that
the others might as well be entirely eliminated
as to suffer such reduction as proposed.
He pointed out that the first action along the
lines advocated in the resolution should come in
should be reduced to fit the number of delegates
TO the convention. His arguments wer. rein
forced by those of J. A. Reynolds Of Arkansas:
Myron T. Herrick. of Ohio: II. c. Yarmouth. OF
Louisiana: James Johnson. negro. of Georgia.
and T. B. Reid. of Virginia