The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-06-05
CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENTIAL
NOMINATION OPENING HEAD
QUARTERS.
TAFT in THE LEAD
Cannon Says Secretary of War VIII
Not Have over $50 votes on First
Ballot ~ National Committee will
Meet Today to Commence Consider
ing Contests.

Chicago, June 4.The full republi-.
can national committee will meet to-.
at II o'clock and begin hear
ings on contests in yplving 229 seats
in the convention.
The number Of contests filed is SO
large that theft settlement easily has
become the most important of the pre-
convention proceedings. The nomina-,
tion Of the republican candidate for
the presidency hinges absolutely on
the decision of the members of the ma
tional committee and the subsequent
approval Of that body by the creden-
tials committee Of the convention.
Half of the contests decided in favor.
Of Secretary Taft would result in his.
winning on the first ballot, while fail
ure to capture this number unques-
would put the nomination in
doubt. 8
Anti-Taft Men Together.
Realizing the necessity in keeping.
a majority Of the contested delegates
out Of the Taft column, the represent
atives Of other candidates have pooled
issues in most cases, and as allies.
will urge their claims before the ma
tional committee. The proceedings,
therefore, largely will be revolved
into Taft and anti-Taft controversy.
So far as the south is concerned,
and most Of the contests are in states
from south of the Mason and Dixon
line, the interests Of the allies are
being. looked after by Major 4. G..
Bryan, Of Washington. D. 9. He ar
rived in Chicago today and announced
that he would base It's arguments
chiefly on the contention that in most
OF the southern states the Taft forces
had disqualified the negro voters from
participating in the state and district
conventions and that the allied dele
gates had been selected at conventions
from which no class or race had been
barred.
Cannon Headquarters Opened.
Political activity commenced in
earnest today around the Auditorium
and the Auditorium annex and the
Coliseum, where the republican ma
tional convention is soon to be held.
The Cannon headquarters were per-
manently opened in the Auditorium
and the announcement was made by a
number Of the politicians friendly to
candidates other than William H.
Taft that Foraker headquarters will
be opened tomorrow IN the Great
Northern hotel. Charles +. Kurtz, Of
Columbia, Ohio, who has been For
aker lieutenant for 80 years, is to have
charge of the senator's interests.
Charles r. Taft, Of Cincinnati, broth
er ct the secretary Of war, came to
Chicago today and promptly an
nounced that he expected the secre-
tary to be nominated without difficul-
ty, on the first ballot. He smiled as
he cautioned listeners to remember
that he was a prejudiced witness, but
asserted that here was no doubt in
his mind that only one ballot would
be cast. He said that in his opinion
the figures of the Taft bureau should
be taken seriously because "our flg-
ures from the beginning Of the fight
for the republican nomination have
always been nearer right than those
Of the other fellows"
Vice Presidential Gossip.
Vice presidential gossip was promi-
nent today for the first time, the
names of Senator James p. Dolliver
Of Iowa and James D. Sherman of
New York being mentioned. John
Hays Hammond the well known min
ing engineer, was also talked of.
At the headquarters Of Joseph G..
Cannon It was declared that the esti-
mates Of strength made by the Taft
people were largely overdrawn and
John Everman, the confidential man
Of Congressman Mckinley Of Cham
paign, who is in charge Of the head
quarters at the present time, assert
ed that the Illinois candidate would
not only have more strength than has
been generally conceded to him, but
that the Taft people would not be
able to show more than $50 votes on
the first ballot.
The republican national committee
will meet tomorrow at noon for the
purpose Of hearing evidence in con.
tests for the seating of delegates on
the temporary rolls.
Governor John A. Johnson OF Min
nesota, arrived In Chicago today and
spent short time at his headquart-
'ers in the Grand Pacific hotel. Dis
cussing political conditions. he said:
Il believe that the Denver conven-