The sun., 1908-03-08

HEADQUARTERS TOTS UP DELE
GATES so FAR NAMED.

All Those In the Northern states, Bar In
diana, Are Bound 20 Be for the secre-
tary-Lots OT Strength I'm the south
-ll0 cut Of las Is Number Claimed.
COLUMBUS. March From Taft head.
| quarters here to-day a statement was put
! forth that of las national delegates so far
selected to the Republican national Conven-
tion ll0 are pledged and instructed for Sec
! tary Taft. Except for the twenty-six for
Fairbanks in Indiana it Is announced the
other delegates are open 70 changes by later
conventions which wiIlSse recognized In
Louisiana the delegates wilNNe for Taft and
the declaration Is made further that Ne
braska and Iowa will give Tait almost il not
quite solid delegations The statement
reads:
Every delegate now selected to the
Republican national convention from
northern State that has no candidate OF
its own ia under binding instructions To
Secretary Taft. With the exception Of
Vice-Prestdent Fairbanks, who has twenty
six instructed delegates from his own State,
not another mentioned candidate for the
Republican Presidential nomination now
! has real delegate that he can call his own.
The Taft strength is greatest in the
big Northern and Western Republican
States tis not found merely in the South,
az has been asserted Although Il6 out
OF l4S delegates now selected bear instruc-
tiOns for Secretary Taft. but sixteen Of the
number are from Southern States-two
from Alabama. eight from Florida and
six from Tennessee. Maryland. which has
been breaking away from the South polit-
icaliy. furnished four more. The Philip
pines have given Taft two votes. Aside
from his native Ohio. Taft il strongest
in Missouri, another border State. whose
electoral vote IL expected to aid in the
triumph Of Taft at the polls.
in the last week Kansas and Nebraska
have commenced their contributions OF
Tart delegates. Republican leaders in both
States without regard TO personal affila-
tions declared that the delegations will he
solid for Taft All doubt about Kansas
was put at rest by the action of the State
convention this week. Nebraska Repub-
licans will hold their convention in Omaha.
March II, and will certainly follow the
Kansas example.
Iowa has selected her first national
delegates without a thought of consider
ing any other candidate. The convention
which selected these delegates unAni-
mOusly instructed them for Secretary
Taft. Iowa ia n State which has been de-
MED to the Secretary OF War by all the
Eastern political know IL nlls. Gov. Cum
n1ins and his followers are sincerely for
Taft, as are Sena tor Allison end those Of
his friends who are engaged in a contest
with the Governor for local party control
The actions taken to date in the thirteen
States and Philippine Islands which have
selected delegates furnish an answer 10
those who argue in an effort tO defeat Taft
Instructions, that It is wrong to instruct
delegates.
With the exception Of two delegates
from Alabama and four from Louisiana
every delegate thus far selected il under
positive and binding instructions. Omitting
Indiana, the instructions are all for Taft.
The Louisiana uninstructed delegates were
selected in the last week in a convention
representing one faction OF the party On
May II the other faction will hold its con-
vention and is expected to instruct the
delegates for Secretary Taft. Tho faction
to meet in May is the one officially recog-
nized in the State.
The table OF actual delegate selections
at this time does not indicate that there
will be more than the usual number OF
contests from the Southern States. The
seats Of all the Alabama and Florida dele
gates now named are in dispute and the
rights Of the four from Louisiana are TO bs
questioned Maryland has selected four
delegates and Tennessee has picked six,
all Of them without contest. Twelve South
ern seats are disputed and ten are not
otleRtiOned "