The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-04-08
TO |NDORSE TAFT
IN QUICK ORDER
If Fight Against Instructions
Is Made 1t Will Amount
to Naught.
WILL SEE FEW NEGROES,
AND 0LDTIMERS SCARCE
Republican Convention. That AS
scmbles in Lynchburg To-Day
S Composed Largely OF
Young Men-Negro
Contests All in
Especial From STAFF corr.spondent.l
YNCHBURG. VA. Anril 1.-Close

on to 1000 delegates and al
ternates arc here to attend the
/ Republican state Convention,
which convenes at noon to-
morrow. Every train to-day and to-
might has brought them. and more will
arrive before the hour of convening.
There is not apparent the slightest
! opposition to instructing the State
delegation for Secretary Taft. 1t is
pretty certain that the instructions will
be opposed in which case there is abso-
lutely none that Will be adopted. There
will be no fight over instructions. but
there will be sharp contest over one
of the places among the big four. IT
| is conceded that three OF the delegates
at-large will be Bascom Slemp, member
of Congress from the Ninth District;
Alva Martin, of Norfolk. member. OF the
Republican national, committee, and S.
G. Proffitt. of Halifax There is no op-
position to these three.
The fourth will be either S. Brown
Allen. United States marshal for the
Western District, or NJ. X. Lowry. col
Hector of internal revenue for the Rich
mond district. 1t is Just possible that
B. 3. Bowman. member of the Legis-
lature from Shenandoah. will be the
fourth. but his friends brought him
| into the race very late. If Lowry is
not chosen. and he will hardly be, AL
len will carry off the honors.
Either Lamb or Lewis.
State Senator ]. C. Noel. of Lee
county. will be temporary chairman
of the convention.
The indications are that Colonel Wil-
liam Lamb. of Norfolk will be made
permanent chairman, although there is
talk of electing Judge L. L. Lewis, OF
Richmond.
Colonel Lamb is easily the most dis
tinguished member of the convention
and many friends. citizens of Lynch
burg, who have fixed habit of voting
the Democratic ticket, have called on
him in his rooms at the Hotel Car
roll.
II came to observe rather than to
"and do not expect any honors at the
hands of the convention
But the convention will probably
honor him.
The positive statement is made to-
re daasates @ nne CHOSEN Gd e are
for Taft and that the other nine have
declared for him, although not in,
structed. This being true, there SHOULD
for the Secretary of War tomorrow.
There will be none.
Will BE Lily White. n
The convention is Lily White.
have seen hundreds of delegates, alter.
mates and visitors. who have come as
nere an had andf sse on nesrg n
the convention tomorrow. not over
a dozen, / am told. 1--WE have not tried
to keep out the negro" said promi-
nent delegate tonight. THE Demo-
Gratis did that when they took away his
vote. He has been eliminated, but we
did not do the eliminating
A Republican convention in Vir.
ginia. composed of 921 delegates, and
what of novelty, though the negro
has been making himself scarce around
Republican convention halls in VIZ
ginia for several years.
1t is understood that there VIII DC
but three contests to be decided--pos-
sibly four. It is stated that these
will consume but little of the time Of
the convention. The convention should
afternoon. 1t Is predicted by those who no
should know that the platform Will be
very brief. 1t will point with pride
to the achievements Of the Republican
national administration, and may dwell
upon the wonderful prosperity the coun-
try is enjoying under Republican rule
1t is not thought that there Will be any
platform utterance on the tariff. cur
Every county of the State is we'll rep
resented in the delegations already
here. In many cases counties selected
twice the number Of delegates to which
they were entitled ss gIying to eafh fhe one
tendance much larger than 1t would
otherwise have been.
OId-Timers Arc Missing.
There is q most noticeable absencel
of formerly familiar figures of conven-
tions of Virginia Republicans. The old
timers are no longer in control. Brown
MOrpnn Trent TN a OnlvI
two of the old guard still in the spot
light to any extent. Colonel Lamb or
Judge Lewis, OF the old guard, will be
made chairman, but whichever calls tho
convention to order will not look out
upon many familiar faces when he does
appears to know not the Josephs OF u
few years ago The Ninth District is
regnant. Perhaps naturally. enough,
Chairman Slemp has called about him
young men. The conventions control is
largely in the hands of the younger
generation. semp Is not forty.
Some of the old fellows have passed
to be sure. Many of them arc at home
because they were not asked 10 come
here. Chairman Slemp will be re-elect-
ed State chairman and accept l9ut ne
said tonight that he did not intend to
retain the Office indefinitely, even IL |
asked to do So The only names men
toned in connection with the places OF
electors at large are r, Il. Thorp, OF
Norfolk, and w. S. Poage, of Wythe,
Only Two Contests.
~The State Executive Committee held /
a lengthy meeting tonight for the
purpose of making out the temporary
roll of the convention. 1t was stated
that the contests numbered only two,
including those from Henrlco and |
the Fredericksburg con
test having been adjusted by seating /
the white delegates.
In every case the contestants are
negroes. who are trying to get seats.
to which they claim to have been reg
uarly elected The committee simply
notes that the seats from a county /
arc contested, and the matter is re-
ferred to the credentials committee by
the convention. The committee on