The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-06-06
Contest of Delegates Has Up
To Date Turned Out in Fav-
or of the Big Secretary of
War.
OPPOSITION GETS
TOGETHER IN CAUCUS.
Meeting Held Last Night, at
Which Time the Sentiment
Was Voiced Against Hitch
cock and Assistants.

Chicago. June 6.-Without roll calls
the republican national committee de-
cided the contests from Alabama and
Arkansas. involving twenty-four seats
in the republican convention. in favor
of the delegates instructed for Secre-
tary 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 were heard today, the total
number of seats affected beitg thirty
four.
The proceedings yesterday would
have been devoid of interest had il
not been for an effort to prevent
Frank II. Hitchcock. the Taft manager.
and Arthur +. Statter, former assist
ant secretary of the treasury and
Charles G. Phelps of Washington,
both assistants to Mr.. Hitchcock, from
Sitting in judgment on the contests.
These men held proxys from members
of the national committee from New
Mexico, Alaska and North Dakota re-
| spectively. Their entrance into the ex-
| ecutive session of the national com
mittee provoked Joseph b. Healing,
United States District attorney for the
district of Indiana. manager of Vice
| President Fairbanks, and Representa-
4 e
who acts in similar capacity for Sen
ator Knox, to make vehement protests
from the outside
| Protest in Writing.
After a hurried conference between
represe natives of all the anti-Taft for
| ces ii was decided to reduce the pro-
| tests to writing and have them pre-
sented to the committee before the
contests were taken up. When this
had been done the protests were sent
TO former Congressman Aldrich, of AL
| ALBANIA. one of the contesting dele
gates-at-large from the Scott Davidson
anti-Taft delegation from that state.
1t recited the fact that Mr.. Hitchcock
! is directly interested in the manage
ment of one of the candidates directly
involved in the case, and therefore
disqualified TO sit in judgment upon
it. II also declared that Mr.. Hitchcock
did not reside, and is not a qualified
voter in the territory he claims to
represent, and was not a regularly or
properly chosen national committee
man from the territory
The same representations were
made in regard to Messrs. Slater and
Phelps, except that they We're termed
employees" instead of manager for
one of the candidates"
Protest From AIdrich.
Mr.. Aldrich presented the protest
to the committee and in that connec-
ton stated that he did not regard IL
proper that they should be compelled
TO present their arguments to MEM
bers who had an interest" in the out
come. and he called attention to the
preamble of the protest which was as
follows:
We formally protest against being
compelled to submit the merits OF our
committee as at present constituted In
this meeting
Then followed the arguments
against Messrs. Hitchcock. Statter and
Phelps being permitted TO retain seats
in the committee.
"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 as Judge in this case. and IL
the outcome"
Mr.. Scott is one Of the delegates-at-
large elected by the Scott-Davidson
faction, which was supposed 10 be an
ti-Taft
Debate Cut on.
Debate on the question was shut off
by A. VI. Stevenson, the member from
Colorado. who promptly moved to lay
the protest on the table. The motion
carried, Mr.. Scott of Alabama. being
the only member who opposed 1t on
the viva yoco cote, which was taken.
The Alabama contests affecting the
four delegates at large and the two
delegates from each Of the congression-
al districts, twenty-five in all, were
| taken up.
All except members of the national
committee were excluded from the
room at 4:15 p. m, and few minutes
later it was known that the Taft dele
gates had been seated. There was no
demand for roll call. and on the viva
voce expression 1t is said that only Mr..