The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-06
TAFT'S MEN
 ARE SEATED Alabama Contests De- cided in Chicago.
 - THOMPSON FACTION WINS All Delegates Selected as the
 Regulars. paviason-scott Contingent Is over Come Before National Committee.
 Taft Men Pack Room s with Proxies.

Chicago. June 5.---without roll calls the Republican National Committee to- day decided the contests from Ala 7 banaa ana Arkansas. involving twenty four seats in the Republican National Convention in favor of delegates in- sfructed for Taft.
 The victory for the Taft forces was sweeping, not even a division being required to determine the will of the committee
 Contests from Florida, Georgia and Kentucky will be heard tomorrow. Thirty-four seats are affected
 The proceedings today would have been devoid of interest had 1t not been for an effort to prevent Frank H. Hitchcock. the Taft manager, and Ar- thur P. Slater. former Assistant Seo- retary of the Treasury and Charles G Phelps. of Washington, both assist ants to Mfr. Hitchcock. from sitting in judgment on the contests. These men held proxies of the members of the Ma tiona1 Committee from New Mexico Alaska and North Dakota, respective iy. Their entrance into the executive session of the National Committee pro- voked Joseph B. Keating. United States Attorney for the District of Indiana manager for Vice. President Fairhanks. and Representatives James Francis Burke of Pennsylvania, who acts in a similar capacity for Senator Knox. to
  side.
 Protests in writing.
 After hurried conference between representatives of all the anti-Taft forces, 1t was decided to reduce the protests to writing, and have them presented to the committee before the contests were taken up.
 The protests were sent to W. F. Ald- rich. formerly member of Congress from Alabama, and one of the contest ing delegates at large from the Scott- Davidson anti-Taft delegation from that State It recIted the fact that Mir. hitchcock Is directly interested in the faanagement of one of the candidates directly involved in the case and "therefors dssaualifed to sit In 1udg@ Mr. Hitchcock did not reside and is not qualified voter in the territory he claims to represent and was not a reg, tilarly or properly chosen National Committeeman from that territory. Sirn- liar representations were made in re- gard to Messrs. Statter and Phelps
 Mir Aldrich presented the protest to the committee and in connection stated that he did not regard 1t proper that they should be compelled to present their arguments to members who had an Interest in the outcome.
 "All care to say in reply" said O. D. Street United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama and the chief local counsel for the Thomp- son faction, instructed for Taft lis that Charles H. Scott the member of the. committee from Alabama, is sit- ting es judge in this case. and 1t ap- pears 10 me that he Is interested in the outcome"
 Mir. Scott Is one of the delegates-at- large elected by the Scott Davidson faction which was anti-Taft.
 Debate on the question was shut off Etevaua0a fhA Yf1afnher fvnrs, Colorado. who promptly moved to lay the protest on the table. The motion carried. Mir. Scott of Alabama being the only member who opposed 1t on a viva voce vote.
 The Alabama Contest.
 The Alabama contest affecting the four delegates-at-large and the two delegates from each of the Congress sional districts, twenty-two in all were then taken up.
 The Alabama cases, by agreement of all parties concerned. were consolidat- ed, and therefore two hours were giv en to each side. It was regarded as the most important of all the contests because of the fact that twenty-two delegates were involved and 1t Is first In the list of States that will be called in the convention when nominations are being made The candidates se- curing the delegation from Alabama Is sure to be the first placed in nomina ton because the State having no can didate of it's own, always yields to that State presenting the candidate fa- vored by Alabama.
 The Scott-Davidson faction being the first to file It's contest, was given one and one-half hours to open, the Thompson faction following with two hours, and the Scott Davidson people closing in half an hour. The princi- pal arguments in the opening for the Scott Davidson people were made by Judge Asa E. Stratton of Montgomery, a leader of the anti-Taft forces. He used almost all of the time allotted to his side for the opening, although Mir. Aldrich and J. H. Manning, postmas- ter at Alexander City, spoke briefly. The latter charged that the Taft con- vention had been controlled by Federal oficeholders and directed from Wash
 The Taft forces, under the general direction of Ormsby McHarg, of Wash inaton, D. C., were represented by o. P Street, stt.rD un15ed District t of Alabama William Farley of Birmingham, a member of the Executive Board of the United Mine workers Association, and N. H. Alexander, negro, Of Montgom' cry. nr. street During his speech facoring the seating of the delegates headed by State Chairman Thompson, ne pro duced a copy of circular letter sent out by MT. Aldrich of the anti-Ta faction calling upon the outs" to unite for the purpose of throwing out , tle 1qns. The purpose of introducing this letter was to show that the Scott Da. . vidson faction had publicly recognized that the Thompson faction was the regular" organization.
 Mir. Aldrich acknowledged t~e au thenticity of the letter, ana IL IS oelleveu .a fo have had much to do with the fact that a roll call was not required to de- eide the contest in favor of the Thomp- son delegation.
 Mir. Fairley made a powerful argu. . nent for his side. and said he intendeo to do all he could to induce organized labor te vote for the nominee of the convention. He announced that he was for Taft and is one of the delegates at large instructed to vote for him.
 Alexander spoke for the negroes on