The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-06-09
DELEGATIONS IN FAVOR or SEC
RETARY OF WAR FAVORED
5Y COMMITTEE.
HARMONY REIGNS
Contests From Alabama and Arkansas
Decided Ia Favor of the Regularly
Escted Delegates-Managers for
Knox, Fairbanks and Cannon Pro-
test Against TAFT Manager Voting.

Chicago, June Without roll calls
the republican national committee to
day decided the contests from Ala
bama and Arkansas involving "a
seats in the republican national con
vention, in favor Of the delegates in
structed for Secretary Taft. The vic
tory for the Taft forces was sweep
ing, not even a division being required
to determine the will of the commit.
tee. Contests from Florida, Georgia
and Kentucky will be heard tomorrow,
the total number~of seats effected be.
ing "a.
The proceedings today would have
keen devoid Of interest had it not
been for an effort to prevent Frank
II Hitchcock, the Taft manager, and
Arthur r. Slater, former assistant
secretary Of the treasury, and G.. G..
Phelps Of Washington, both assint-
ants to Mr.. Hitchcock, from sitting in
Judgment on the contests. These men
held proxies Of the members Of the
national committee from New Mex.
leo, Alaska and North Dakota respect
lively. Their entrance into the execu-
tive session Of the national commit
tee provoked Joseph H. Healing,
United States attorney for the district
Of Indiana, manager for Vice Presi-
dent Fairbanks and Representative
James Francis Burk Of Pennsylvania,
who acts in a similar capacity for
Senator Knox to make vehement pro
tests from the outside.
Protests in Writing.
After q hurried conference between
representatives of all the antiTaft
forces 1t was decided to reduce the
protests to writing and have them
presented to the committee before the
contests we're taken up. When this
had been done the protests were sent
to w. F. Aldrich, former member of
congress from Alabama, and one OF
the contest'ng delegates at large fcora
the Scott-Davidson anti-Taft de'ega.
ton from that state. It recitei the
fact that Mr.. Hitchcock is directly
interested in the management Of one
Of the candidates directly involved in
the case, and therefore disquali1el ta
sit In judgment upon it. It also de
clared that Mr.. Hitchcock did not re.
side, and is not a qualified voter in
the territory he claims to represent,
and was not a regularly or properly
chosen national committeeman from
the territory. The same representa-.
tions we're made In regard to Messrs.
Slater and Phelps, except that they
were termed "employes' instead Of a
manager" for one of the candidates.
Mr.. Aldrich presented the protest to
the committee, and in connection,
stated that he did not regard 1t proper
that they should be compelled to pre-.
sent their arguments to members who
had an interest" in the outcome, and
he called attention to the preamble of
the protest which was as follows:
Scott Held a Seat.
I'VE formally protest against being
compelled to submit one of the mer.
Its OF our contest to the republican
national committee as at present con
.stituted in this meeting" Then fol.
lowed the arguments against Messrs.
Hitchcock, Slater and Phelps being
permitted to retain their seats in the
committee.
.All I care to say in reply" said o.
D. Street, United States attorney for
the northern district of Alabama, and
the chief local counsel for the Thomp.
son faction, instructed for Taft, sis
that Charles H: Scott, the member OF
the committee from Alabama is sit.
ting as a Judge in this case, and it ap.
pears to me that he is interested in
the outcome" Mr.. Scott is one OF
the delegates at large elected by the
Scott-Davidson faction which was
supposed to be anti-Taft.
Debate on the question was shut of
BY A. M. Stevenson, the member from
Colorado, who promptly moved to lay
the protest on the table. The motion
carried, MI. Scott, OF Alabama, being
the only member who opposed 1t or
the viva voce vote which was taken
The Alabama contests, eftecting the
four delegates at large, and the two
delegates from each OF the congress
sional districts, % in all, were Their
taken up.
Senator Lodge Had Proxy.
The committee did not meet today
until II o'clock, yet practically all o.
the members were present more thar
an hour before that time. In spite O
the fact that the number of contests
was 80 large, and that It was known
that some Of them would be fought
with exceeding bitterness, the feel
Ing among members OF the commit
tee was cordial In the extreme. Among
the last to arrive were Senator.
Crane and Lodge Of Massachusetts
The. former 10 q member Of the com
nlittee and Wal warmly greeted by his
colleagues.