The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-08
Regular Delegates A's Against
 ths Administration
BOLT BY THE TAFT FACTION
Washington Men Receive Telearams Giving Correct View of Situation In Florida and Declare
 Taft Has Not Won.

Washington February 7-(Special )- The press dispatches from Florida, de clarative of a Taft victory yesterday in the selection of delegates from that state to the republican national conven- tion is declared to be thoroughly mis- representative of the facts.
 There was no Taft victory. On the contrary the Taft opposition carried the state and alleged delegates for Taft were the choice of & trump convention composed of bolting officeholders, who thought it best to line up for Teddy $ man.
 These facts were learned here today through private dispatches received by Senator Hemenway of Indiana, who has been conducting the Fairbaniks inter- ests and Representative Mckinley of Illinois, who is the chief Cannon boomer. Representative Mckinley left Washing ton for Chicago this afternoon. Just be- fore leaving he stated that he had yes terday received a telegram from a thor oughy responsible republican, who was In attendance upon the Florida republi- can convention at St. Augustine, read ing as follows:
 
 state convention and elected four dele gates"
 Taft Men BoIted.
 Representative Mckinley said that 90 minutes after the receipt of this mes sage he received another telegram from the same gentlemen, saying:
 "Officeholders bolted, held separate con vention and instructed for Taft
 Senator Hemenway says he has tele- grams corroboratiye of the statement of facts contained in the Mckinley dis patches. When Representative Mckinley read the dispatches in the papers to the effect that the Florida convention had instructed for Taft he said he could scarcely believe his, eyes. After an in vestigation he beclares that his tele- grammes are correct and that incomplete accents had been sent broadcast to the country concerning the convention's work.
 This discovery created considerable feeling among the anti-Taft forces at the capital, because it was at first sup posed that the press associations had been brought under the control of the Taft element.
 Bitter Struggle.
 A bitter struggle is now on between Taft and anti-Taft forces for the dele gates from the southern states. The Taft lieutenants claim that they have the south corralled. The anti-Taft forces, who are working for Foraker, Cannon, Fairbanks and all others, are united In their opposition to the Taft movement in the south and are working in harmony for the selection of anti-Taft delegates from the south. Florida is the first southern state to select delegates to the republican national convention and it seems that the anti-Taft forces defeated the administrative ignominiously.
 Florida will send contesting delegations to Chicago, but the regular delegates obviously stand the best chance before the national committee and later the temporary organization.
 From every southern state contesting delegations are expected. The negroes of the south are lining up against Taft very strongly and 1t is anticipated that through the votes of these negroes oppo- sition delegates will come in case of Taft victories It also develops in con- nection with the opposition to the con- flrmation of Judge Oscar Hundley of the Northern Alabama district that H. ". Cashin, who appeared before the com mittee today against Hundley and is n practicing lawyer, is an advocate of the nomination of Senator Foraker for Pres ident Cashin Is engaged in the mission of having the negroes of Alabama call hand in the political situation. He wants to know whether Washington is for the champion of the rights of the negro race" Senator Foraker, or for somebody else. w, S.