The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-05
TO FIGHT OUT THE CONTESTS Republican Committee Meets Today. ALABAMA CASES ARE FIRST Fate of Taft May Depend on the
 Action. Neariy An.scat. In Chicago convention For Delegates From the south
 ern states Are to Be
 Deeided.

at n o'clock and begin the hearings on which will be determined the con- tests involving 229 seats in the conven- ton. -
 The number of contests filed Is so large that their settlement has become the most important of the pre-conven- ton proceedings. The nomination or fine Republican candidate for the Pres idency hinges absolutely upon the de- nision of the members of the National Committee and the subsequent approval of that decision by the Credentials Committee on the convention
 Half of the contests decided In favor of Secretary Taft would result in his winning on the first ballot. while faii- ure to capture this number unquestion- ably would put the nomination m douht. Realizing the necessity of keep Ing a majority of the contested dele- zStfons out of the Taft column. the representatives of other candidates nave pooled issues In most of the cases ana as allies will urge their claims before the National Convention. The pre- ceedlngs, therefore, largely will be re- solved into Taft and anti-Taft contra versy.
 So far as the South Is concerned. inc most of the contets in States from, south of the Mason and Dixon line. the interests of the allies are being looked after by Major F. C. Rryan. of Washington. D. c. He arrtv- cd in Chicago today and announced that he would base his arguments chiefly on the contention that In most of the Southern States the Taft forces had disuualifed the negro voters from partTcipatinE In the State and District aonventions, and that the allies oele- gates had been selected at conventions from which no class or race had been barred.
 
 If the program mapped out by Ma tionai Chairfnan Harry s. New to gov ern the proceedinGs of the committee In hearing the contests IS carrieu out, little opportunity for fne arguments or oratorica1 efforts. will be presenter. This program VIII De suptli.te9 .I.A, " .ns eounmittee for action immediately upon | the gesslon being called to order to- morrow. It will provide for daily meet tnas to begin at 10 q. ul-, and continue until D. m.. withoutArecess TOT lunen- con. Thirty minutes for each side will be allowed in state contests, lnT voIvinR the seating of four delegates at Large and their alternates in each |
 There are eleven such contests. the | states being Alabama. Florida, Geor- wia. Louisiana, Mississippi. North Caro- lima, Oklahoma. South Carolina. Ten naasee- Texas and Virginia. The re- nnaininR delegates in the contest are from scattering districts in the States | named. and also in Arkansas. Kentuc- ky. Missouri. Ohio. Alaska Arizona ana Pennsylvania
 Fifteen minutes on each side are to he allowed in the argument to each or | tba district contests. Chairman New | estimated that If this schedule Is fol- lowed and no delays result, 1t will re- o,,ire 1l4 hours to dispose of the con- tests, without taking into eonsidera- tIon the time required for deliberations of inc committee. Of course, there are | Sa,,a states where the issues in some l of the districts are identical with the | contentious over the delegates-at-large. ana some time, therefore, may be saved in gdisposing of such cases.
 Alabama Cases First.
 It is not likely that the committee will be able to dispose of more than the Alabama contests tomorrow. These are regarded as the pivotal cases in | tha entire controversy and an exhibi- lion of bitterness is anticipated by the committee over their settlement. All of the nine districts in the state are contested as we'll as the four delegates at large. The cases are complicated by all sorts of angles and factional differences and the difficulty Is fur ther increased by the fact that Ala bama comes first in the roll of the states. The issue in the state and that of the various districts are ident- ical.
 There are two factions in Alabama Republican politics at the present time and both have sent complete sets or delegates, involving twenty-two seats in fine convention. One of these in 'ad- yocated by Julius W. Davidson and National Committeeman Charles IT. Scott and the other by State Chairman J. O. Thompson. The claim of the Thompson faction is based upon the argument that the organization, ot which he Is the state chairman. is the same organization that was recognized by the national committee four years ago and that it has since continued to be the regular" organization of Ala bama.
 Scott and ThOmpsOn.
 Two years ago Thompson called meeting of the state committee to de- eide whether a Republican state ticket should be put in the field against Gov ernor Conner and other Democratic of- hciaIs. The question was submitted to a primary and as no Republicans uresented themselves as candidates for any offices, 1t was decided not to put a ticket in the field.
 National Committeeman Scott par ticipated in the proceedings and de- cided not to be a candidate for the friends who desired him to make the race. He made a speech at which he said that he had concluded that 1t would be lnadvisable to do so.
 Some time later Mir. Davidson, who had also participated in the delibera- tions of what was then the recognized regular organization, issued a call on his own account for a meeting to se- lect state ticket to make the race against the Democrats. There were but twenty-four participants in the gathering, but nevertheless a ticket was named.
 The regular Republican emblem had been filed with the secretary of state by the Thompson faction, ana under the laws of Alabama an emblem can be changed only by the party which created 1t. Recognizing that they could not use thlg emblem tha David- !