New-York tribune., 1908-06-12

he reached Washington last night Senator Cul-
lom declared himself in favor of the Choate
proposition. and in other quarters Mr.. Cannon
has quietly laid the wires for this coup. OF
course. its advocates do not expect the Choate
plank TO be adopted, but they do expect that
when it fails it will carry the administration
planks referred to down with it.
Several members of the National Committee
have requested that there be reiterated in The
Tribune the correct account of the agreement they
made with Frank H. Hitchcock regarding the
remaining contests after the Louisiana case was
disposed Of although the facts accurately
stated in these dispa tches at the time. 1t has
been asserted in many quarters that the mem
bers Of the committee promised Mr.. Hitchcock
that if the Louisiana compromise should be
agreed TO none but Taft delegates should be
placed on the temporary roll result of the
other contests. OF course, that statement is uh-
true, and some members of the committee as
sumo that il has been desired to convey a wrong
impression, although it is entirely possible that
IN the confusion incident to such a gathering
this. and with the inaccuracies almost inevitabl
in newspaper work done under such conditions,
the false impression was unintenuonally con-
veyed. The fact is that the members of the Ma
tional Committee agreed that if Mr.. Hitchcock
would accept the compromise proposed in the
case of the Louisiana delegates they would not
again force q compromise NIleIt 'Ale VI IIl0
other Of the contestng delegations had the right
clearly on its side. Had the alleged agreement
been made the compromise effected yesterday
by seating both the Taft and Foraker deega-
tions from Ohio would have been impossible, but
of course the members of the committee would
not bind themselves by any such agreement In
the Louisiana the regular" element was
friendly with the Pearl Wight delegation, but
for political reasons it desired, irrespec-
r ton, of ocular n
Cohen delegation as we'll A1r Hitchcock then
asked the question How far you gentle
men likely to go for political reasCns?' and he
was assured that in all further contests pre-
sented to the committee its decision would be IN
accordance with the facts, and political reasons
would not be permitted to influence the de-
cisions.
When the 9Th Ohio contest was considered It
was practically impossible to determine whether
the Foraker o. the Taft delegates should be
seated. BY the strictest application of the laws
of the convention neither delegation was en-
titled to a place on the temporary roll, both
had violated certain provisions of the call of
the national committee. 1t was decided there
fore to seat both delegations and divide the vote
of the district between them. and although this
decision gave to Senator Foraker the single vote
he is likely to have in the convention Mr.
Hitchcock recognized the justice Of the decision
and raised objection.
THE CONTESTS DECIDED.
There was one case to-day where the commit
toe listened to political consideration and seated
two delegates, with half vote for each. This
was in the Sth District of Tennessee now rep
resented in Congress by Thetus w. Sims, who /
was elected by a majority Of $50 votes. Ma /
ttonal Committeeman Brownlow made a plea to
the committee to take this action on the ground /
that were only one delegation seated it would /
certainly cost the party the seat occupied by |
Mr Sims Both delegations for Taft, how |
ever. so that the national result was not af- /
fected by the compromise.
When the committee met this morning it |
promptly disposed Of the 1st and 9Th South Car
oIina districts seating the Taft men, and then
took up the case of Tennessee. where all but |
the 1st, 9th and 10th districts were contested. /
As has been said. both sides TO these contro- /
versies we're for Secretary Taft. and the real |
question involved the desire of W. J. Oil
,er who was a bidder for the Panama Canal
,ontract. to succeed Representative Brownlow
&C member of the national committee-a desire
shared equally by Representative n w Hale.
The committee decided TO hear the contests en-
bloc allowing two hours to each side. but TO
vote on them singly.
Iesse w. LittletOn attorney for the Oliver
faction. told his story quietly. saying that there
,.ae "a little disturbance" in the state conven-
ion but deprecating the idea that il amounted
-, aovihing When asked if ii was not true that
,te faction went the convention armed and
hold the hall by force. he replied: The only
,,eanon saw was this" and he produced from
,nder his coat savage looking hatchet
when. however Newell Sanders took the floor