Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-05
CHICAGO BUSY
GETTING READY
FOR DELEGATES
CANNON HEADQUARTERS OPEN
FOR BUSINESS
CONVENTION HUM ALREADY is
IN THE AIR
Taft Rooms to Be Put In Order ln1-
mediateIy-committee Meets To-
day to Decide Contests
Over 22e Seats

BY Associated Press
CHICAGO, June 4.-Political activity
commenced in earnest today around
the auditorium and the annex, and the
Coliseum, where the Republican ma
tional convention is soon to be held.
The Cannon headquarters were perna-
nently opened in the auditorium, ana
the announcement was made by
number of politicians friendly to can
didates friendly to others than TAFT
that Foraker's headquarters would be
opened tonight in the Great Northern.
Charles F. Kurtz of Columbus, o.,
who has been q Foraker lieutenant for
thirty years, is to have charge of the
senator's interest.
Charles P. Taft of Cincinnati, brother
of the secretary of war; came to Chi
cago today and promptly announced
he expected the secretary to be noml-
mated without difficulty on the hrst
ballot.
Vice presidential gossip was promi-
nent today for the first time, the names
of Senator j. P. Dolliver of Iowa and
James d. Sherman of New York being
mentioned. John Hays Hammond, the
well known mining engineer. was also
talked of.
will meet tomorrow noon for the pur-
nose of hearing evidence In the con-
tests for the seating of delegates for
the temporary roll.
johnson in Town
Governor Johnson of Minnesota ar
rived in Chicago today and spent a
short time at his headquarters in the
Grand Pacific hotel. Discussing po-
litical conditions, he said: Il believe
that the Denver convention will be
deliberate body and that nobody mas a
sufficient number of delegates to Sc
cure a nomination. I regard the con-
ditions as favorable for Democratic
success if the right man is named ana
the right sort of platform made. Moth
ing in recent development has changed
my attitude, and / am still a candidate
for the nomination.
The full Republican national com-
mittee will meet tomorrow at IL O'Clock
and begin hearing on contests lnVoIV-
ing 229 seats in the convention. the
number of contests filed is SO large
that their settlement has become a
most important factor of the pre-
convention proceedings.
Hinges on Decision
The nomination of the Republican
candidate for the presidency hinges
absolutely on the decision of the com
mittee and the subsequent approval or
that decision by the credentials COM
mittee of the convention. If the con-
tests are decided in favor of Secretary
Taft It will result in his winning on
the first ballot while failure to cap
ture this number unquestionably
would put the nomination in doubt.
Realization of the necessity of keep
ing a majority of the contested dele
cations out of the Taft column, the
representatives of other candidates
have pooled issues in most of the
cases and, as allies, will urge their
claims before the national committee.
The proceedings therefore largely
will be resolved into Taft and anti
Taft controversy If the program to-
morrow mapped out by National
Chairman New to govern the proceed
ings of tie committee in hearing the
contests is carried out little opportu-
nity for fine arguments or oratorical
effort will be presented. This program
will be submitted to the committee for
action Immediately on the session
being called to order tomorrow. 1t will
provide for daily meetings to begin at
10 a. m. and continue to p. m. with
out recess for lunch.
Thirty minutes for each side will
be allowed in state contests, involv-
ing of four delegates-at-large, and
their altefnaIeS III cdCn CdoC. lnciC
case. There are eleven such contests,
the states being Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North
Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina
and Virginia.
The remaining delegates in contest
are from scattering districts in the
states named, and Arkansas, Ken
lucky, Missouri, Ohio, Alaska, Arizona
and Pennsylvania.
Chairman New stated today If this
schedule is followed and no delays re-
suit, it will require ia hours to dis
pose of the contests without taking
into consideration the time required
for deliberations of the committee. 1t
is not likely the committee will be
able to dispose of more than the Ala
bama contests tomorrow. These are
regarded as the pivotal cases in the
committee over their settlement. All
of the nine districts in the state
are contested as well as the four dele
gates-at-large.
While the question has not been fully
determined, it is expected that all of
the contests will be heard in their al
phabetical order, although the state
contests will be disposed of before dis
trict cases from states where the dele
gates-at-large are not involved are
considered. This would place Florida
second on the list.