Omaha daily bee., 1908-06-06
Secretary Wins First Contest Before
National Committee.
NO DIVISION OF OPINION
Regular Delegation from Alabama
Seated without Dissenting Voice.
VICTORY Is IMPORTANT ONE
State First on Roll Call and Will
Yield to Ohio.
ARKANSAS CONTEST DECIDED
Taft Delegates from This state
Are Also Seated - Florida,
Georgia and Kentucky
To-day.
ARKANSAS CONTEST DECIDED

the republican national committee today de- |
cided the contests from Alabama and Ar
kansas. involving twenty-four seats in the
republican national convention. in favor
OF the delegates instructed for Secretary |
TAFT. The victory Tor the Taft forces was
sweeping, not even a division being re-
quired to determine the viii Of the com
mittee Contests from Florida, Georgia and
Kentucky will be heard tomorrow, the to-
tai number Of seats affected being thirty
four.
The proceedings today would have been
devoid Of interest had II not been for an
effort TO prevent Frank H. Hitchcock.
the Taft manager. and Arthur F. statter.
former assistant secretary OF the treasury
and Charles G. Phelps Of washington, both
assistants to Mr. Hitcvhcock from sitting
IN Judgment on the contests. These men
held proxies of the members of the ma
tional committee from New Mexico
Alaska and North Dakota respectively.
Their entrance into the executive session
OF the national committee, provoked Joseph
b. Healing. United States attorney for
the District OF Indiana. manager for Vice
President Fairbanks. and Representatives
james Francis Burke Of Pennsylvania. who
protests from the outside.
Protest from Anti-Taft Men.
After a hurried conference between rep
resentatives OF all the anti-Taft forces II
was decided 10 reduce the protests to writ
ing and have them presented to the COM
mittee before the contests were takn up,
When this had been done the protests were
sent &c w. F. Aldlrch. formerly a member
OF congress from Alabama, and one Of
the contesting delegates-at-large from the
that state 1t recied the fac tina Mr..
Hitchcock is directly Interested in the man
agement OF one of the candidates directly
involved in the case and therefore dis
qualified to sit in judgment upon it." II
also declared that Mr.. Hitchcock did not
reside in and Is not a qualified voter in
the territory he claims to represent and
was not a regularly or properly chosen ma
tional committeeman from the territory.
The same representations were made in
regard to Messrs Slater and Phelps. ex-
cept that they were termed employees"
instead Of "a manager for one of the can
didates."
Mr.. Aldrich presented the protest to the
committee and in connection stated that
ne did not regard II proper that they
should be compelled TO present their argu-
ments to members who had an interest"
in the outcome and called attention to the
preamble OF the protest. which was as fol-
lows:
I'VE formally protest against being com
PEELED TO submit the merits OF our contest
to the republican national committee as at
present constituted in this meeting"
Then followed the arguments against
Messrs Hitchcock. statter and Phelps be-
ing permitted to retain seats in the COM
mlttee
sAu -. - -. A.. -.zt,. >, .atS n n
Street. United States attorney for the
northern district of Alabama. and the chief
/iocal counsel for the Thompson faction.
Instructed for Taft, lis that Charles H.
Scott. the members OF the committee from
Alabama. is sitting as a judge in this case.
and 1t appears TO me he is interested In
the outcome"
Mr. Scott is one Of the leading delegates
at-large elected by the scott-DavidsoB fac
ton which was supposed TO be anti-Taft.
The debate on the question was shut off by
=. A. NJ. Stevenson. the member from Colo
rado, who promeptly moved to lay the
protest on the table The motion carried
Mr. Scott OF Alabama being the only mem
ber opposing It on the viva voce vote which
was taken.
The Alabama contests. affecting the -four
delegates-at-large and the two delegates
from each OF the congressional districts
twenty-five iE all. were then taken up
Committee Begins Work.
The committee did not meet today unit
II o'clock. yet practically all the members
were present more than an hour befor'
that time. In spite of the fact that thu
number Of contests was so large and tha
Il was known that some of them would bi
fought with exceeding bitterness. the feel
ing among members Of the committee wa
cordial In the extreme Among the last q
arrive were Senators Crane and Lodge o
Massachusetts. The former is a membe
Of the committee and was warmly greete'
by his colleagues.
Let me IN on that" said Senator Lodge
for l am the Filipino member" sur
enough the senator had aproxy from Henr!
D. Mccoy. the member from the Philippin
Islands.
Cecn l. Lyon, a member from Texas. ar
rived with former Governor Myron T. Her
rick, the member from Ohio, and they wer
soon busy rounding up the southern
members. Lyon frequently had been IN
host OF President Roosevelt and makes n
secret of the fact that he would like 1
see The president renominated
Roosevelt don't want II" said Lyon, IS
here Is where we go In and turn hand
springs in equity Tor the man he doe
want"
The visiting between members Of IN
committee. attorneys representing the cor
testants and others gathered In the lobb
outlide the national committees head
quarters in the Coliseum annex, Wa
brought TO close shortly after II o'cloo
by William r. Stone. the sergesnt-at-armi
who loudly announced that members OF n
committee were expected TO meet now.
He threw tremendous lung power into tha
last word. ard within two minutes th
meeting was on. behind closed doors.
Rules Are Adopted.
The first hour was devoted 10 the adol
tion Of rules Of procedure II was d,
cided that an sessions OF the eommitte
shall be executive. beginning al 10 o'cloC
nd continazinr uithou1 luncheon alnfl aa